Halud Vihara

Remains of Halud Vihara
Stairs of Halud Vihar

Halud Vihara (Bengali: হলুদ বিহার) is 14.5 kilometres (9.0 mi) south of the World Heritage Site of Somapura Mahavihara, at Pahapur in the Naogaon District of Bangladesh. The main feature of the site is "a large mound stretching 65 metres (213 ft) in east-west and 40 metres (130 ft) in north-south. It has a height of 10 metres (33 ft).[1][2] A brick structure has been exposed at the top of the mound that seems to be the remains of a large hall. A flight of stairs have been excavated on the eastern slopes of the mound.[2] There are other mounds and remains of brick structures. Some sculpture has been removed from the site, which has also suffered considerably from the local inhabitants removing bricks for reuse. It is located at Halud Vihara village, which is also locally known as Dvipganj.[3] Excavations show that it was an early Medieval Buddhist site, from a similar time period to Somapura Mahavihara and to the Sitakot Vihara in Nawabganj Upazila of Dinajpur District.[3][4]

World Heritage status

This site was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List on February 17, 1999, in the cultural category.[1][2]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Halud Vihara, UNESCO World Heritage Centre
  2. ^ a b c Datta, Rangan (19 July 2024). "From 'zamindar bari' to Buddhist 'vihar', exploring heritage beyond Paharpur in Bangladesh". The Telegraph. My Kolkata. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
  3. ^ a b Nazimuddin Ahmed (2012), "Halud Vihara", in Sirajul Islam and Ahmed A. Jamal (ed.), Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.), Asiatic Society of Bangladesh
  4. ^ SS Mostafizur Rahman (2012), "Sitakot Vihara", in Sirajul Islam and Ahmed A. Jamal (ed.), Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.), Asiatic Society of Bangladesh

24°55′57″N 88°58′17″E / 24.9324°N 88.9714°E / 24.9324; 88.9714