Evi­dence of the rise of Mahayana Bud­dhism in Ben­gal from the 7th cen­tu­ry onwards, Soma­pu­ra Mahavi­ra, or the Great Monastery, was a renowned intel­lec­tu­al cen­tre until the 12th cen­tu­ry. Its lay­out per­fect­ly adapt­ed to its reli­gious func­tion, this monastery-city rep­re­sents a unique artis­tic achieve­ment. With its sim­ple, har­mo­nious lines and its pro­fu­sion of carved dec­o­ra­tion, it influ­enced Bud­dhist archi­tec­ture as far away as Cam­bo­dia.