Shalbon Buddha Bihar (Shalbon Buddha Bihar) is one of the signs of the ancient civilization of Bangladesh. This temple is located in the middle of Lalmai hill near Bard in Kotbari of Comilla district. Shalvan Buddhist Vihar was once surrounded by a dense forest of sal-gajari, so this vihara was named Shalvan Vihar. This monastery is similar to the Paharpur Buddhist Vihara but smaller in size. In late 1875, the ruins of a building were uncovered during the construction of a road in the present Kotbari area.
Six phases of construction and reconstruction of Shalban Buddhist Vihara are known. Square in shape, each side ofBuddhistThe walls of Bihar on four sides are five meters thick. The rooms are built on four sides of the walls of Bihar. There was only one way in or out of Bihar. This passage or door is right in the middle of the north block. Each room has a 1.5 meter wide wall. The central temple was right in the middle of the Buddhist temple courtyard. There are total of 155 rooms in Bihar.
It is believed that Buddhist monks lived and worshiped here. There is an 8.5 feet wide veranda in front of the house and a low wall at the end. Each room has three niches in the wall where idols or oil lamps etc. were kept in the past. On the other hand, the hall built on the four side walls and four huge round pillars in front is believed to be the dining room of the monks.
The size of the hall is 10 meters by 20 meters. A wide brick road surrounds the hall. Eight copperplate inscriptions, about 400 gold and silver coins, numerous terracotta plaques, seals, bronze and clay figurines have been recovered from the ruins of Bihar during various archaeological excavations.
A large number of artifacts collected from this Shalban Buddhist monastery are displayed in the Mainamati Museum.
Opening and closing schedule
Winter opening hours (October–March):
Tuesday to Saturday 9am to 5pm (break 1pm to 1.30pm) Friday 9am to 12.30pm and 2pm to 5pm, open Monday 2pm to 5pm remains
Summer Timetable (April–September):
Open Tuesday to Saturday 10am to 6pm (break 1pm to 1.30pm),
Friday 10am to 12.30pm and 2.30pm to 6pm,
Monday 2.30pm to 5pm.
Entrance ticket price
How to go to Shalban Vihar?By road from Dhaka
It takes only two and a half hours to go to Comilla by bus. There are numerous bus services on the Dhaka Comilla route from various places in Rajdhani Dhaka. You can go to Comilla by bus as per your choice. From Dhaka Sayedabad Bus Terminal and Kamalapur – Coastal (01981-002932, 01981-002942), Tisha (01731-217322), Star Line, BRTC (01770-493775), Royal, Asia Line bus fare to Comilla is Tk 250 to 350 per person. takes
By train from Dhaka
Comilla can be easily reached by train. Almost all Chittagong bound trains (except Subarna and Sonar Bangla) stop at Comilla station. The fare per person from Dhaka to Comilla is Tk 170-466.
You can choose Prince or Saudia bus to come from Chittagong to Comilla. Or you can come by any Dhaka bound bus, you have to get down at Comilla. You can reach Comilla faster than taking a bus to Dhaka by train. Or you have to come to Comilla by your convenience vehicle from any other part of the country.
Comilla to Shalban Buddhist Vihara
Come down to Comilla first and come to Kandirpar. There is a local CNG stand to Kotbari near Kandirpar Awami League office. You can go to Kotbari for a fare of 30 taka per person. And you can go to Kotbari by reserving CNG from anywhere in Comilla city. 150 will cost to take a CNG reserve. An auto rickshaw will take you from Kotbari to Shalban Bihar for a fare of Tk 10. Again from Comilla, you can come to Shalban Bihar by using local CNG via Kotbari Bishwa Road. In this case, the fare will be 20 taka per person. Shalvan Vihar, Buddhist Temple, and Mainamati Museum are nearby. Note: If you are coming to Comilla by bus and if the bus goes to Kotbari then Kotbari bus stand will be the closest to Shalban Bihar.
Where To Eat
Rasmalai of Asal Matribhandar
If you want to eat rasmalai from the famous original Matribhandar of Comilla, you should go to Manoharpur Kalibari. From Kotbari to Padua Bazaar (fare 15 taka per person), from there via Kandirpar to Manoharpur Kali Bari (rickshaw fare 30 taka). Across from the Kali Bari temple you will find the only real matri bhandar shop.