When: 7th May to 15th May 2010
Where: Spitalfields Market, 1 Crispin Place, Shoreditch, E1 6DW
For the second consecutive year, London Ghost Week will be hosted by Fright Nights in the capital. The event will commence from 7th May and will go on till 15th May 2010. The event is packed with supernatural spectacular ghost hunts, séances and mediumship demonstrations will accompany this event in London. The event surely promises a spectrum of spectral spectacles.

The week offers something for everyone including the most skeptics of all. Same as last year the event has a lot to show this year as well. Ranging from the haunting Dick Turpin to the globe’s most exclusive ghost hunts, this event in the capital will surely form a treat for those staying in any of the Liverpool Street hotels. With the diversified and clairvoyant experiences for one week, not only the locals but the travelers to London are also excited for the event.

8th May, Saturday
Murder in the Mitre: The day will be full of séances and divination and many other spooky activities accompanied by two TV ghost hunters at the Miter pub situated near Lancaster Gate
Gay Ghost Hunt at Ragged School: This is an all-nighter for the eeriness of the venue.

11th May, Tuesday
Brian Shepherd’s Night: This would be a genuine one of mediumship and psychic artistry along with the two of the leading clairvoyants of the United Kingdom called Avril Price and TV’s “Most Haunted” Brian Shepherd. The event will witness the communication directly with life and will also focus on striating messages from loved ones and alo offering an inspirational insight into the supernatural powers of the spiritual realm.

13th May, Thursday
Britain’s Youngest Female Medium: Caught the attention of the most well known and respected Mediums and Psychics, Rachellle thinks that she can converse with the dead. In order to take a prove visit Morpeth Arms, Pimlico which a haunted pub on the site of Millbank prison. She will perform two sessions for 45 minutes in which the proof of the instances after life will directly presented to the spectators.

15th May, Saturday
Ghost Station with Bobby Marchesso: Marchesso, one of the psychics in attendance at the bizarre séance of Michael Jackson and will now be leading an all night paranormal investigation at RAF Hendon which is a site of many ethereal scenes.

Mahasthan means a place of sanctity and garh means fort. A Sanskrit text “Vallalcharita” of the 13th century first mentioned the place “Mahasthan”, to mean the same place the same text also mentions two more names – Pundrakshetra, land of the Pundras, and Pundranagara, city of the Pundras. In 1685, an administrative order mentioned the place as Mastangarh, means fortified place of an auspicious personage.

In 1808, F.Buchanan Hamilton first locates and visits Mahasthangarh and in 1889, Alexander Cunningham visited the site and he was the first to identify the place as the capital of Pundravardhana.
“Pundra Nagara” presently known as “Mahasthangarh” is located (Under Shibganj Upazila) at a distance of 11 km to the north of Bogra town on the Bogar-Rangpur highway. Mahasthangarh is situated on the western bank of river Karatoya, once a mighty river but now a small stream, flows on its east.

It is the oldest archaeological site of Bangladesh and the spectacular site is an imposing landmark in the area having a fortified long enclosure. It is roughly 1.523 km long from north to south, and 1.371 km from east to west, with high and wide ramparts in all its wings. With in a semicircle of about 9 km radius of fortified there are many ancient ruins.

Before excavation, the inside of the fortified was higher than the surrounding areas by over 4 meters. The rampart looked like a jungle clad mud rampart. . The rampart was 11-13 meters higher than the surrounding area.

First Systematic archaeological excavation around Jahajghata, Munir Ghon and Bairagir Bhita areas of Mahasthangarh was done under the guidance of K.N.Dikshit of India in 1928-29. Excavation of Bairagir Bhita and Govinda Bhita was down in 1934-36. Excavation around the Mazhar, Parasuramer Prasad, Mankalir Dhap, Jiat Kunda and in a part of the northern rampart was carried out in 1960s. Excavation in the area between Bairagir Bhita and the gateway was conducted jointly by Bangladesh and France in the period 1992-98. Excavation around the mazhar had been done under the same project in its second phase.

At present there are several mounds and structure inside the fortified. Of these a few are:

1. Jiat Kunda (well possessing life giving power),
2. Mankalir Dhap (place consecrated to Mankali),
3. Parasuramer Basgriha (palace of a king named Parasuram),
4. Bairagir Bhita (palace of a female anchorite),
5. Khodar Pathar Bhita (place of stone bestowed by God)
6. Munir Ghon (a bastion).
7. Govinda Bhita, a temple close to the north-eastern corner of the fortified area.
8. Khulnar Dhap, a temple 1 km to the west of the fortified area.
9. Mangalkot, a temple 400 m to the south of Khulnar Dhap
10. Godaibari Dhap, a temple 1 km to the south of Khulnar Dhap.
11. Totaram Panditer Dhap, a vihara (monstery) 4 km to the north-west of the fortified area.
12. Narapatir Dhap (Vasu Vihara), a group of monasteries 1 km to the north-west of Totaram Panditer Dhap (said to be the place where Po-shipo Vihara mentioned by Xuanzang (Hieun Tsang) was located).
13. Gokul Medh (Lakhindarer Basar Ghar), a temple 3 km to the south of the fortified area (it is a small distance off the road from Bogra to Mahasthangarh).
14. Skander Dhap, a temple 2 km to the south-east of Gokul Medh.

There are four gateways at different points:

1. Kata Duar (in the north),
2. Dorab Shah Toran (in the east),
3. Burir Fatak (in the south), and
4. Tamra Dawaza (in the west)

At the north-eastern corner there is a flight of steps (a later addition) that goes by the name of Jahajghata. A little beyond Jahajghata and on the banks of the Karatoya is Govinda Bhita (a temple dedicated to Govinda). In front of it is the site museum, displaying some of the representative findings. Beside it is a rest house.

This 3rd century B,C. archaeological site is still held to be great sanctity by the Hindus. Every year (mid- April) and once in every 12 years (December) thousands of Hindu devotees join the bathing ceremony on the bank of river Karatoya. A visit to the Mahasthan Garh site museum will open up for one a wide variety of antiquities, ranging from terracotta objects to gold ornaments and coins recovered from the site.

Together with the ancient and mediaeval ruins, the mazhar (holy tomb) of Shah Sultan Balkhi Mahisawar built at site of a Hindu temple is located at Mahasthangarh. He was a dervish (holy person devoted to Islam) of royal lineage who came to the Mahasthangarh area, with the objective of spreading Islam among non-Muslims. He converted the people of the area to Islam and settled there.

Paharpur is a name of a village under Jamalganj upazila of Naogaon district. Naogaon is a district of greater Rajshahi. It is almost 270 km from Dhaka city.
Paharpur, it had taken its name from a high mound, which looked like Pahar or hillock. It is not a natural hill; the big hill is made by stone. The big hill is nearly 150m in height and 160m its four sides. The hill is made by pieces of stones. It is a wonder that how the stones were settled and how they collected the stones. Each and every stone was decorated by Buddha Marti. The setting is a so spectacular that makes charms the travelers.
Paharpur is a historic place of Bangladesh. It is the greatest Buddha Monastery in this sub continent. Perhaps it is the largest Buddha monastery excavated south of the Himalayas.  The archaeological department estimated that the total area of monastery is approximately 27 acres. The scientists and researchers assumed that the beginning of this history was before the birth of Jesus Christ.

The entire monastery includes a gateway, a quadrangular court which includes dormitories for students. The gateway complex is at the north of campus. The quadrangular court is well elaborate; there are in total 177 rooms in the campus. 45 and other three sides with a equal 44 rooms. The pyramidal cruciform temple is influenced by the architecture of the South – East Asia, Especially Myanmar.

There are hundreds of small rooms around the monastery where the Buddha students around the world used to come and stayed there for their educations years after years. Scientist’s researches predict that Paharpur was a university of the Buddhist and students from China, Burma, Thailand, India, Tibet, etc used to came here for higher education.

A museum is built in the campus of the monastery to houses the representative collection of objects recovered from the excavation. Some excavated findings like terracotta plaques, images of different gods and goddesses, potteries, coin inscriptions, ornamental bricks and other minor clay objects have also sent to the national museum, Dhaka and Varendra Research Museum at Rajshahi for research and preservation.

One can easily reach Paharpur from Dhaka directly by mini bus or travelers can have a trip by train from Dhaka to Joypurhut and then Joypurhut by bus to Paharpur.