Buddhist Stupa (Sonamura)
Sonamura, Tripura · Lord Buddha · Buddhist Temple
ASI-protected brick Buddhist ruins on Tripura’s border with Bangladesh.
The Buddhist stupa ruins near Sonamura emerged when forest clearance exposed a brick structure on Tripura’s northwestern border with Bangladesh; locals initially linked the remains to a Manasa shrine until Archaeological Survey of India investigation identified Buddhist remains including a Buddha image.
History
Tripura Tourism records that the ruins came to light when a natural forest was cleared in the north-western part of Sonamura subdivision, at the edge of the border with Bangladesh, exposing a brick-built structure.
Local people first took the remains for an ancient temple of Manasa, the snake goddess. The Archaeological Survey of India then took over the site, and the discovery of an image of the Buddha confirmed that it had been a Buddhist shrine.
Tripura Tourism notes that further excavation is expected to reveal more of the site’s story. It lies at Boxanagar in Sepahijala district, 32 km from Agartala, with the state’s Sagar Mahal Tourist Lodge at Melaghar nearby.
Good to know
ASI-protected Buddhist brick ruins on the Bangladesh border belt
Listed on Tripura Tourism as a Buddhist stupa site
Illustrates early Buddhist archaeology in western Tripura
Getting there
Road access via Sonamura subdivision, West Tripura; confirm exact site directions with ASI/local tourism desk in Agartala.
Best time to visit: Oct – Mar