Mahasthangarh

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Mahasthangarh (Bangla: মহাস্থানগড়) is an ancient fortified city near the town of Bogra, Bangladesh.

Mohasthangarh is one of the main attractions in the northern part of Bangladesh. It was the capital of Kingdom of the Mayura, the Gupta and the Sen Dynasties in different times in the past.

This ancient archaeological and historical site which was established before the 6th century BCE. It's ancient name was Pundranagara, which means township of Pundras, and is situated on the western bank of the river Korotoa. The main fortified city is only 18km north of the town ofBogra, beside the Bogra - Rangpur highway. The spectacular site is an imposing landmark in the area having a fortified, oblong enclosure measuring 1.524 km by 1.370km with an average height of 5m from the surrounding ground level. Beyond the fortified area, the city had a suburb in the shape of a semicircle of almost 8 km in radius in north, west and south directions. Usually the very wealthy people used to live inside the fortified part, and the less wealthy people were supposed to live in the suburb. There are several isolated mounds; the local names of some are Govinda Bhita, Khodai Pathar Mound, Mankalir Kunda, Parasuramer Bedi, Jiyat Kunda, and Lakshmindarer Med. They are scattered in the semicircle surrounding the city in the three directions.

It is believed that the location for the city was due to the fact this is one of the highest areas in Bangladesh. The land in the region is almost 36 m higher than the sea level, where as Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, is around 6m higher than the sea level. Another reason for choosing this place was the position and size of the Korotoa river, which was almost as wide as the sea. During the peak of it's period the town was very famous to almost half of the world. Dwellers of this town were mostly businessmen or farmers.

In the 15th century AD, the city had a great fire, which destroyed almost everything of the city. Since the fire people started abandoning the city, which resulted in its current state.

This archaeological site is still held to be of great sanctity by the local Hindus. Every year (in mid mid-April) and once every 12 years (in December) thousands of Hindu devotees join the holy bathing ceremony on the bank of the river Korotoa.