Occupying a small hill slope on the Kotbari road near Rupban Mura, Itakhola Mura reveals five distinct phases of Buddhist construction dating from the 8th to the 12th century. The site contains a massive solid brick stupa with a preserved circumambulatory pathway, as well as a small monastic courtyard where an 8-foot stucco standing Buddha was discovered during excavation. Surrounded by sal woodlands, the ruins receive only a fraction of the crowds that visit Shalban Vihara.
- Best time
- November to February
- Give it
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Entry roughly ৳20; CNG from Cumilla town about ৳100 each way
How to get to Itakhola Mura
In the Kotbari area, about 7 km west of Kandirpar and 1.5 km north of Shalban Vihara. Take a CNG auto-rickshaw towards Kotbari (20 minutes); the gate is beside the main road.
Cumilla town is about 96 km from Dhaka, around 2.5 hours by road. Every way to get there is in the Cumilla guide.
Footpaths around the brick stupa can be uneven; watch your step on the ancient stone foundations.
More to see in Cumilla
Photo: Intakhab, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Shalban Vihara শালবন বিহার
An 8th-century Buddhist monastery built by the Deva dynasty in Mainamati, featuring 115 monastic cells around a cruciform shrine.
- Best time
- November to February
- Give it
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Entry roughly ৳30 for Bangladeshis, museum entry ৳10; CNG auto-rickshaw from town about ৳100–150 each way
Photo: Shariful Islam Masum, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Mainamati War Cemetery ময়নামতী ওয়ার সিমেট্রি
A Commonwealth war cemetery established after World War II, containing 713 military graves from the Burma and Assam campaigns.
- Best time
- November to March
- Give it
- About an hour
- Cost
- Entry free; CNG from Kandirpar roughly ৳80–120
Photo: Ferdous, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Dharmasagar Dighi ধর্মসাগর দিঘী
A historic 15th-century royal water reservoir excavated in 1458 by King Dharma Manikya of Tripura in the centre of Cumilla town.
- Best time
- October to March
- Give it
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Entry free; cycle rickshaw from central town about ৳20–30; paddle boat ride roughly ৳100 per hour