Holy place #5 - "Shalban Buddhist Temple."

Steemian Friends,
Today, I will participate in a contest for the Steem-atlas project by @miftahulrizky, brother of the Be Happy community. The name of the Contest is Contest! 1001 Holy Places on the Steem Atlas Map #5 & Winners #4. I will share my experience visiting a Buddhist temple in my hometown. I hope everyone will like my writing.

My Thumbnail Photo(In front of shalban Buddhist Temple)

I live in the Comilla district of Bangladesh. Comilla district has a large Muslim population, so Muslim places of worship are the most prevalent. Today, I will present a Buddhist temple in the Comilla district through a Steem-Atlas map. This Buddhist temple is known as the Vishwa Shanti Pagoda. It was built with the help of money from Thailand. Our local people named the place of worship the Golden Temple. Every day, Buddhists, Muslims, and Hindus come to the shrine. It is located ten kilometres from my house.

Location:
Kotbari Shalban Buddhist Vihar in Comilla District is an ancient heritage site. To the west of the Shalban Buddhist Vihar is the Swarn Mandir, a place of Buddhist worship. Visitors come to the shrine by travelling to Buddhist monasteries. The Buddhist temple has beautiful patterns of golden colour around it. The shrine was first built in 1995. Later, with the help of some people from Thailand, it was developed in 2017 as the World Peace Pagoda. There is an orphanage next to the shrine. The temple is in the Comilla district, 95 km from our country's capital, Dhaka. I have shown the substation via a Steem-atlas map.

Steem-atlas Location Pin	[//]:# (!steematlas 23.42538315 lat 91.13424182 long Shalbon Buddist Temple d3scr)

Google Map Location :Link

Description of the place of worship:
A ticket counter is available for visitors. I first give entry to the temple. Then, I was advised to remove my shoes upon entering. I put my shoes in the designated shoe storage area and then went to the restroom. Take some time to rest, as it's very hot outside. Then, I rested for fifteen minutes and entered the temple. There is a statue of Gautama Buddha in front of the shrine. I took pictures of Gautama Buddha worshipping under the tree before the shrine. Then, I headed back to the shrine.

Entrance ticket counter to the temple

Entry fee

Domestic Visitor	30 Taka(Local)	1.64 Steem
Foreigner	100 Taka(Local)	5.46 Steem

Various flowers are planted in front of the shrine, enhancing its beauty. The temple has three floors. A few golden-coloured idols are placed on top of the shrine. Two staircases lead to the shrine. On both sides of the stairs, there are symbols of Nagaraj snakes. Snakes are golden in colour. I take a few pictures before heading up the stairs. I have trouble walking barefoot on the floor today, as it is very hot. I first go to the second floor. On the second floor, a memorial to Gautama Buddha is located. I was denied entry as I am a Muslim. I am advised to watch from a certain distance.

Various types of memories of Gautama Buddha after entering the temple

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Then, with the permission of the temple's manager, I went inside and took a few pictures of Gautama Buddha. Gautama Buddha's idols are made of gold, so they appear very beautiful. The person in charge gave me a tour of the entire temple. I went to another room on the second floor. There were footprints of Gautama Buddha. I wandered around the temple for about an hour.

Interior view with footprints of Gautama Buddha

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I was then taken to a room on the ground floor. This room has been arranged for Buddhists from different countries to worship. The large room is equipped with facilities for performing ceremonies for incoming Buddhists. The Thai Buddhists built this temple. Various types of idols and materials are brought here from Thailand, and multiple crafts from Thailand are used to create the temple's doors.

I am in front of the various designs of the temple

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I stayed inside the temple for about two hours. Next to the shrine, there is an orphanage run by Thailand. Some of the orphanages are maintained by the Department of Social Welfare of the Government of Bangladesh. The boys of the orphanage are involved in various temple responsibilities.

Orphanage

Place of entertainment for foreign Buddhists

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There is also a food shop within the shrine. I buy ice cream in extreme heat. Additionally, there are security facilities, which are monitored by CCTV cameras throughout the area. I enjoy visiting nearby places of worship.

I bought ice cream from the food shop

Worship Name	Shalbon Buddhist Temple
Local Name	Golden Temple
Location	Kotbari,Comilla ,Bangladesh
Security	Good
Photographer	Me
Mobile	One Plus Nord2 5G
Travel Date	4-4-2025

SL No.	My Invited Steemit Friends
1	@max-pro
2	@sergeyk
3	@lirvic