Ananda Vihara
আনন্দ বিহার
The largest Buddhist monastery ruin at Mainamati, beside a huge old water tank.
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See the place on video
Ananda Vihara, known locally as Ananda Rajar Prasad, is the biggest of the excavated monuments in the Mainamati complex at Kotbari. Like Shalban Vihara it was a square monastery with monks' cells around a central shrine, and next to it lies the largest ancient water tank in the area. Much of the site lies within or near the cantonment and is less tidy than Shalban, so it sees few visitors. Come with the museum's story in mind and the scale is impressive.
How to get there
From Kotbari or Cumilla town take a CNG or rickshaw; ask locals for 'Ananda Rajar Bari'.
Good to know
Parts of the Mainamati ridge are military land; follow signs and do not enter restricted areas.
More from Cumilla
District guide →
Place Shalban Vihara
শালবন বিহারThe excavated brick foundations of a large Buddhist monastery from around the 7th–8th century.
Place Mainamati War Cemetery
ময়নামতি ওয়ার সিমেট্রিA calm, beautifully kept Commonwealth cemetery for soldiers who died in the Burma campaign of World War II.
Place Dharmasagar Dighi
ধর্মসাগর দিঘিA huge old tank in the heart of Cumilla, where locals stroll the banks and boats drift at dusk.
Hidden place ▶ Video Rupban Mura
রূপবান মুড়াA lesser-visited Buddhist ruin on a low hill near Kotbari, often empty of people.
Nearby
Place Shalban Vihara
Cumilla · শালবন বিহারThe excavated brick foundations of a large Buddhist monastery from around the 7th–8th century.
Representative photo Place Mainamati Museum
Cumilla · ময়নামতি জাদুঘরA site museum next to Shalban Vihara holding the finds from 1,000-year-old Buddhist ruins of the Lalmai hills.
Hidden place ▶ Video Rupban Mura
Cumilla · রূপবান মুড়াA lesser-visited Buddhist ruin on a low hill near Kotbari, often empty of people.
Place Mainamati War Cemetery
Cumilla · ময়নামতি ওয়ার সিমেট্রিA calm, beautifully kept Commonwealth cemetery for soldiers who died in the Burma campaign of World War II.