Arriving in an Ancient Kingdom by the Gumti River
Comilla sits on the banks of the Gumti River in eastern Bangladesh, a city layered with centuries—ruled by ancient kingdoms, shaped by colonial power, fought over during independence, and now quietly humming with its own contemporary life. It was once the capital of the Tripura kingdom and remains one of the cities of ancient Bengal. Walking its streets, you move through overlapping eras: the Buddhist monasteries of the seventh century, the temples the Tripura kings built, the war cemetery that holds the weight of the twentieth century, and the modest neighbourhoods where ordinary Bangladeshi life unfolds today. The Grand Trunk Road, one of the oldest highways of the Indian subcontinent, passes directly through, which means Comilla has always been a place where people move through—and now it rewards those who pause.
What to See: Temples, Monasteries, and the Archaeology of Faith
The Mainamati Museum, adjacent to Shalban Vihara, is where you begin to understand the city's Buddhist past. Stone sculptures, terracotta plaques, ancient coins, and weapons from the Neolithic period through the Hindu and Buddhist eras fill the rooms—artefacts dug from the seventh and eighth centuries that scholars still use to read the region's history. Entry is nominal.
Shalban Vihara itself, eight kilometres west of the city centre on Comilla University Road, is the archaeological site: a Buddhist monastery built in the seventh century under King Bhava Deva and used by monks for prayer and study until the twelfth century. Three stupas once stood here—one each for Buddha, Sangha, and Dharma. The site opens daily from 9 AM to 5 PM, and walking its excavated grounds, you are standing in a place where devotional practice endured for five centuries.
Nearby, the New Shalban Bihar is a working Buddhist temple complex, constructed with support from Thailand. It holds striking golden statues and jade sculptures. You must remove your shoes at the entrance and walk barefoot through the sacred space—a requirement that changes how you move and attend. Permission from the caretaker is needed to enter the main temple building, and the nominal entry fee supports the orphanage on site.
In the centre of town, the Comilla Jagannath Temple, also called the Seventeen Jewel Temple, was built by the Tripura king Ratna Manikya II in the eighteenth century and dedicated to the Hindu god Jagannath. The temple houses the deities Balabhadra and Subhadra, and the architecture reflects its namesake's promise: seventeen towers representing the jewels. It opens daily from 6 AM to 9 PM.
Witnessing Twentieth-Century Remembrance
The Mainamati War Cemetery holds 702 Allied soldiers from World War II, maintained with meticulous care by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. The graves include service members from Commonwealth nations and the United States, as well as Japanese soldiers from the Second World War. Unlike many cemeteries, this one is serene and immaculately kept—a place designed for quiet reflection. Entry is free, and the cemetery stands as a tangible record of the wars that touched this corner of Bengal.
Food: Sweets and Highway Meals
Comilla's culinary reputation rests on roshomalai, a traditional Bengali sweet made from soft cheese and milk syrup. Several sweet shops in the city centre prepare it fresh; locals will guide you to the established ones. It is a dessert worth tasting specifically here, where it has been made for generations.
Along the Dhaka–Comilla highway, roadside restaurants with names like Miami and Mayami Resort serve Bangladeshi-style breakfast, lunch, and dinner at low cost. They are decent stops during a journey, with snacks, confectioneries, and bakery items alongside rice and curries. Food quality and cleanliness are generally satisfactory for highway dining, though washroom facilities vary. A small tip offered when requesting a tidier washroom is appreciated.
In the city itself, PC Restora near Dharmasagar serves chicken chaap, a Bengali speciality. Golden Spoon Buffet Restaurant, on Kazi Zahirul Qayyum Road near Pubali Square and south of Dharmasagar, offers tandoori chicken, rice balls with chicken, pizza, Thai soup, and other items in buffet style.
Neighbourhoods and Easier Attractions
Dharmasagar Pond sits in the centre of town—a big city park on the north end where locals relax, though the stagnant water carries a smell. It is where the city congregates during leisure hours, a glimpse of daily Comilla rhythm.
Magic Paradise Park, accessible by taxi or rickshaw, combines a Dino Park and water park in one sprawling complex—the closest the city comes to amusement-park culture. Entry starts at 399 taka and appeals to families and those seeking lighter diversion from the historical sites.
When to Visit
Comilla's climate is warm and humid for much of the year. The periods of greatest rainfall run from May through September and again in October and November. The drier months—November through March—offer the most pleasant visiting conditions, when the air is milder and days are comfortable for walking archaeological sites and exploring temples.
Getting There and Moving Around
The city sits on both the Grand Trunk Road and the Dhaka–Chittagong Highway, making it accessible by bus or private car from Dhaka. Bibir Bazar land port is located five kilometres away from the city centre, serving trade routes to the east. Within the city, rickshaws and taxis navigate the streets and reach outlying sites like Shalban Vihara.
Begin Your Journey
Comilla rewards the traveller who arrives without fixed expectations. It is a place where you can stand in a seventh-century Buddhist monastery in the morning, walk through an eighteenth-century Hindu temple in the afternoon, and visit a meticulously maintained cemetery from the world wars before evening. The city's history is legible in its architecture and archaeology. Come for the relics and ruins, stay for the quieter pleasure of moving through a place where ancient kingdoms and modern Bangladesh coexist without fanfare. Your journey through the layers begins the moment you arrive.