India, May 1 -- Journey to Anowara

Although the Pandita Vihara was, according to several sources, situated somewhere in the Anowara area of Chittagong, there is no structure on the ground to identify the vihara. But the possibility of the monastery having survived below the earth cannot be ruled out, and explorations and excavations undertaken by archaeologists may bear fruit one day.

However, the crucial discovery of the Buddhist hoard at Jhewari, Chittagong, could be an important clue to the possible location of the monastery near Jhewari, which is close to the eastern bank of the Karnaphuli River.

On our onward journey, we took the Chittagong-Cox's Bazaar Road via Anowara, only 25 kilometres from Chittagong. Crossing the bridge over...