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Sompur Mahavihara (Paharpur Buddhist Vihara)

The Legacy Built in the late 8th century by the second Pala King, Dharmapala, this magnificent monastery was once the premier intellectual center of ancient Asia. Covering over 27 acres, it was a sprawling university where scholars from across the Buddhist world gathered for centuries. Its historical and architectural significance is so profound that it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985, standing today as the most impressive vestige of Buddhist civilization in the Indian subcontinent. The Architecture The site is dominated by a massive central temple with a unique cruciform floor plan—a design that later influenced the iconic temples of Southeast Asia, including those at Bagan in Myanmar and Borobudur in Indonesia. Surrounding this central shrine are 177 monastic cells that form a perfect quadrangle. As you explore the base of the temple, you will find over 2,000 surviving terracotta plaques that offer a vivid, frozen-in-time look at ancient life, depicting everything from deities and mythical creatures to the everyday clothes and animals of the Pala era.