Ruins of Somapura Mahavihara, Bangladesh from 8th century AD

During a period of huge change in the Buddhist faith, it was here at Paharpur that some of the best minds gathered to try to make sense of it all. For centuries, monks came to the large monastery complex to discuss the deepest questions of humanity. Paharpur became one of the most important intellectual centres of history and saw the rise of a new form of Buddhism.

The temple at the site's centre would be used as the inspiration for the greatest Buddhist monuments across Southeast Asia, including Cambodia's Angkor Wat and Indonesia's Borobudur
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