Bogura, Rajshahi
The quiet brick ruins of Buddhist monasteries and a temple in the countryside north-west of Mahasthangarh, possibly the monastery a Chinese pilgrim described in the 7th century.
Vasu Bihar — locally also called Narapatir Dhap — is a group of low mounds that hid Buddhist buildings. Excavations by the Department of Archaeology in the 1970s uncovered two monasteries built around courtyards of monks’ cells and a cruciform temple, along with terracotta plaques, bronze images and other finds.
Many scholars identify the site with Po-shi-po, a monastery near the capital of Pundravardhana that the Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang described in the 7th century, with hundreds of monks studying there. If so, it was a place of learning in the same world as Mahasthangarh and, further west, Paharpur.
What survives today are brick foundations and walls standing a little above the ground, among fields and trees. It is far quieter than Mahasthan, and you can trace the plan of the cells and courtyards on foot.
Walk the citadel and see the site museum.
Eat simply and pick up kotkoti.
Take an auto-rickshaw through the villages and walk the monastery ruins.
Stop at the mound in the late afternoon light, then return to Bogura.
October to March; avoid the hottest midday hours
About 6 km north-west of Mahasthangarh, in Shibganj upazila. From Bogura, go to Mahasthan by bus or CNG (around 30–40 minutes), then take an auto-rickshaw or van along the village road; drivers know it as Vasu Bihar or Narapatir Dhap.
