Mahasthangarh

Mahasthangarh, in the village of Mahasthan within Bogra District’s Shibganj upazila, is the oldest urban archaeological site yet found in Bangladesh. Its ruins are those of an ancient city known as Pundranagara or Paundravardhanapura, located in the region of Pundravardhana. The fortified part of the city remained occupied until the 8th century CE.

The name Mahasthan combines *Mahasthan*, meaning a place of great sanctity, and *garh*, meaning fort. The earliest known mention of Mahasthan appears in a 13th-century Sanskrit text, *Vallalcharita*, and it is also referenced in the anonymous *Karatoya mahatmya*, likely from the 12th–13th century. That same text gives two other names for the site: Pundrakshetra (land of the Pundras) and Pundranagara (city of the Pundras). A 1685 administrative decree called it Mastangarh, a Sanskrit-Persian blend meaning “fortified place of an auspicious personage.” Later discoveries confirmed that the earlier names were Pundranagara or Paundravardhanapura, and that Mahasthangarh is a later designation.

The site’s importance dates back to at least the 3rd century BCE, as shown by a limestone slab discovered in 1931. Inscribed with six lines in Prakrit using Brahmi script, it records a land grant and confirms Mahasthangarh’s role as a key city under the Maurya Empire.

Mahasthangarh (Pundranagar) lies 11 km north of Bogra, off the Bogra-Rangpur highway. A 1.5 km feeder road along the eastern side of the citadel’s ramparts leads to Jahajghata and the site museum. Buses from Dhaka reach Bogra in about 4½ hours via the Bangabandhu Jamuna Bridge, and accommodation is available in Bogra. The city was likely sited here because the area is one of the highest in Bangladesh—nearly 36 metres above sea level, compared to Dhaka’s 6 metres. Another factor was the Karatoya River, which as late as the 13th century was three times wider than the Ganges. The site sits on the red soil of the Barind Tract, an elevated area 15 to 25 metres above the surrounding floodplains, making it relatively flood-free.

Several people helped discover and identify the ruins. Francis Buchanan Hamilton first located and visited Mahasthangarh in 1808, followed by C.J. O’Donnell, E.V. Westmacott, and Beveridge. Alexander Cunningham, visiting in 1879, was the first to identify it as the capital of Pundravardhana. On 19 April 2004, *The Daily Star* reported that locals were looting bricks and valuables from the site and building homes there in violation of government regulations.

The citadel—the fortified heart of the ancient city—is rectangular, about 1.523 km north-south and 1.371 km east-west, with high, wide ramparts on all sides. Its area is roughly 185 hectares. The Karatoya, once a mighty river but now a small stream, flows along its eastern side. Until excavations began in the 1920s, the citadel’s interior stood over 4 metres higher than the surrounding land, dotted with scattered elevated patches. The rampart, 11–13 metres above the surrounding area, looked like a jungle-covered mud wall with forced openings at several points. At the southeast corner stood a *mazhar* (holy tomb), and a mosque built in 1718–19 was also present.

Inside the fortifications are several mounds and structural remains. Notable ones include Jiat Kunda (a well said to have life-giving powers), Mankalir Dhap (consecrated to Mankali), Parasuramer Basgriha (palace of King Parasuram), Bairagir Bhita (palace of a female anchorite), Khodar Pathar Bhita (place of stone bestowed by God), and Munir Ghon (a bastion). Gateways include Kata Duar (north), Dorab Shah Toran (east), Burir Fatak (south), and Tamra Dawaza (west). At the northeast corner, a later flight of steps called Jahajghata leads down. Beyond it, on the banks of the Karatoya, is Govinda Bhita (a temple to Govinda). In front of it are the site museum, displaying representative finds, and a rest house.

Outside the fortified area, about a hundred mounds spread across a radius of 9 km. Excavated mounds include Gobhindo Bhita (a temple near the citadel’s northeast corner), Khulnar Dhap (a temple 1 km north), Mangalkot (a temple 400 m south of Khulnar Dhap), Godaibari Dhap (a temple 1 km south of Khulnar Dhap), Totaram Panditer Dhap (a monastery 4 km northwest), Noropotir Dhap (also called Vashu Bihara, a group of monasteries 1 km northwest of Totaram Panditer Dhap, thought to be the site of Po-shi-po Bihara mentioned by Xuanzang), Gokul Medh (also known as Lokhindorer Bashor Ghor, a temple 3 km south), and Shkonder Dhap (a temple 2 km southeast of Gokul Medh). Major unexcavated mounds include Shiladebir Ghat, Chunoru Dighi Dhap, Kaibilki Dhap, Juraintala, Poroshuramer Shobhabati, Balai Dhap, Prochir Dhibi, Kanchir Hari Dhibi, Lohonar Dhap, Khujar Dhap, Doshatina Dhap, Dhoniker Dhap, Mondirir Dorgah, Bishmordana Dhibi, Malinar Dhap, Malpukuria Dhap, Jogir Dhap, Podmobhatir Dhap, Kanai Dhap, Dulu Mojhir Bhita, Podda Debhir Bhita, Rastala Dhap, Shoshitola Dhap, Dhonbandhor Dhap, Chader Dhap, Shindinath Dhap, Shalibahon Rajar Kacharibari Dhipi, Kacher Angina, Mongolnather Dhap, and ChhoutoTen.