Muktagacha Zamindar House

Locally this site is known as “Rupban Mura”. After excavation, the sign of a shrine, a monastery and an octagonal votive stupa were found. Among the antiquities, one Gupta imitation gold coin, 04 coins of debased metal, 3 silver coins and a bulky sand stone, Buddha image of post gupta period are mention worthy. On the basis of all the evidences found here, the original monastery and shrine may be dated prior to the 8th Century A.D.

Rupban Mura an important archaeological site of Mainamati lying on a hillock just between the modern BARD and BDR establishments in the Kotbari area on the south of the Comilla-Kalirbazar road. Excavations have revealed here the remains of a remarkable semi-cruciform shrine of medium size (28.2m east - west, 28m north - south), together with a number of subsidiary structures, including an octagonal stupa and another one on a square base. A boundary wall within the oblong stupa courtyard encloses all these. Its regular entrance is on the east, facing the monastery entrance. Deep diggings have revealed three main periods of building and repairs and rebuilding, the earliest corresponding to c.6th-7th centuries AD. Very few remains of the latest period (10th-11th century AD) survive now in this very heavily disturbed site.

The Cruciform Shrine Originally built as a solid stupa on a square base, it was subsequently converted into a semi-cruciform shrine in the second period (8th century AD). It has a peculiarity not noticed elsewhere. Instead of a single chapel built in each of the long arm of the cross, a group of three long narrow chapels was built in the eastern (front) side of the shrine.

In the middle chapel the colossal stone Buddha, now exhibited in Mainamati Museum, was discovered. The same peculiarity is noticed in the adjacent Itakhola Mura grand stupa, also on the eastern side facing the entrance. Fragments of bronze images found in other chapels suggest installation of such images there.

The Monastery The small 34.1m square monastery of the site was built separately, 31m.The South-east of the cruciform stupa. It has a prominent gateway complex (12.5m x 6.9m) projecting outwards in the middle of the northern wing. Built in the usual square plan, it originally had a total of 24 cells in four wings, subsequently reduced to 18 in the second period. The southern wing, occupying an area of 11.7m, was abandoned, due certainly too irreparable damages, and a row of new cells was built in its front, thus making the shape of the monastery oblong (34.1m x 24.8m). Corbelled niches and brick-built bedsteads can be noticed in the 2nd period cells. A broad corbelled drain was built in the courtyard to drain out rainwater. Significant discoveries from the site include, besides the colossal stone Buddha, five debased gold coins of Balabhatta, the Khadga ruler.

Nawabganj is one of the prominent regions in Dhaka containing a large number of old buildings and Zamindar Bari, Amongst the archaeologically or historically famous buildings the most well-known ones are Hasnabad Church, Braja Niketon,the Baghmara Moth, the Bakshanagar Church  and the residence of Khelaram.

But there are also several lesser known old buildings, mostly set up by merchants lived that region previous years, who were traders of various kinds of produces, including salt.

Over time, many of these buildings have fallen prey to locally influential land grabbers. Most of these buildings are in a state of ruins, desperately requiring due attention. Some buildings have been acquired by the Ansar & Village Defense Party (VDP), a paramilitary force of the government, and the authorities have renovated some of these structures and maintain them fairly well.

It includes the House of Harihar Ghosh, the Ansar Commandant’s current office which is now known as Nawabganj Ansar Camp (Painna Bari & Teli Bari), Loknath Saha’s House and a few more houses.

Jagaddal Vihara is located approximately 55km away from Noagaon Zilla sadar. It is a very ancient site. Locals call it as remnants of Bot Krishna Zamider Bari. Jagaddala Mahavihara was a Buddhist monastery founded by the later kings of the Pala dynasty, possibly Rampala (1077-1120), most likely at a site near the present village of Jagaddal in Dhamurhat Upazila in the north-west Bangladesh on the border of India, near Paharpur. Jagaddala Mahavihara (fl. late 11th century - mid-12th century) was a Buddhist monastery and seat of learning in Varendra, a geographical unit in present north Bengal. It was founded by the later kings of the Pāla dynasty, probably Ramapala (c. 1077-1120), most likely at a site near the present village of Jagdal in Dhamoirhat Upazila in the north-west Bangladesh on the border with India, near Paharapur. Some texts also spell the name Jaggadala.

A large number of monasteries or viharas were established in ancient Bengal and Magadha during the four centuries of Pala rule in North-eastern India (756-1174 AD).Dharmapala (781-821) is said to have founded 50 viharas himself, including Vikramashila, the premier university of the era. Jaggadala was founded toward the end of the Pāla dynasty, most likely by Rāmapāla (c. 1077-1120). According to Tibetan sources, five great Mahaviharas stood out: Vikramashila; Nalanda, past its prime but still illustrious, Somapura, Odantapurā, and Jagaddala. The five monasteries formed a network; "all of them were under state supervision" and their existed "a system of co-ordination among them ... it seems from the evidence that the different seats of Buddhist learning that functioned in eastern India under the Pāla were regarded together as forming a network, an interlinked group of institutions," and it was common for great scholars to move easily from position to position among them.

Jagaddala specialized in Vajrayana Buddhism. A large number of texts that would later appear in the Kanjur and Tengjur were known to have been composed or copied at Jagadala. It is likely that the earliest dated anthology of Sanskrit verse, the Subhāṣitaratnakoṣa, was compiled by Vidyākara at Jaggadala toward the end of the 11th century or the beginning of the 12th.

জগদ্দল বিহার নওগাঁ জেলা সদর থেকে প্রায় ৫৫ কিলোমিটার দূরে অবস্থিত একটি প্রাচীন স্থান। স্থানীয়রা এটিকে বটকৃষ্ণ জমিদার বাড়িও বলে থাকে এবং জায়গাটিকে জজ্ঞদল হিসেবেও বলা হয়ে থাকে। বর্তমান উত্তরবঙ্গের বরেন্দ্রতে (১১শ শতাব্দীর শেষ থেকে ১২শ শতাব্দীর মধ্যে) এটি ছিল একটি বৌদ্ধ বিহার এবং শিক্ষাদান কেন্দ্র। পাল রাজবংশের রাজা সম্ভবত রামপাল (১০৭৭-১১২০) পাল শাসনামলের শেষার্ধে এটি প্রতিষ্ঠা করেন উত্তরপশ্চিম বাংলাদেশে অবস্থিত ধামরিহাট উপজেলার জাগদাল গ্রামে যে জায়গাটি ভারত সীমান্তবর্তী এবং পাহাড়পুরের নিকটে অবস্থিত।

উত্তর-পূর্ব ভারতে পাল শাসনামলের চার শতকে (খ্রিস্টপূর্ব ৭৫৬-১১৭৪) প্রাচীন বাংলা এবং মাগাধাতে অনেক বিহার প্রতিষ্ঠা করা হয়। ধর্মপাল (৭৮১-৮২১) একাই ৫০টি বিহার প্রতিষ্ঠা করেন যার মধ্যে ছিল সে সময়ের প্রধান বিশ্ববিদ্যালয় বিক্রমশীলা। তিব্বতের সূত্র অনুযায়ী পাঁচটি শ্রেষ্ঠ মহাবিহার ছিলঃ বিক্রমশীলা ছিল সেই যুগের প্রধান বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়; নালান্দা; সোমপুর মহাবিহার; অদন্তপুর এবং জাজ্ঞাদলা। পাল আমলে পূর্ব ভারতে শিক্ষাদানকারী সবগুলো বৌদ্ধবিহার রাষ্ট্রের তত্ত্বাবধানে ছিল এবং বৌদ্ধবিহারগুলো একটি নেটওয়ার্ক তৈরি করেছিল এবং বিহারগুলোর মধ্যে সমন্বয় ছিল এতে করে মহান মনিষীদের জন্য বৌদ্ধবিহারগুলোর মধ্যে অবস্থান বদলানো সহজ হত।

বজ্রানা বৌদ্ধশাস্ত্রে বিশেষায়িত ছিল জগদ্দল। পরবর্তীকালে জানা যায় যে কানজুর এবং তেংজুরে উল্লেখিত প্রচুর অক্ষর এই জগদ্দলেই গঠন করা হয়েছিল। সম্ভবত সাংস্কত ভাষার প্রাচীনতম সংকলন সুভাসিতারত্নকোষ জগদ্দলেই ১১শ শতাব্দীর শেষের দিকে অথবা ১২শ শতাব্দীর শুরুতে গঠন করা হয়।