Somapura Mahavihara
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How it came to be
Mahayana Buddhism flourished in Bengal from the 7th century. According to a seal inscription, the Somapura Mahavihara at Paharpur in north-western Bangladesh was built by the Pala king Dharmapala (about 781-821), though Tibetan sources credit his successor Devapala.
Its square enclosure of 177 cells surrounds a central temple, and it was the largest of the great monasteries by area. One of five great mahaviharas, with Nalanda and Vikramashila among them, it was a renowned centre of learning until the 12th century. Atisa lived here before travelling to Tibet to preach. The monastery is thought to have influenced Buddhist architecture as far away as Cambodia.
In the 11th century the army of Jatvarma of the Varman dynasty set fire to part of the monastery, and it went into its final decline under the Sena dynasty in the late 12th century. It was inscribed in 1985.
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