Lalmai–Mainamati and Samatata: Ancient Buddhist Centre of Early Bengal (4th–13th Century CE)

The Lalmai–Mainamati area formed part of the sub-region of Samatata, meaning a “flat coastal land,” which functioned as an important cultural and political unit between approximately the 4th and 12th centuries CE. This region encompassed the trans-Meghna basin and lay adjacent to the territory of Harikela, corresponding broadly to present-day Chattogram and Sylhet.

The earliest known reference to Samatata appears in the Allahabad Pillar Inscription of the Gupta ruler Samudragupta (c. 4th century CE), where it is mentioned alongside Davaka and Kamrupa (in present-day Assam–Meghalaya, India). From around the 6th century CE onward, references to Samatata become increasingly frequent in both textual and epigraphic sources.

Samatata gained considerable renown as a center of Mahayana Buddhist learning and practice. Its reputation is reflected in the travel accounts of the eminent Chinese Buddhist pilgrims Xuanzang in the 7th century CE and Sheng-chi in the latter half of the same century. The dynastic history of the region is well documented through numerous copperplate inscriptions issued by successive ruling houses, most of which were associated with Buddhist traditions.

These include the Gupta dynasty (c. 4th–6th centuries CE), the Natha dynasty (early 7th century CE), the Rata dynasty (c. 7th century CE), the Khadga dynasty (late 7th–8th centuries CE), the Early Deva dynasty (late 8th–9th centuries CE), the Chandra dynasty (late 9th–11th centuries CE), the Varman dynasty (late 11th–12th centuries CE), and the Later Deva dynasty (around the 13th century CE).

Epigraphic evidence identifies the area as Devaparvata—literally “the hill of the gods”—which served as the capital during the Chandra and Deva dynasties. These inscriptions provide detailed descriptions of the surrounding landscape, including forests, rivers, and settlements, portraying a vibrant environment that supported a major center of Mahayana Buddhism between the 7th and 13th centuries CE, a period generally regarded as the early medieval era in eastern South Asia.

The records also associate the area with several important place names, such as Lalambi Vana (“the forest on red soil”), the city of Pattikhera, and the Lauhitya River—identified with the Old Brahmaputra and Jamuna river systems—along with numerous other locations mentioned in the historical sources.

📚 References: From Monasteries to Maritime Routes: Archaeological Sites of Lalmai–Mainamati and the Paleochannel Network (c. 4th–13th Century CE)

✍️ Author : Md Shahin Alam

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