Rajban Bihar has been a famous monastery in Bangladesh since the 1970s. Notable for its unique aesthetic and rich heritage, its resident monastics have been devoted to spreading the teachings of the Three Treasures for decades.
Rajban Bihar is located on the bank of Kaptai Lake in the district of Rangamati, which is in turn located in the Chattogram Hill Tracts. Rajban Bihar became renowned after Sādhanānanda Mahāsthabir (1920–2012), also called Bana Bhante, led a historic robe-offering ceremony (Kaṭhinchibar Dāna) at the monastery in 1974. Rajban Bihar is deeply connected with the legacy of Bana Bhante. This beloved monk moved to Rajban Bihar permanently and became its abbot in 1977. The memory of Bana Bhante continues to guide his students’ work among Buddhist communities in modern Bangladesh.
In the 1970s, Bana Bhante appeared as one of the first examples of a Theravāda teacher in the newly formed country of Bangladesh. Through his teachings, Bana Bhante ardently taught the path of austere practice (dhutaṅga), which is based on the Buddha’s mindfulness teaching in the Mahāsatipaṭṭhāna Sutta (Great Discourses on the Establishment of Mindfulness). Throughout his teaching career of more than 50 years, Bana Bhante tirelessly transmitted the practice of mindfulness, provided concrete guidelines for observing the precepts, and encouraged devotees to study the Four Noble Truths.
Bana Bhante was born on 8 January 1920 into a traditional Chakma family in the village of Morghona. Morghona was located on the Karnafuli riverbank in Rangamati District of Chattogram. His parents, Harumohan Chakma and Birupati Chakma, gave him the lay name of Rathindra Lal Chakma. From childhood, Rathindra was interested in religion and spirituality, and studied Buddhist texts assiduously.
Rathindra’s father passed away while he was 23 and he took on the responsibility of taking care of his mother and six siblings. He used to work in a shop to support his family members. Although Rathindra was living a worldly life, he did not forget his early aspirations for Buddhist practice, and his ultimate intention was to become a monk.
Rathindra decided to renounce household life in 1949. With the help of his noble Buddhist friend (kalyāṇa-mittatā) Gajhendra Lal Barua, Rathidra traveled from Rangamati to the city of Chattogram to meet Ven. Dīpaṅkar Śrījñāna Mahāsthabir, a renowned Theravāda monk. Under the preceptorship of Ven. Dīpaṅkar, Rathindra was ordained as a novice (sāmaṇera) at Nandankanan Bouddha Bihar. After he entered monastic life, the master gave him an ecclesiastical name, Rathindra Śrāmaṇa.
Rathindra studied the basic monastic rules from his master after his novitiate ordination. While he did dive deep into the Tipiṭaka (Sutta, Vinaya, and Abhidhamma), he realized that he preferred to focus on the more physically taxing practices of traditional austerity (dhutaṅga). He therefore left Nandankanan Bouddho Bihar with his preceptor’s permission.
Rathindra Śrāmaṇa spent several months in search of an appropriate place where he could start austerities. Finally, he found a location called Dhanpata Jungle, a deep forest near Kaptai Subdistrict of Rangamati District, in Chattogram Division. Dhanpata Jungle teemed with wild and ferocious animals, but due to Rathindra Śrāmaṇa’s earnest efforts with austere practice, local communities called him “Bana Śrāmaṇa.” The term “Bana” (pronounced “Bon”) is a Bengali word that means forest. Bana Śrāmaṇa then became commonly recognized as Bana Bhante.
The newly-named Bana Bhante spent approximately 12 years (1949–60) in solitude until Dhanpata Jungle was flooded, after the local government built Kaptai Dam on the Karnafuli River.
In 1960, Bana Bhante left Dhanpata and moved to Dighinala Subdistrict of Khagrachari District (also in Chattogram). A year later, Bana Bhante received the higher bhikkhu ordination under the noble preceptorship (upajjhāya) of the respected senior monk Ven. Guṇālaṅkār Mahāsthabir. According to Theravāda monastic law (Vinaya), the preceptors renamed him Sādhanānanda Bhikkhu. The term sādhanā can be translated as “concentrate on meditation,” and the preceptors decided to give this name after noticing his deep level of meditation practice.
His full religious name now being Sādhanānanda Bhikkhu, Bana Bhante stayed in Dighinala from 1960–70. He moved to Longadu Subdistrict in 1970 and lived there from 1970–76. Finally, Bana Bhante was invited to Rajban Bihar by Queen Arati Roy (a royal of the Chakma ethnic community in Bangladesh and India). From 1977 onward, Bana Bhante lived out the remaining 36 years of his life at the monastery until passing away on 30 January 2012. After his parinibbana, one of his immediate disciples, Ven. Prajñālaṅkār Mahāsthabir, became the abbot of Rajban Bihar.
Subsequently, Rajban Bihar became one of the most important Buddhist pilgrimage sites for local and international Theravāda Buddhists. From dawn to dusk, Rajban Bihar is humming with Buddhist activities, including offerings to the monks (saṇgha dāna), the delivery of Buddhist teachings (dhamma deshana), and mindfulness meditation practices (samādhi). Following the Vinaya, most monks and novitiates of Rajban Bihar go for alms rounds (piṇḍapāta) at local devotees’ houses in the early morning every day. Monastic members then consume their meals at the dining hall.
The monks leading saṇgha dāna chant Buddhist suttas and give talks at the Dhamma Hall known as the Deshana Ghor. Bana Bhante used to offer most of his Dhamma talks to devotees in the Deshana Ghor, and this tradition has been maintained. Monks also lead meditation practices for lay devotees in this hall.
One of the most striking parts of Rajban Bihar is its main shrine hall, also known as Upashana Bihar. This shrine hall, built in 1987, was designed with vibrant tin decoration. There are many Buddha statues inside. Devotees enter for prayers and to perform offerings to the Buddha (buddha puja). According to the Bengali Buddhist tradition, they will light candles and burn incense as part of their offerings. A specific place is erected for lit candles and incense near the entrance gate.
Beside the entrance gate is another vibrant modern building where the late Bana Bhante’s mummified body rests. Many people visit Rajban Bihar daily to pay homage to Bana Bhante and his legacy.
As long as Sādhanānanda Mahāsthabir Bana Bhante’s preserved body remains at Rajban Bihar, his noble teachings on the path of awakening will encourage devotees and followers to maintain their mission. Devotees and followers see Bana Bhante as a torch that still illuminates the hearts of beings amid the darkness of samsara. In fond memory of Bana Bhante, many Bangladeshi and international devotees and seekers continue to visit Rajban Bihar every day.
Although Bana Bhante is no longer with us, his noble disciples have continued walking in his noble footsteps. In the name of tasting enlightenment and ultimate liberation, may the auspiciousness of Rajban Bihar and the legacy of Bana Bhante remain in Bangladesh for all time.
References
Barua, Arabinda. 2003. Bana Bhante Dhasana. Vol. I, II & III. Taiwan: The Corporate Body of the Buddha.
Bana Bhante, Sādhanānanda Mahāsthabir. 1992. Sudṛṣṭi. Rangamati: Rajban Offeset Press.
Bhikkhu, Śrīmat Indragupta. 2006. Āryaśrābak Bana Bhanter Dharmadēśanā Sambār. Volume I – VI. Rangamati: Rajban Offeset Press.
Bhikkhu, Śrīmat Indragupta. 2008. Āryaśrābak Bana Bhanter Dharmadēśanā Sambār. Volume VIII. Rangamati: Rajban Offeset Press.
Bhikkhu, Bidhur. 2010. Bana Bhante Janmasmarak. Rangamati: Rajban Offeset Press.
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