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Tour: Visit Panchari Shantipur Aranya Kuthi

The Dhaka Times Desk If you are visiting Khagrachari, you can visit Panchari Shantipur Aranya Kuthi. This place of natural forest will capture your heart.

Shantipur Aranya Kuthi is a sacred pilgrimage site for Buddhists spread over an area of 65 acres in the deep forest of Panchari in Khagrachari district, which is known as a city of natural beauty. This kuthi was established here in 1999 by Principal Bhante Bhadanta Rajanrakshitha Mahathero to facilitate the meditation of the monks in a quiet natural environment. The main attraction of this Shantipur Aranya Aranya Kuthir is the second largest Buddhist statue in South Asia and the largest in Bangladesh. It took about 4 years to build this 50 feet aesthetic Buddhist statue. Surrounded by small hills and hilly vegetation, the hut has spacious grounds, two artificial lakes, a performance stage, a small fenced house and a lighthouse for devotees to worship.

More than 20,000 different forest and fruit trees are planted around Kuthir and continue to play an important role in protecting the forest and environment. Other structures of the Shantipur Aranya Kuthir include a well-decorated prayer space, statue of the victorious Upagupta Mahasthavir, statue of the great Sibley Mahasthavir with temple, 100 cubits long Bhikshu Sala, 80 cubits long dining hall, 60 cubits long Desnaghar, Maitri Bhavan, residence of the head monk, beautiful shramanshala. Each sculpture in Kuthira also depicts different stories, sermons and inspirational sayings from the life of Gautama Buddha. There are also more than 25 sadhana kuthirs and sub-kuthirs. In each hut one bhikkhu and sramana are engaged in meditation. Behind the big idol, 13 huts are used by the Bhanteras for sadhana, hence public entry is prohibited. Entry of visitors to Panchari Shantipur Aranya Kuthir is prohibited from 11 am to 1.30 pm to facilitate religious rituals.

This non-violence religious organization continues to play a leading role in maintaining peace, harmony and harmony in Panchari. Buddhist pujas and festivals are organized here on Buddhist Purnima, Asadhi and Pravarana Purnima every year. More than 50,000 devotees and pilgrims from different parts of the country come to this Panchari Shantipur Aranya Kuthira during the difficult Chibar donation. Every day hundreds of pilgrims and tourists arrive here from different parts of the country.

how to go

Khagrachari can be reached by St. Martin Hyundai, Shanti, Shyamoli, Hanif, Econo, Relax and Eagle transport from Gabtali, Syedabad, Uttara or Arambagh in the capital Dhaka. The bus fare will be between 850 and 1200 taka. The distance from Khagrachari to Shantipur Aranya Kuthir is about 25 km. You can reach Panchari by bus from Khagrachari district city, hire a jeep or Mahendra car and go to Panchari Shantipur Aranya Kuthi.

where will you stay

For staying in Khagrachari, you can stay at several residential hotels including Tourist Motel, Hotel Eco Chari Inn, Hotel Hill Touch, Shail Suborn, Hotel Noor, Hotel Mount Inn, Gangchil Residential and Aranya Luxury.

where to eat

There are several food hotels in Panchari, among them Hotel Pervez, Trival Restaurant, Nirv Restaurant, Lake View are notable food hotels. Also in Khagrachari city you will find some more good food restaurants in Shapla Chatwar, Bus Stand and Panthai Para. Khagrachari's System Restaurant, Gang Sabarong, Peda Ting Ting, Pajan and Chimbal restaurants are quite popular.