Скачать или смотреть Mahasthangarh (মহাস্থানগড়) Bogra in Bangladesh

Archaeological site that goes back to circa 700 BC. This was the capital city of the Pundra Kingdom. Initially, the practicing religion was Hindu within this area which carried on for a very long time until the spread of Islam sparked by a devout follower, Shah Sultan Balkhi Mahisawar. His shrine is actually located close to this site.

Mahasthan or Mahasthangarh represents the earliest and the largest archaeological site in Bangladesh, consists of the ruins of the ancient city of pundranagara. The site is 13 km north of Bogra town on the Dhaka-Dinajpur highway.

The city was probably founded by the Mauryas, as testified by a fragmentary stone inscription in the Brahmi script (mahasthan brahmi inscription) mentioning Pudanagala (Pundranagara). It was continuously inhabited for a long span of time.

The first regular excavation was conducted at the site in 1928-29 by the Archaeological Survey of India under the guidance of KN Diksit, and was confined to three mounds locally known as bairagir bhita, govinda bhita and a portion of the eastern rampart, together with the bastion known as munir ghun. Work was then suspended for three decades. It was resumed in the early sixties when the northern rampart area, parasuram palace (Parashuramer Prasad), mazar area, khodar pathar bhita, mankalir kunda mound and other places were excavated.

Bogra District, Bangladesh