Mainamati and Shalban Vihara

On a low ridge near Cumilla lie the ruins of Buddhist monasteries from the early medieval period, including Shalban Vihara.

The Lalmai–Mainamati ridge west of Cumilla holds more than fifty archaeological sites. The best known, Shalban Vihara, is a square monastery of monks' cells around a central shrine, associated with the Deva dynasty of the 7th–8th centuries. Excavations have uncovered terracotta plaques, copper plates, coins and bronze images, many displayed in the Mainamati Museum on site. Together with Paharpur, the ruins show how important Buddhist learning was in early Bengal.