268 km from Dhaka by road and 30 minutes by air is Rajshahi, famous for its silk
fabrics, mangoes and litchis. About 40 km away by road from Rajshahi is Natore -
an old seat of Maharajahs witha beautiful palace. In the serene and picturesque
surroundings of Rajshahi district there lies at Paharpur the relies of glorious
past of Bengal under the Pala Dynasty during the 8th century AD. Excavations at
this historic site exposed to the view the largest Buddhist monastery in the south
of Himalayas having a gigantic pyramidal temple with 177 monastic cells and numerous
votive stupas. The 63 stone images and about 3,000 beautiful terra-cotta plaques
depict many Buddhist religious and other stories. In the nearby areas Chhota Sona
Mosque and temple of Puthia are also worth visiting.
Dinajpur This northernmost district of Bangladesh, about 184 km from Bogra,
has a number of attractions for the visitors. Amongst those Ramsagar Lake, Kantaji's
Temple (old Hindu temple of 1722 AD with exquisite mythological terra-cotta decoration
on its walls) and the Maharajah's Palace are mentionable.
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