Rangkut Banasram Pilgrimage Monastery, Buddhist temple in Cox's Bazar District, Bangladesh
Rangkut Banasram Pilgrimage Monastery is a Buddhist temple situated on a hillock encircled by surrounding hills. The complex contains prayer halls, meditation spaces, and residential quarters for the monks who live there.
According to local tradition, the Buddha rested here and foretold that his breastbone relic would be enshrined on a mountain near Ramu; the name Rangkut derives from Rakhaing words for "breastbone" and "place". Emperor Ashoka is credited with founding the monastery, and in 308 BCE Arakanese king Chandrajyoti installed a 6-foot white stone Buddha image containing the relic. The site was destroyed by Mughal attacks in 1666 and rediscovered in 1929 by the Burmese monk Jagatchandra Mahathera.
The monastery functions as a living religious center where monks gather daily for prayer and study. Visitors can observe the regular rhythms of monastic life and spiritual practice in the temple spaces.
The monastery is accessible from Cox's Bazar town by local transport, with the route passing through countryside. Comfortable footwear is recommended as exploring the grounds involves walking along various pathways.
The monastery's name comes from Rakhaing words: "Rang" means chest and "u" means chest bone, while "kut" means place, referring to the Buddha's chest relic said to be enshrined here. A large Buddha image in the abhaya mudra stands inside, and on the eastern hill lie the ruins of a large building scattered with broken sandstone sculptures, including Buddha's footprints and hands.
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