Rajshahi Division, in the northwest of the country, is often ignored by tourists, but it contains a large number of archaeological sites. The most important of these are at Paharpur, where the vast Buddhist monastery of Somapuri Vihara and the Satyapir Vita temple are located; there is also a museum. Other places of interest in the region include the ancient Hindu settlement of Sherpur, near Bogra; Mahastanagar, also near Bogra, which dates back to the third century BC; Vasu Vihara, 14km (9 miles) to the northwest, the site of an ancient but now ruined monastery; Rajshahi, on the Ganges, which has a museum displaying many of the archaeological relics of the area; and Gaur, very close to the border with the Indian state of West Bengal, which contains a number of old mosques. Bogra is a useful base for visiting the archaeological sites of Paharpur, Mahastanagar and Sherpur, although not intrinsically interesting itself. The Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation (NTO) offers package tours to these sites.

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