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Shalvan 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.
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 next two periods (IV and V) witnessed further interesting developments in the plan of the central shrine. In these periods, the cruciform shape has been replaced by an oblong one. Fully open, spacious and functional, it is much nearer to a Hindu temple. In these structural changes may lie the primary reason for discontinuing traditional terracotta decorations in the basement walls of Buddhist shrines. The main attraction in these evolved shrines shifted from the outer walls around the ambulatory path to the inner chambers where the images, sculptures and architectural decorations lie.
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
Kutila Mura stupas stand majestically on top of the highest mound in the northeastern part of the Lalmai ridge near ananda vihara. The stupas are among the best preserved and most attractive monuments in mainamati. In form and style, they differ from those of shalvan vihara and other sites. They represent the traditional style, while Shalvan Vihara and others reveal an evolved style. The three main stupas here, standing north south in a row, apparently symbolise the 'three jewels' of Buddhism (tri-ratna): Buddha (knowledge), Dharma (morality) and Sanggha (discipline). The foundation of the middle stupa was laid in the form of a Dharma-chakra, its hub being represented by a deep shaft, while the spokes were formed by eight box-chambers where innumerable tiny terracotta and clay votive stupas and sealing were enshrined together with large pieces of a class of fine Buddhist sculptures in soft grey shale. The foundation shafts of other stupas also contained similar relics, but no sculptures.
Evidence from the excavations suggests 7th century as the probable date of the earliest of these monuments; the latest perhaps dates to13th century AD, as indicated by an Abbasid gold coin recovered from an upper level of the site. Five ancient epigraphic records discovered in the Mainamati area refer to two Ratna-traya shrines in devaparvata. It may reasonably be inferred that the Kutila Mura establishment was one of them.
Titas River
Titas River is a trans-boundary river of south-eastern Bangladesh. It originates in the state of Tripura in India where it is known as Haora River in Bengali and Saidra in the local Kokborok language. Flowing near Agartala, (India), it enters Bangladesh through Akhaura Upazila in the Brahmanbaria District of Bangladesh, then merges with the Meghna River to the south near Ashuganj. The length of the river is about 98 km. There is another river of the same name which starts as a distributary of the Meghna and flows back into it.
Meghna River
The Meghna is formed inside Bangladesh by the joining of different rivers originating from the hilly regions of eastern India. The Meghna is formed inside Bangladesh above Bhairab Bazar by the combination of the Surma and Kushiyara rivers. Down to Chandpur, Meghna is hydrographically referred to as the Upper Meghna. After the Padma joins, it is referred to as the Lower Meghna.
Near Muladhuli in Barisal district, the Safipur River is an offshoot of the Surma that creates one of the main rivers in South Bengal. 1.5 km wide, this river is one of the widest in the country as well.[citation needed]
At Ghatalpur of Brahmanbaria District, the river Titas emerges from Meghna and after circling two large bends by 240 km, falls into the Meghna again near Nabinagar Upazila. Titas forms as a single stream but braids into two distinct streams which remain separate before re-joining the Meghna.
In Daudkandi, Comilla, Meghna is joined by the great river Gomoti, created by the combination of many streams. This river reinforces Meghna a lot and increases the waterflow considerably. The pair of bridges over Meghna and Gomoty are two of the country's largest bridges. The Dakatua River is also part of the river system in Comilla district.
Meghna is reinforced by the Dhaleshwari before Chandpur as well. The name for the largest distributary of the Ganges in Bangladesh is the Padma River. When the Padma joins with the Jamuna River, the largest distributary of the Brahmaputra, and they join with the Meghna in Chandpur District, the result in Bangladesh is called the Lower Meghna. When the brown and hazy water of the Padma mix with the clear water of the Upper Meghna, the two streams do not mix but flow in parallel down to the sea - making half of the river clear and the other half brown. This peculiarity of the river is always a great attraction for people.
After Chandpur, when the river has the combined flow of the Padma and Jamuna it moves down to the Bay of Bengal in an almost straight line. In her course from Chandpur to Bay of Bengal, the Meghna braids into a number of little rivers including the Pagli, Katalia, Dhonagoda, Matlab and Udhamodi. All of these rivers flow out from the Meghna and rejoin again at points downstream.
Near Bhola, just before flowing into the Bay of Bengal, the river divides into two main streams in the Ganges delta and separates an island from both sides of the mainland. The western stream is called Ilsha and the eastern one is called Bamni.
Dakatia River
Dakatia River one of the trans-boundary rivers of Bangladesh. It enters the country from India's tripura state at Bagsara of comilla district. It is a tributary of the Meghna. The main source of flow of this river was the Kakrai, but the Little Feni cuts back and captured its upper portion. The Dakatia now has its source in Chauddagram Khal, which connects it with the Little Feni. The Dakatia sends out a channel southward, which forms the Noakhali Khal. The main channel meanders westward to Shekherhat, from where the old course goes south to join the Meghna at Raipur, and the new and stronger channel passes through Chandpur Khal to join the Meghna west of Chandpur town. Total length of the Dakatia is about 207 km. Tidal currents feed the Dakatia through the Meghna for three-fourths of the year.
Transport
Comilla has good communication network. It is known as the hub of road communication of eastern part of Bangladesh . One of the oldest highways of the Indian Sub-continent, 'The Grand Trunk Road' has approached through the city. At present, the most important Dhaka-Chittagong highway bypass the city from the cantonment to Poduar Bazar. Comilla is located at 97 kilometers from the capital city, Dhaka. This can be travelled by road or railway. The trains has to travel 197 kilometers and takes over 3 hours to Comilla, however buses take about 2 hours only. Hundreds of trucks & lorries travel to or from Comilla with goods. Prominent bus services to Comilla are Tisha, Asia Line, Prince etc.As Public Goods Carrier Messey ferguson Tractor Used last 30 years.Mr Hazi Mohiuddin one of pionear Transport Businessman who first started Machenery Cultivation Tractor & Rotavetor in 1981.
Road networks are administered by RHD, LGED and Municipalitis. RHD and LGED have regional headquarters in Comilla. RHD is responsible for National Highways, Regional Highways and District Roads; LGED is responsible for Upazila Roads and Union Roads; where as Municipalities are responsible for municipal roads.
Communication facilities Roads: pucca 1219 km, mud road 587 km; railways 108 km; airport 1.
Traditional transport Palanquin, horse carriage, bullock cart, dhuri and bhari. These means of transport are either extinct or nearly extinct.
Demographics and culture
Comilla is famous for different types of sweets and Batik printed cloth. The people of Comilla are multiethnic. To some extent, there is more Afghan and British heritage in Comilla. Green or hazel eyes are more common in Comilla than in other parts of Bangladesh.
It is a highly Muslim dominated area and one can find many economically backward people. But it is home district of many educated Bangladeshis who have achieved great success in their career as Bangladeshi expatriates or in other parts of the Nation. The majority of the denizens lead an agrarian lifestyle, depending on their fields for their livelihood. A much smaller number of Hindus are present in this area. Every Muslim festival is celebrated in big way. Especially Eid and Ramzan. Most of the Muslims are Sunni and few are Shia. There is electricity in most of the area at present in Comilla.
In the suburb there exists the Commonwealth War Cemetery Memorials, Muktajuddha Museum at Mainamati Cantonment and Bangladesh academy for rural development, Mainamati Museum, Comilla Cadet College at Courtbari. Comilla Town is blessed with the memories of national poet Kazi Nazrul Islam. Nazrul Islam married twice in life, one at Daulatpur of Muradnagar upazila of the district and the other at Comilla Town. Those places have been marked with memorial plates. Poet Rabindranath Tagore visited Comilla twice. Ustad Muhammad Hussain, Fazle Nizami and Kulendu Das have enriched the cultural heritage of the town. Ustad Ayet Ali Khan established a musical institute here.
Marks of rich ancient civilization have been found in Lalmai Mainamati hills. In these hills there are plenty of archaeological sites including Shalvan Vihara, Kutila Mura, Charandra Mura, Rupban Mura, Itakhola Mura, Satera Ratna Mura, Ranir Banglar Pahar, Ananda Bazar Palaces, palaces of Bhoj King, Chandi Mura, etc. Various archaeological relics including images and metalled utensils discovered from these viharas, muras and palaces are now preserved in the Mainamati Museum. Other archaeological heritage and relics include Saptaratna Mandir (Jagannath Mandir), Shah Suja Mosque, Dharmasagar, Chandimata Mandir (on the top of Lalmai Hill of Barura), Chandala Shiva Mandir (Brahmanpara, eighteenth century), Saitshala Jami Mosque (Brahmanpara, 1719), Mazars of Panch Pir (five saints) at Shashidal (Brahmanpara, 1815), Harimangal Math (Brahmanpara, 1822), Ramnagar elongated Math (Brahmanpara, 1705), Saitshala Rammahan Mandir (Brahmanpara, 1805), Hasnabad Math.
Sub-divisions
Comilla district consists of the following upazilas:
Barura Upazila
Brahmanpara Upazila
Burichong Upazila
Chandina Upazila
Chauddagram Upazila
Daudkandi Upazila
Debidwar Upazila
Homna Upazila
Comilla Adarsa Sadar Upazila
Laksam Upazila
Monohorgonj Upazila
Meghna Upazila
Muradnagar Upazila
Nangalkot Upazila
Comilla Sadar South Upazila
Titas Upazila
Prominent educational institutions
*Sonar Bangla College, Estd. 2000, Burichang, Comilla.
*Cantonment College, Comilla
*Debidwar Reaz Uddin Pilot High School EST. 1918, Debidwar.
*Gov't Sujat Ali College, Debidwar.
*Boro Shalghar Adarsha College, Debidwar.
*Comilla University
*Comilla Victoria College, Comilla.
*Comilla Medical College
*Paschimgaon Nowab Faizunnesa Govt Degree College,Laksam.
*Central Medical college
*Eastern Medical college
*Comilla Cadet College (Ex-Residential Model College)
*Adhyapak Abdul Majid College
*Lalmai College
*Barura Govt. College
*Comilla Govt. College
*Comilla Women College
*Comilla Zilla School
*Nowab FaizunnesaGirls' High School
*Our Lady Of Fatima Girl's High School
*Comilla High School
*Homna Adarsha High School
*Shilmuri R.R. High School(Barura)
*Yusoof High School
*Comilla Cantonment High School
*Ispahani Public School & College
*Iswar Pathshala (High School)
*ROSE GARDEN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL(R.G.I.S.) Comilla.
*Comilla Residential School& college
*Chandina Redwan Ahmed Degree College
*Hasan Memorial College, Nangalkot
*AGB College, Hasanpur , Nangalkot.
*Homnabad Adarsha College,Dhalua,Nangalkot.
*Bholain Bazar School & College, Nangalkot.
*Dr Zobaida Hannan Girls' School & College, Nangalkot.
*Ibne Taimiya School & College, Middle Ashrafpur, Tomsombridge, Comilla.
*Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute.(Homna)
*Miahbazar L.N. High School
*Hazatkhola Model Academy ,Sadar Dokkhin
Comilla District
Comilla District is a district of Bangladesh located about 100 kilometers south east of Dhaka. Established as a district of Bengal by the British in 1790, it included the Sub-divisions of Brahmanbaria and Chandpur which eventually became separate districts in 1984.
Comilla is bordered by Brahmanbaria and Narayanganj districts to the north, Noakhali and Feni districts to the south, Tripura of India to the east, and Munshiganj and Chandpur districts to the west.
The headquarters of Comilla are located in the city of Comilla which has a total area of 11.47 square kilometers. It consists of 18 mouzas and 3 wards. Comilla thana was officially converted into an upazilla in 1983 which contains one municipality 18 wards, 19 union parishads, 452 mouzas and 458 villages.
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