Mahasthangarh
Bangladesh · Rajshahi · 20 m
Description
Mahasthangarh is the oldest known urban site in Bangladesh, a walled citadel on the west bank of the Karatoya that was called Pundranagara and was already a provincial capital of the Mauryan empire in the third century before Christ. The rampart encloses a rectangle a kilometre and a half long, and the mound stands eight metres above the paddy around it. A stone plaque found here carries a Brahmi inscription that fixes the date. Govinda Bhita temple sits at the northern corner. The site museum holds the terracotta and the coins. Bogra thirteen kilometres south is the town every visitor stays in, and the nearest railway is there.
Length of stay
Recommended length of stay: 1 to 2 days (optimal 1 day)
Travel season
Best time to visit: November – February
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Highlights
- Citadel rampart and the mound
- Mahasthangarh site museum
- Govinda Bhita temple remains
- Brahmi inscription that dates the city
- Shrine of Shah Sultan Balkhi on the mound
- Bihar Dhap and the outlying mounds
- Gokul Medh stepped mound
- Karatoya riverbank below the wall
- Bogra sweets and the town bazaar(Day trip)