Shalban Buddhist Vihara

Shalban Buddhist Vihara is one of the monuments of ancient civilization of Bangladesh. The location of this temple is in the middle of Lalmai hill near Bard in Kotbari of Comilla district. This Vihar was named Shalban Vihar as there was once a dense forest of Shal-Gazari around the Vihar. This monastery is similar to Paharpur Buddhist monastery but smaller in size. In late 1875, during the construction of a road in the present Kotbari area, the ruins of a building were exposed. The ruins discovered at the time were assumed to be a fort. In 1917, Director of Dhaka Museum, Nalini Kant Bhattasali, visited the area and while conducting research in the area, decided that the ruins were the fort of Ranbangamalla Harikela Dev's copper reign (13th century AD) and Pattikera Nagar surrounded by Vihara. However, according to other archaeologists, it was the ruins of an ancient city called Jayakarmantabsaka. However, according to several more supported views, it is believed that the fourth king of the Deva Dynasty, Sribhavadeva, built this Buddhist temple between the end of the 7th century and the beginning of the 8th century. Six construction and reconstruction phases of Shalban Vihar are known. It is estimated that the central temple was built in the third phase during the 8th century AD and the vihara was completely renovated. The fourth and fifth phases of construction and renovation were completed in the ninth-tenth centuries. Square in shape, each side of Shalban Vihar is 167.7 meters long. The walls of Bihar on four sides are five meters thick. The rooms are built on four sides of the walls of Bihar. There was only one way in or out of Bihar. This path or door is right in the middle of the north block. Each room has a 1.5 meter wide wall between them. Right in the middle of the Bihar Angan was the central temple. There are total 155 rooms in Bihar. It is believed that Buddhist monks lived and worshiped here. In front of the room is a 8.5 ft. wide verandah and a low wall at its end. Each room has three niches in the wall where idols or oil lamps etc. were kept in the past. On the other hand, the hall built on the four side walls and four huge round pillars in front is believed to be the dining room of the monks. The size of the hall is 10 meters by 20 meters. There is a wide brick road around the hall. Eight copperplate inscriptions, about 400 gold and silver coins, numerous terracotta plaques, seals, bronze and clay idols have been recovered from the ruins of the vihara during various archaeological excavations.