Mahasthangarh

Mahasthangarh is an ancient fortified city and archaeological site in Bogura District, Bangladesh. Its ruins are often identified with Pundranagara, an important city of ancient Bengal.

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Pundranagara: Pundranagara was an ancient city in Bengal, commonly identified with the fortified settlement at Mahasthangarh. This ancient city is the historical identity most often associated with Mahasthangarh.
Mahasthangarh Fortifications: The Mahasthangarh fortifications are the massive earthen and brick defenses enclosing the site's central settlement. Their surviving outline gives the ancient city its defining fortified form.
Brahmi script: Brahmi is an ancient South Asian writing system from which many later Indic scripts developed. Knowledge of Brahmi makes the site's early inscription legible as historical evidence.
Archaeology of Bangladesh: Archaeology of Bangladesh studies the material remains of human societies in the territory of modern Bangladesh. Excavations at Mahasthangarh are central to understanding the country's ancient urban past.
Pundravardhana: Pundravardhana was an ancient region of northern Bengal, named for the Pundra people. Mahasthangarh stood within the region whose name appears in its ancient history.
Govinda Bhita: Govinda Bhita is an archaeological mound near Mahasthangarh containing the remains of a Hindu temple complex. Its temple remains provide evidence of religious activity outside the citadel.
Archaeological mound: An archaeological mound is an accumulated rise of earth and debris formed by successive human occupation. Many visible features around Mahasthangarh are occupation mounds rather than intact buildings.
Bangladesh National Museum: The Bangladesh National Museum in Dhaka collects and displays objects relating to the history and culture of Bangladesh. Finds from Mahasthangarh are preserved and interpreted within Bangladesh's national museum collections.
Maurya Empire: The Maurya Empire was an ancient South Asian empire founded by Chandragupta Maurya in the fourth century BCE. Inscriptions and archaeological evidence connect the settlement's early history with Mauryan rule.
Bairagir Bhita: Bairagir Bhita is an archaeological mound at Mahasthangarh associated with the remains of a Buddhist monastery. The mound adds evidence of Buddhist institutions within the wider urban landscape.