Mainamati Museum

Archaeological museum in southern Bangladesh, dedicated to exhibiting all kinds of artefacts found in excavations at various archaeological sites and ancient temples in the Comilla District.
Mainamati Museum
Image credit to Captain Raju (Archive)
Type: Archaeological Museum
Country:
Bangladesh
Establishment: 1965

Mainamati Museum (Bengali: ময়নামতি জাদুঘর) is an archaeological museum located in the Comilla district within the Chittagong Subdivision, its main function is to conserve all kinds of artifacts found in excavations of archaeological sites in this area of Bangladesh, mainly ancient Buddhist monasteries known as Vihāra in the Indian Subcontinent.

History

The museum was established in the 1960s, with the aim of preserving various artifacts and antiquities found in different temples around Comilla such as Shalban Vihara (Bengali: শালবন বিহার) at Moinamoti, Ananda Vihara (Bengali: আনন্দবিহার) at Adarsha Sadar and Rupban Mura (Bengali: রূপবান মুড়া) located near Bangladesh Academy for Rural Development of Comilla.[1]

Among such excavations were those carried out in the 1970s around the Lalmai Hills (Bengali: লালমাই পাহাড়) located in Adarsha Sadar Upazila within the Comilla District, where Neolithic artefacts made of fossilised wood were found and transferred to the museum.[2]

In August 2021, a black stone statue representing the God of Vishnu was moved from Daudkandi Upazila in the western part of Comilla District, according to estimates of the Divisional Archaeological Department of Chattogram, the sculpture dates back to over 1000 years.[3]

Collections

The museum preserves inside different statues of important deities within the Buddhist and Hindu religions such as Tara, Vamana, Marichi, Pavarti, Ganesha and Durga, desides sculptures, the museum contains metal inscriptions, traditional Bengali pottery and ancient coins.[4] Additionally the museum also stores a sculpture of the Hindu Deity of Surya, which was found in the village of Urisvara also located in the Comilla District.[5]

References

  1. Islam, Z. (2018-11-17). ময়নামতি জাদুঘরে একদিন. NTV Online. (in Bengali)

  2. Schug, G. R., & Walimbe, S. R. (2016). "A Companion to South Asia in the Past." John Wiley & Sons. (Page 405)

  3. Bangladesh Police Recovers Centuries-Old Lord Vishnu’s “Black Stone Statue.” (2021-08-05). Northeast Today.

  4. ঈদ উপলক্ষে ৫০ বছর পর নতুন রূপে কুমিল্লার ময়নামতি যাদুঘর. (2016-07-06). Chandpur Times. (in Bengali)

  5. Mainamati-Devaparvata: A Survey of Historical Monuments and Sites in Bangladesh, SHMSB 001. (1997). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.

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