JAGANNATH TEMPLE

Comilla Jagannath Temple

COMILLA 

Jagannath Temple

Jagannath Temple

Jagannath Temple is one of the oldest temple of Comilla district. This Temple located two km East from Comilla town. Jagannath Temple is a temple dedicated to the Hindu God Jagannath. This temple introduce  us 16th century's temple architecture style,which character is built of teracotta brick focusing typical bengal style.

The deities of Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra were initially Placed in a temple in Tripura from that temlpe they were Transferred next time to this temple. This 400 years old temple was made by Sree Sreejoktou Moharaja Rada Kishor Manikuo Bahadur. He was the king of Tripura.

Jagannath Temple

Jagannath Temple

Jagannath Temple

Jagannath Temple

Jagannath Temple

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ANANDA VIHARA

Ananda Vihara

COMILLA

Ananda Vihara situated in the archaeologically rich Kotbari area near Comilla, largest among the mainamati monuments with a concen tration of stupasand monasteries all around . ananda vihara was evidently the center of local budhist-unevercity of the subconinent. It also has the largest water tank in the area. This Vihara complex was built by Anandadeva, the third ruler of the Early deva dynasty, at the end of the 7th or the beginning of 8th century AD. The contractors and brick hunters damaged this great establishment beyond recognition in 1944-45; the builders of the Cantonment did more damage to it in subsequent years.

The excavations carried out here are incomplete. The work done so far has revealed the outlines of a large shalvan vihara type monastery, 198m square in size. The Vihara has similar rows of monastic cells arranged in four wings around a large cruciform shrine that stands majestically in the centre of a wide open courtyard.

Its imposing single entrance in the middle of the north side is set in a broad and massive front facade projected outwards. It is larger and more elaborate than that of Shalvan Vihara. The massive outer wall is also more pleasing due to the decorations of offsets and mouldings. The inner verandah wall is also decorated with mouldings and ornamental bricks. A few cells in the northern wing and a section of the southern part of the central shrine have been cleared. They show clear evidence of intensive occupation of the site for a long time.

Much work remains to be done yet. But the excavations did not continue beyond the initial stage. Its large size, earlier discoveries of a copperplate inscription, a hoard of 63 silver coins, many bronze images, terracotta sculptured plaques and pottery kilns outside the monastery indicate the potential importance of the site.

RUPBAN MURA

Rupban Mura

COMILLA

Rupban Mura an important archaeological site of mainamati  at Comilla. This is just beside the BARD at Kotbari, Comilla. Most of the people visit the BARD, but miss this beauty of Rupban Mura. So if you went at BARD, and never visited the Rupban mura, then you are unlucky. This archeological site is just 200 meter apart from the BARD, Kotbari.

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. 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 to 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.

BANGLADESH ACADEMY FOR RURAL DEVELOPMENT (BARD)

Bangladesh Academy for Rural Development (BARD)

COMILLA

Bangladesh Academy for Rural Development (BARD) an autonomous national institution for training, research and experiment on rural development. Established in 1959 in Comilla, the institution is governed by a Board of Governors with the Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives as its chairman. The director general is the chief executive of the institution. One of the mandatory functions of BARD is to provide training for both officials and non-officials. During 1959-1988, a total of about 1,18,000 participants attended various training courses, visit programmes, workshops and seminars conducted by the Academy. Located at Kotbari, 10 km off Comilla town, BARD has a very entertaining campus of 156 acres of land in natural surroundings.

 

Access doors

It has a 63-multi disciplinary faculty under nine divisions. There are five hostels, four conference rooms, and a beautiful mosque, a library with a rich collection of books, a health clinic, sports complex, two cafeterias and a primary school on the academy campus.

Corridor of  BARD administrative building.

The Academy's research is aimed at collection of socio-economic data for the purpose of planning and project preparation. Research findings are used as training materials in the Academy and as information materials by ministries, the planning commission, and policy makers for drawing up development programmes. The Academy is also engaged in evaluating major national rural development programmes either                     independently or jointly with government agencies, universities and research organisations.

BARD map

BARD has undertaken experimental projects to evolve models for improved institutions, administrative structures, coordination and methods of production. Project activities have involved villagers, village institutions, local councils, and government officials. Since its inception, the Academy has conducted about 48 experimental projects on various aspects of rural development. In the early 1960s the Academy evolved a new system of rural cooperatives. The small farmers of Comilla sadar thana were organised into primary cooperatives. Great emphasis was given on member training, regular weekly meetings and thrift deposit, as well as adoption of new technologies like high yielding variety of seed, fertiliser, irrigation, etc. Village based primary cooperatives were federated at the thana level and the federation was called Thana Central Cooperative Association. The federation was designed to provide training and credit support to the village level primary cooperatives, and to undertake ventures such as storage, processing, marketing, mechanisation, etc. This two-tier cooperative was found viable and was adopted by the government in 1972 and has been replicated all over the country under the Bangladesh Rural Development Board.

Bansree from BARD

The Thana Training and Development Centre (TTDC) was designed as a model of decentralised and coordinated rural administration for the sake of development. TTDC aims at effective coordination between nation-building departments and organisations of the rural people (local councils, cooperatives, etc). The people and the government are partners of development, and TTDC provides the institutional mechanism to promote this partnership. Replication of TTDC in phases throughout the country was accepted as a programme by the government in 1963, and was gradually replicated in all the thanas. TTDC was used as a base for introducing a decentralised administration system under the thana parishad in 1982. The Academy involved villagers and local councils in the development of physical infrastructures through an experimental project, which later came to be called Rural Works Programme (RWP). In addition to providing flood protection and facilitating communication, the projects generated employment for landless in the lean periods. The success of the programme led to its nationwide replication in 1962-63.

Development of market centres, bridges, culverts, sluice gates, and the construction of TTDC and union parishad buildings have marked the expansion of the scope of RWP in recent years. In Bangladesh, the period from December to March normally remains dry. In the absence of irrigation arrangement no agricultural operation could be taken up during this period in the past even though water remained available in canals, rivers and underground. The simple operation of lifting surface and underground water and channelling it through canals remained unrealised due to lack of technology and appropriate organisation. The Academy's experiment in its laboratory area (Comilla sadar thana) to use surface water through lift pumps and underground water through tubewells with the management of village cooperatives led to a new rice cultivation season (Boro) during this period. As implementation of the experimental programme as well as operation of the irrigation technology required collaborative efforts of cooperators and thana level officers, a new institutional arrangement emerged which became known nationwide as the Thana Irrigation Programme in 1969.

The family planning programme of the government launched in 1965 was more or less based on the results of experiments at Comilla. The institutional infrastructure of cooperative, the administrative infrastructure of TTDC, and the physical infrastructure of the Rural Works Programme and the Thana Irrigation Programme constituted a single united approach to rural development. This approach was an integrated framework, which in its totality can be called the comilla model of rural development. The model was initiated, cradled and brought to replicable maturity by akhter hameed khan, the founder-director of BARD, and his colleagues.

COMILLA ZILLA SCHOOL

Comilla Zilla School 

 COMILLA

Comilla Zilla School is a boy's school in Comilla, a city in Bangladesh. It is one of the oldest schools in the country.The school, situated in the center of Comilla, was established in 1837 by an English named H. G.        Legister. It was governmentalized as a high school by the Government of British India for teaching English        literature and Science and named as Comilla Zilla School. In the 1850s the school building expanded and        improved its teaching structure.

This is a boy's school. Initially the school conducted only one shift. From 1991 two shifts were introduced: morning and day. Presently all the classes from 5 to 10 are running. There are six sections in each of the classes-‘A’, ‘B’, ‘C’, and ‘A’, ‘B’ and ‘C’ for class five to eight where ‘A’, ‘B’ and ‘C’ are in morning shift and day shift. There are Two sectionsin nine & ten,they are "A"and "B" And 60 students in each of the sections according to the present system. For class nine and ten students are distributed into four sections following the same structure with a larger number of students in a class. Almost 1400 students are studying in the school with 53 teachers.

The uniform is white shirt with white full trousers and white shoes. The school monogram is be printed on the shirt pocket.

Usually students are admitted in class 5 and 6. Admission can be considered in other classes if a vacancy is available or if someone is transferred from some other government school. The admission test is usually taken in the first week of January.

COMILLA VICTORIA COLLEGE

Comilla Victoria College

 COMILLA

Comilla Victoria College founded by Roy Bahadur Ananda Chandra Roy in 1899 and named after Queen Victoria. Mr. Satyandra Nath Basu was its first principal. Until 1947, the college was affiliated to Calcutta University. Between 1925 and 1947 it offered three-year honours programmes in English, Mathematics, Sanskrit, Politics, Economics and Arabic. The college introduced Bachelor of Science courses in 1942 and Bachelor of Commerce courses in 1956. Honours courses in Political Science, Physics, Chemistry, Accounting and Management were introduced in 1971-72. Masters Programme in Bangla and Economics started in 1973.

At present, the college has 11,000 students and 125 teachers, of whom 20 are women. It has five dormitories - four for boys and one for girls. About one thousand students reside in these dormitories.

In 1962-63, the degree section of the college was shifted to its new campus at Dharmapur, which is three kilometers away from the old campus at Ranir Dighi. The old campus now houses the offices of the principal and vice-principal, teachers' room, principal's residence, gymnasium, auditorium, library, and science laboratories. The new campus has four new buildings and these are used for academic activities. The college was nationalised in 1968. In 1984-85, it became a postgraduate college. In 1996, the college had honours courses in 16 subjects.

Comilla Victoria College has produced a large number of scholars, teachers, civil servants, physicians, engineers, politicians and social activists. Many students and teachers of the college took part in the war of liberation. Students of this college now take part in Rover Scouting and Bangladesh National Cadet Corps (BNCC) activities. They also take part in inter-college tournaments and competitions.

ITAKHOLA MURA, MAINAMATI

Itakhola Mura, Mainamati

COMILLA

Most of the people used to visit Comilla for the Shalban bihara, and never looked at a marvelous archeological site called "Itakhula Mura". It can be pronounced as "Etakhula Mura or Muda".

Locally the site is known as Itakhula Mura. Itakhola Mura an archaeological site in mainamati. The site, like that of the kutila mura, is one of the most impressive ruins. It lies in three terraces on adjacent hillocks just opposite the rupban mura site across the Kotbari road, Comilla. It served for a long time as a quarry for ancient bricks, hence the name. Excavations have revealed here a grand stupa complex with an attached monastery, located 42m to its north. The cultural phases of the site are stated (or overstated) to be five; the earlier three being still buried underneath the later remains.

The Stupa Complex was originally built as a solid stupa in the traditional style on a 13.1m square basement. However, it has one peculiarity; a small sanctum (2.4m x 2.1m) built in the centre of its eastern or front side.

Here a damaged life-size stucco image of Aksobhya was found in situ. This part of the monument was fairly well preserved, but unfortunately, its jungle-covered top was sliced off by the military a few decades back to build a rest house here.

Subsequently, the shrine was enlarged and elaborated by additions and alterations, especially by adding three long narrow chapels in the eastern side after blocking the old sanctum; thus giving the structure an oblong shape (41.4m x 24m). In this particular feature, it is strikingly similar to the Rupban Mura shrine. The side chapels were ultimately blocked up, leaving space for a few cubicles for installing cult images, as in other parts of the shrine. This establishment is surrounded by a 2.6m wide circumambulatory passage and is enclosed by a 1.2m thick boundary wall.

This holy precinct is again enclosed within a much larger, well-defined, and better preserved boundary wall (79 m x 56 m), in the slightly lower second terrace. It contains three interesting subsidiary shrines, two in two corners of the eastern side, and the other, a slightly larger one, at the back in the west. An elaborate entrance with 22 broad steps at the centre of the eastern side leads to the much lower third terrace. The outer face of its damaged boundary wall in this front side is excellently decorated with offsets, sunken panels, and ornamental designs.

Five votive stupas lie at the base of the long staircase, three of them in a northsouth row within a well-defined enclosure, all semi-cruciform in shape, like that of the larger subsidiary shrines in the western side of the second terrace. They certainly represent an experimental early stage in the development of the cruciform style in Buddhist architecture that we see in mature form at shalvan vihara, paharpur, Vikramashila and many other sites. These structures may reasonably be dated as belonging to 7th-8th centuries AD.

The Monastery This medium sized monastery of the usual square shape with 19 cells and one entrance hall was built around an open courtyard, 16.2m. square, on a separate mound. Its monumental gateway complex, 17.6m x 8.5m, projecting outwards, lies at the centre of the eastern wing. Some of the cells have brick-built bedsteads. This structure was badly damaged by brick-hunters in 1944-45.

Mentionable antiquities from the site, besides the stucco image, are three round pellets of solid gold, (19 tolas), and a copperplate inscription, discovered during clearance work after the excavations. The copperplate has not yet been deciphered.

MAINAMATI MUSEUM

Mainamati Museum
COMILLA

Beside the Shalban Bihara, you'll find a museum affluent with collection from the excavation of the Archeological sites.The Mainamati site Museum has a rich and varied collection of copper plates, gold and silver coins and 86 bronze objects. Over 150 bronze statues havo been recovered mostly from the monastic cells, bronze stupas, stone sculptures and hundreds of terracotta plaques each measuring on an average of 9" higli and 8" to 12" wide. Like other museum, you are not allowed to use any Camera inside. You have to buy a ticket to enter the Museum. Each person will cost 10 taka.

SHALVAN VIHARA, MAINAMATI

Shalvan Vihara

COMILLA

How can i reach there?
getting down from the bus at Comilla Cantonment. From there take a CNG you can reach at Shalban Bihar.
To enter the shalban bihar, you'll require to buy ticket. It will cost you 10 taka per person. You can enjoy your time until the time is up. Its a picnic spot, and lots of students from different schools are coming this place as study tour.

Shalban Vihara

This site previously was known as Salban Rajar bari. But after excavation ground plan of a Buddhist monastery measuring 550'x500' with 115 monastic cells was exposed. Hence it is now popularly known as salban vihara. 
Shalvan Vihara a tourist centre noted for antiquity. Salvan Vihara is among the most important excavated sites in mainamati. It lies about the middle of the Lalmai ridge in the vicinity of the present day bangladesh academy for rural development at Kotbari near Comilla. Excavations have exposed a large paharpur type Buddhist monastery and other material objects datable from the 7th to 12th centuries AD. Formally arranged in four wings around a central shrine, this 167.6m square monastery contains a total of 155 cells.

Its single entrance in the middle of the north wing is set in a grand 22.6m wide front facade with guardrooms projected outwards. All the walls of the monastery are solid and massive, the back wall being the most massive, 5m thick. This feature, together with the forbidding character of the single gateway with its guardrooms, and the dreary look of the massive outer wall, must have given it the appearance and utility of a citadel necessitated by the increasing wealth of these establishments and the insecurity of the period.

Deep diggings in the monastery have revealed four repair and rebuilding phases, the earliest corresponding to Period III of the central shrine (7th-8th century AD). No monastery remains corresponding to Periods II and I have yet been found.

During the next two phases, that is to say, Periods IV and V (9th to 10th century AD), new floors and thresholds were built on top of earlier remains. Fireplace and ornamental brick pedestals, two interesting features noticed inside the cells, were added later during these phases. They do not belong to the original plan. They, evidently, relate to individual cooking and cult worship inside the cells by a few resident monks. There was, of course, a community kitchen and a great shrine in the establishment for all monks. Other interesting features noticed are a few flight of steps in the courtyard, grand staircases in the corner rooms, chapels in the central cells, and three corbelled niches in each cell for keeping votive images, lamps, and reading and writing materials.

Salvan Vihara, Ground Plan

The Central Shrine The central shrine at Shalvan Vihara consists not of one but six different structures built successively on the same spot in different periods and on different plans. They provide interesting evidence of the evolution and gradual transformation of traditional Buddhist stupa architecture into that of the Hindu temple. The remains of the first two periods are hidden below the Period III cruciform shrine built with the monastery as a single complex.

The Cruciform Shrine It is an exceedingly interesting piece of architecture resembling in ground plan a Greek cross, 51.8m long, with chapels built in the projecting arms. Its basement walls are embellished with a stringcourse of delightfully sculptured terracotta plaques set within parallel bands of ornamental bricks. This shrine bears a striking resemblance with that of Paharpur and represents a fully developed and finished example of the 7th-8th century Buddhist temple architecture of Bengal. Since the Mainamati monuments are unquestionably earlier in date by about a century, and as there are a number of early and intermediary stages of development in this evolutionary process clearly traceable in Mainamati, it is reasonable to assume that Mainamati supplied prototypes of cruciform shrines not only for Paharpur and Vikramashila in eastern India but also for subsequent developments in Burma, Indonesia and Indochina.

The Subsidiary Structures Excavations have also exposed here a number of subsidiary structures including a community dining establishment, smaller oblong, pillared and square shrines, votive stupas with excellently moulded plinth and base, and a variety of other buildings both inside and outside the monastic quadrangle. The interesting medium-sized outer shrine looks more like a classical peristyle temple representing an individual style not hitherto observed in any other site.

Other Discoveries Important discoveries from this site include eight copperplate inscriptions, about 400 gold and silver coins, many terracotta and baked clay seals and sealings, and a large number of sculptures in stone, bronze and terracotta found in situ or otherwise.

This grand monastery together with the cruciform central shrine was built by Shri Bhavadeva, the fourth ruler of the Early deva dynasty of devaparvata, some time in the end of the 7th or beginning of the 8th century AD.

KUTILA MURA, OR KOTILA MURA

Kuila Mura kotila Mura
COMILLA

Kutila Mura site is located about three miles north of Shalban Vihara (location). In 1956 continuous excavations here for few seasons have completely exposed an interesting stupa-complex. The whole area is enclosed by a massive wall decorated with lower-level panels. On top of the mound, within the enclosure, three stupas are found side by side on a common plinth. These stupas are surrounded by other stupas and structures spread over an area, measuring about 280 feet from north to south and about 225 feet from east to west. The main stupas are approached from the east by a wide staircase that ascends in three stages across the massive boundary wall and leads to three rectangular entrance hall.

The square bases support circular drums and hemispherical domes. The central stupa is still 10 feet high from the plinth. The three stupas possibly represent the Buddhist trinity or the three jewels, i.e.

• The Buddha,
• The Dharma and
• The Shangha

It is from a unique group of monuments rarely met elsewhere in the subcontinent. The ground plan of the central stupa is in the shape of a dharma chakra or the wheel of the law. The hub is represented by a deep central shaft and the spokes by brick wall which have formed eight cells or box chamber. For these cells a number of broken pieces of stone sculpture in the soft grey stone have been salvaged. These depict, in high relief, figures of the Buddha and Bodhisattvas seated on lotus throne and attended by lay worshipers. Hundreds of miniature clay votive stupas containing minute terracotta seals, inscribed with the Buddhist creed, have also been found in the cells and inside the central shaft. The other two stupas, representing the Buddha and the Sangha are made of solid brick masonry, each with a deep central shaft which also contained a large number of clay miniature stupas and terracotta sealing. The outer face of the drums of these stupas is relieved with a number of small corbelled niches, intended perhaps, as receptacles for oil lamps. On the west of the Tri-Ratna stupas, remains of nine brick stupas have been exposed.It should to be noted that the temple of kutila Mura show three distinct phases of repairs and rebuilding. the three oblong halls in front of the stupas were also extended in the second period. There is also an antechamber at the back of southern most halls which indicate that hall also served the purpose of temple and images of buddha or bodhisattvas ere once installed therein for worship. Remain of the period of the shrines are visible only in the oblong hall in front of he middle stupa and in the estern boundary wall. 

A number of fire places could not be explained satisfactorily. Perhaps those were built later for cocking food for large gahering. from the remains of different periods we may conclude that the temple at Kutila Mura was in active use for long period, beginning from seventh century to at least thirteenth century A.D. the Mainamati excavation have thrown a flood of light on he history of south-east bengalfrom 7th to 13th centuries. The antiquities unearthed so far from kutila Muraare not only large in number but also include of important object like a gold coin of Abbasian khalifa, terracotta objectes, sculpture etc. Which have greatly helped us to reconstruct the history of the area

Finally, we may recommended that all various objects of art and articles of daily use discovered from the Kutila Mura at Mainamati sites have also provided us with the material evidences of the contemporary people's socio economic and cultural condition of the region.

GOMOTI RIVER AT COMILLA

Gomoti River at Comilla

Gomoti river at Comilla

Gomti River coming from Domur in the north eastern hilly region of Tripora state of India. From its source it flows about 155 km along a meandering course through the hills, turns west and enters Bangladesh near Catak Bazar (Comilla Sadar). Then it takes a meandering course again and passes through the north side of Comilla town and east of mainamati. On the north Burichang upazila, it cuts through Debidwar upazila and reaches Companiganj Bazar. The distance from Companiganj Bazar to Mainamati is about 63 km. From Companiganj it turns west and finally falls into the meghna at Shapta in Daudkandi upazila. The segment between Daudkandi and Companiganj is about 51 km long. The Gomti is about 137 km long within Bangladesh. The dakatia is one of the important tributaries of the Gomti and the Buri river is its distributary.

16th century bridge over river Gomti in Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh, India

The Gumti is a hilly river having a strong current. Its flow varies from 150 to 25,000 cusec at Comilla. During the rains its average breadth is about 150m, it is full from bank to bank and the current is rapid. But during the winter it shrinks and becomes fordable at most places. In a year of normaly rainfall the river rises to above 1.7m than the level of the surrounding areas. Flash floods are common phenomena of this river and it occurs at regular intervals. Previously it was known as the 'sorrow of Comilla town'. 

The bangladesh (BWDB) has taken several measures to tame the river and save Comilla   main town. Attempts have been made to construct flood embankments and 20 loop-cuts have been made to straighter the river. Despite these measures, several times Comilla town had been seriously menaced by floods. However, after the implementation of a number of BWDB projects, the Gomti appears now to be under control.

bridge over Gomti river, Jaunpur.

The river is not navigable by large boats. Some important places on its banks are Comilla, Mainamati, Companiganj Burichang, Muradnagar and Daudkandi. The Gomti is influenced by tides up to Daudkandi, but upstream it is free from tidal effects.