Bogra

Mahasthan, near Bogra, Bangladesh: Govinda Bhita temple

Bogra, officially called Bogura, formerly Bagura, city, northwestern Bangladesh. It lies on the west bank of the Karatoya River, which is a tributary of the Jamuna River (the name of the Brahmaputra River in Bangladesh).

Easy accessibility by road and railway makes Bogra a commercial centre for the southern Barind region, between the upper Padma (Ganges [Ganga]) and Jamuna rivers. It was incorporated as a municipality in 1876. It has a park, a theatre hall, and a nursery for silk production and also is the seat of many government colleges.

The site of Mahasthan (identified by inscriptions as Pundravardhana), capital of the Pundra dynasty, lies just north of the city; it dates from the time of the Mauryan empire (c. 321–185 bce) and flourished during the Gupta (early 4th to late 6th century ce) and Pala (late 8th–mid-12th century) periods. Pop. (2001) 154,807; (2011) 350,397.