Buddha Dhatu Jadi

The Buddha Dhatu Jadi, also called the Golden Temple, stands on a hilltop above Bandarban and was built from the 1990s in a South East Asian manner quite unlike the Bengali Buddhist building of the region: a gilded and white pagoda with tiered roofs, spires, guardian figures and terraces, reached by a long flight of steps up the hill, and it holds the second largest Buddha image in Bangladesh. It is a Theravada monastery serving the Marma community and a relic is enshrined in it. From the terraces the view runs over Bandarban town and the surrounding hills. It is one of the more visited sites in the hill tracts and it is busy at weekends and at Buddhist festivals.

History

The temple serves the Marma people of Bandarban, Theravada Buddhists of Arakanese descent, and was founded by Venerable U Pannya Jota Mahathera of the Bohmong royal family, a monk since 1991 after eight years as a senior assistant judge. The relic enshrined in it was given to him in 1994 by the head of the state Sangha, and the temple was built in 2000 in the Arakanese style (Wikipedia, Buddha Dhatu Jadi).

What to look for

• A gilded tiered pagoda - South East Asian building in the hill tracts.
• The second largest Buddha image in the country - the figure inside the shrine.
• Terraces over Bandarban - the view from the hilltop.
• The long approach stair - the climb up from the road.

When to go

November to March. Two hours. Modest dress and shoes off on the terraces; shorts are refused. Buddhist festival days bring large gatherings. Mornings are cooler for the climb.

Good to know

The dress code is enforced and visitors are turned away for shorts. The stair up is long and hot. It is crowded at weekends. Photography inside the shrine is restricted. Hill tracts permit rules apply.

Nearby

Bandarban town is below; Nilgiri lies north.

Key facts