Ruins of the Buddhist Vihara at Paharpur

SOMAPURA MAHAVIHARA (Paharpur, northwest Bangladesh)

This ruins complex (8th-13th century CE) in NW Bangladesh was one of the five great Buddhist universities in the Indian subcontinent. The Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang stayed here; Atisha launched his mission to Tibet from here. Today it is one of the most important archaeological sites in the country.

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(Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons; CTTO)