Somapura Mahavihara is the largest Buddhist vihara on the Indian subcontinent . Located in the north of Bangladesh in the town of Paharpur . In the Buddhist tradition associated with the name of the great preacher Atisha .
| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
| Ruins of a Buddhist monastery in Paharpur [* 1] | |
|---|---|
| Ruins of the Buddhist Vihara at Paharpur [* 2] | |
 | |
| A country | Bangladesh |
| Type of | Archaeological |
| Criteria | i, ii, iv |
| Region [* 3] | Asia |
| Turning on | 1985 (9th session) |
In the center of the structure is a traditional stupa , around which 177 monastic cells are inscribed in a square. The total area of the monument exceeds 85 thousand square meters. The wall surrounding the monastery is lined with terracotta plates with Buddha images.
Archaeologists have established that the vihara was built by the Buddhist ruler Dharmapala (781-821) from the Pal dynasty. In the XI century, it was burned by aliens from the west ( Wang ). Subsequently, the monastery was restored, but with the arrival of Islam in the region , it was finally abandoned.
At the end of the 20th century, UNESCO attracted the attention of the scientific community to a half-forgotten monument of Indian Buddhism and allocated several million dollars for its restoration. In 1985, the Great Paharpur Vihara was listed as a World Heritage Site .
 | UNESCO World Heritage Site , object number 322 rus • eng • fr. |
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