Somapura Mahavihara
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Somapura Mahavihara, also known as Paharpur Buddhist Vihara, is a major Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhist monastery in Paharpur, Badalgachhi, Naogaon, Bangladesh. It is among the best known Buddhist vih
View of the central shrine
Aerial view
Sunrise at Somapura Mahavihar (Paharpur)
Structures in Somapura Mahavihara complex
Pala Empire
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The Pāla Empire was an empire ruled by the Pala dynasty, an early medieval Indian dynasty. The empire was founded with the election of Gopāla by the chiefs of Gauda in late eighth century CE. The Pala
Somapura Mahavihara
…armapaladeva-Mahavihariyarya-bhiksu-sangghasya, has identified the Somapura Mahavihara as built by the second Pala king Dharmapala (circa 781–821) of Pāla Dynasty. Tibetan sources, including Tibetan translations of Dharmakayavidhi and Madhyamaka Ratnapradipa, Taranatha's history and Pag-Sam-Jon-Zang, mention that…
Vishnu with His Consorts, Lakshmi and Sarasvati, 11–12th century, Bihar or Bengal, Pala period
Coin of the Pala Empire, Mahipala and later. Circa 988–1161 CE
Bronze crowned Buddha, Bihar, Pala Empire, 10th–11th century
Maitreya and scenes from the Buddha's life. Folios were probably from the Pala period under Ramapala, considered the last great ruler of the Pala dynasty.