Zakir Azad, Cumilla

The biggest surprise to people is the man himself. He looks at his own creation in amazement. When he is covered by time, he can no longer be recognized by looking at his past. The past life is closed, immobile, piled up. The stream of living life flows beside him.

Proceed about eight miles from the crowded town of Cumilla. Go to the Mainamati area. This is the name given to a low hill area. This elevated region lies within the vast fertile lowlands of the Meghna Basin. Four and a half kilometers on the side. Its maximum height is 45 meters. Once upon a time it was covered with dense forest. Was famous for its rare medicine. The ancient kings used to call it 'Lalambi forest'. The topography here is not exactly sedimentary either. The soil is reddish. Once upon a time there was a forest of shawls.

Shalban Bihar is the most famous of the many monasteries here. This is the first time most people visit Mainamati. The students studied in this seventh century Buddhist monastery till 1300 AD. It was a residential academy. There were 115 rooms for students to stay. Its real name was Bhavadev Bihar.
The students were studying completely independently in this educational institution surrounded by forests and in the middle. The king used to donate villages to meet the expenses of Bihar. All the expenses of Bihar would come from its revenue. Education was merit-based.

Only deserving students could study there free of cost. In ancient times this was the norm in our region. As the students were looking for educational institutions, the educational institutions were also looking for meritorious students.
Tere was more than one such monastery in the Mainamati region of Cumilla. Only a small part of it has been excavated. Huge part remains under the ground. The ones that have been excavated and brought before the eyes of the people are also many - Kotila Mura, Charpatra Mura, Bhoj Bihar, Rupban Mura, Itakhola Mura etc.
Today's Comilla region is part of the ancient Samatata. Samatata means equal to the shore. It got its name from the fact that it was not high above sea level.

The Mainamati region is higher than that. A huge learning center was built here. Its journey started about 1300 years ago from today. From the 6th to the 12th century, this whole region was the heart of Buddhist culture. The last flame of Buddhist culture from all over India was lit here.

Scholars of Buddhist monasteries in the region have spread Buddhist philosophy in present-day Myanmar. Students from distant Kashmir, Iran, Central Asia used to come to these schools in Cumilla in search of knowledge. The reputation of the scholars here spread to China. In the 7th century, Hiuen Tsang came from distant China to one of the Buddhist monasteries in Lalmai, Cumilla.
All traces of this huge civilization were buried under the ground. People forgot about them. The elevated earthen monasteries were locally called Mura.

Mura means high place or hill. The first traces of a different history of the region are found in 1803. From a copperplate inscription of 1220, it is known that Rajnagari was full of splendor. Where is the sign of that city, now no one knows.
During World War II, the Cumilla region became an important center for deterring Japanese invasion through Myanmar. The soldiers discovered various ancient installations while constructing various installations. The remnants of Buddhist civilization in the Mainamati region surprised everyone. An immediate survey identified 16 installations. Later, in 1955 and 1956, more than 50 installations were surveyed.

The area has not yet been completely excavated. A lot has gone down with the current new installation. Many places are neglected. But what has been found is that an episode of an unknown history of the region awaits us, which has to do with world history. It is about all the places and events that have brought up donations written on copper plates of different kings, which is forcing history to think anew.