Buddhist temple in Ramu – Cox’s Bazar

Ramu is a village in Ramu Upazila of Cox’s Bazar district, Bangladesh. You’d find quite a few Buddhist temples around that area. Amongst those the Rangkut Bonasram Buddha Bihar is the most famous and visited one. This Buddhist temple is just around 14-20 kilometers from the main town of Cox’s Bazar. If you have a plan to spend more than a couple of days in Cox’s Bazar then this place is a nice one to explore. This place is not that huge and do not expect too much to see from there.

Statue of Lord Buddha.

Ramu Buddhist temple was established around the year 338 BC. The temple premise has several statues of the Gautama Buddha inside the temple. They are in different colors and shapes. I found the white one was most impressive. Everyday a lot of people visit the temple for religious purposes. Sometimes few visitors enjoy the beauty and natural quietness from here too.

A small shrine inside the temple.

My reason to go there was as I read about Ramu in our textbook when I was doing my primary education. Can’t remember exactly which grade I was at that time. It was kind of filling the childhood dream place to see. The entrance of the temple has a very artistic golden gate that has an Asian style. You could see the stuffed artwork of Buddha itself (also a dragon) on that facade. We didn’t need any entry fee that time (or maybe, I forgot). These days they charge a little for the entry.

Statue of Lord Buddha with his followers.

Note: During the year 2012 some bad incident happened in this Buddhist temple (i.e. including torching). Most of the parts of the temple were damaged severely. I don’t know how much we have repaired after that.

Two young monks from the Ramu temple.

How to Go:

You can reach Ramu by local buses or any rented vehicles from Cox’s Bazar town. It will take only 30 minutes at max to reach there. You’ll find a temple at the top of a small hillock. The GPS coordinate of the temple is (21°24’09.5″N, 92°06’42.4″E). After visiting the Ramu buddhist temple you could go ahead to see the Dulhazra safari park.

Another statue of Lord Buddha.

Where to stay:

Cox’s Bazar is the most busiest tourist destination from Bangladesh. There are numerous hotels around the city which can accommodate hundreds of thousands of visitors. Look for the list of hotels in Cox’s Bazar here. That’s why after visiting Ramu it would be wise to stay in Cox’s bazar town.