List of Historical Places Bangladesh
Historically, Bangladesh has earned its reputation for being at the crossroads of many cultures. The ruins of magnificent cities and monuments left behind in various parts of the country by the vanishing dynasties of rulers still bear testimony to the richness of its cultural heritage. Scattered throughout the country are countless ancient monuments and antiquities that have survived the ravishes of natural calamities. Today they offer the visitors a glimpse into the history of this country and its rich heritage. Following is a bird\'s eye view of the historical places to visit in the various districts of the Bangladesh.
Dhaka :
MOSQUES: Dhaka is known as the city of mosques and thus boasts of having several hundred mosques scattered all over the city. Most of these mosques are old and bear some history. But prominent among these are the Seven Domed Mosque (17 Century), Baitul Mukarram National Mosque, Star Mosque, (18th Century), Chawkbazar Mosque and Husaeni Dalan Mosque.
HINDU TEMPLES: Dhaka is not only famous for the growth of Muslim civilization as evidenced by the number of mosques. But the city bears witness to the existence of rich Hindu culture that flourished till the arrival in phases of the Muslim conquerors. Despite the destruction that ensues any conquest there is still evidence of Hindu history through the temples that not only bears historical interest but is still a place of worship and congregation amongst the Hindu population. Famous amongst these are Dhakeshwari Temple (11th Century) and Ramakrishna Mission.
CHURCHES: Many cultures and religions passed through the banks of river Buriganga and left its marks in the city of Dhaka. Christianity flourished in this city as well. And the ancient churches of various orders bear witness to the arrivals of the Christians from different parts of Europe. Prominent among these for historical site visit are the Armenian Temple (11 Century), St. Mary\'s Cathedral at Ramna, Church of Bangladesh or former Holy Rosary Church (1677 A.D.) Tejgaon.
LALBAGH FORT: The Muslim rulers were very fond of building forts as a symbol of strength and protection. The advent of Mughals saw the building of forts in this country. And in Dhaka Emperor Aurangazeb\'s son Mohammad Azam built the Lalbagh fort in 1678 A.D. The fort was the scene of bloody battle during the first war of independence (1857 A.D) when 260 sepoys stationed here backed by the people revolted against British forces. Outstanding among the monuments of the Lalbagh are the tomb of Pari Bibi, Lalbagh Mosque, Audience Hall and Hammam of Nawab Shaista Khan now housing a museum.
BUDDHIST MONASTERY: Dhaka\'s history is replete with secularism that is evident by the religious sites of the four main religions that co-exist in Bangladesh. Therefore, along with Muslim, Christian and Hindu settlers there were Buddhist population as well that landed at the bank of this city. And hence, a relic of their past can be witnessed at the Kamalapur Buddhist Monastery.
BAHADUR SHAH PARK: As a city seeped in history Dhaka bore witness to conquests, wars and revolutions. Prominent amongst these is the up rising against the British Raj. Although, there are small memorials to the lives lost for the independence but one the landmark to leave history for posterity is the Bahadur Shah Park. Built to commemorate the martyrs of the first liberation war (1857-59) at the site where revolting sepoys and their civil compatriots were publicly hanged. Today it is deemed as a national monument reflecting the process of the country\'s present independent status.
CENTRAL SHAHID MINAR: Symbol of Bengali nationalism, this monument was built to commemorate the martyrs of the Historical Language Movement of 1952 that was launched to make Bengali the national language of the then East Pakistan. Hundreds and thousands of people with floral wreaths and bouquets gather on 21 February every year to pay respect in a solemn atmosphere. Celebrations begin at zero hour of midnight.
NATIONAL MEMORIAL: Located at Savar, 35 km. from Dhaka city, the memorial, designed by architect Moinul Hossain, is dedicated to the sacred memory of the millions of unknown martyrs of the 1971 War of Liberation that brought Bangladesh into being as an independent country in the world map.
NATIONAL ASSEMBLY: Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban (Parliament House) at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, designed, by the famous architect Louis I. Kahn, has distinctive architectural features. It may be called an architectural wonder of this region.
NATIONAL POET\'S GRAVEYARD: Revolutionary poet Kazi Nazrul Islam died on the 29 August 1978 and was buried hare. The graveyard is adjacent to the Dhaka University Mosque.
OLD HIGH COURT BUILDING: Originally built as the residence of the British Governor, it illustrates a happy blend of European and Mughal architecture.
SONARGAON: Located about 29 km. from Dhaka it is one of the oldest capitals of Bengal dating back to 13th century A.D. A Folk-arts and crafts museum now runs here.
Rajshahi :
PAHARPUR:
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| Paharpur |
The city of Rajshahi is the divisional headquarters of Rajshahi division as well as the administrative district that bears its name and is one of the six metropolitan cities of Bangladesh. Often referred to as Silk City and Education City, Rajshahi is located in the north-west of the country and has an estimated population of around 475,000 people. Its total area is 96.69 km2 (37.33 sq mi) and is situated on the northern banks of the river Padma (or Ganges which is one of the major rivers of the Indian subcontinent). Rajshahi consists of 4 Thanas, 35 Wards and 175 Mahallahs.
Rajshahi was formerly known as Rampur Boalia. Though an epigraphic record engraved on the Dargah (mausoleum) of the famous saint Hazrat Shah Makdhum (Rh.) indicates that the antiquity of Rajshahi goes back to at least 1634 A.D. The town was given importance in 1825, when the East India Company shifted the administrative headquarters of the district of Rajshahi from Natore to then Rampur Boalia, mainly for the ease of communication from Calcutta through the Hooghly river, Bhairab River and Padma river. Rajshahi Municipality, which was one of the first municipalities in Bangladesh, was established in 1876. Rajshahi Municipality was renamed as Rajshahi Pourashabha, and finally, Rajshahi Pourshava was declared Rajshahi City Corporation in 1991. Besides the City Corporation, a governing body named Rajshahi Unnayan Kortripokhkho (Rajshahi Development Authority-RDA) is there to plan the development of the city and to coordinate all the development related work.
Rajshahi is famous for its silk industries. Fine and cheap silk products of Rajshahi have earned it the nickname Silk City. Rajshahi is also well known for its fruits, especially for Mango and Lychee. Besides the beautiful Mango Orchards and river beaches, it is home to renowned educational institutions covering almost all of professional and cultural fields available within the country. This is why Rajshahi is sometimes referred to as Education City in Bangladesh. Rajshahi is an important tourist destination because of a number of ancient mosques, shrines and temples in and around the city.
Bogra :
MAHASTHANGARH: Mahasthangarh the oldest archaeological site in Bangladesh, is on the western bank of the river Karotoa, 18 km north of Bogra town. It can easily be reached as it is on the Bogra-Rangpur highway. Several isolated mounds surround the fortified city-side, which is of great sanctity to the Hindus. Every year around mid April and once every twelve years in December, thousands of Hindu pilgrims gather at the site for a bathing ritual. A wide variety of antiquities, ranging from terracotta objects to old ornaments and coins can be seen at the site museum.
Dinajpur:
NAVARATNA TEMPLE: The most ornate among the mediaeval temples of Bangladesh is the one at Kantanagar near Dinajpur town. Built in 1752 under the patronage of Maharaja Pran Nath of Dinajpur, it was originally a Navaratna temple, crowded with four richly ornamental corner towers on two storeys and a central one over the third storey.
Kantaji Temple Dinajpur
Lots of colourful and ornamental pagodas and temples located in different areas of the country attract tourists from home and abroad. Among the temples Kalinarayana Temple (Joydevpur), Kantaji temple (Dinajpur), Dhakeshwari temple (Dhaka), Joy Kali Mandir (Dhaka). Adinath temple (Moheshkhali) and so on are noteworthy.
In the western part of the country there are several 3 to 4 centuries old temples. Jessoreswari of Khulna is the most famous among them. In addition there are Raghunath mandir and Gopinath mandir of Abhoynagar, Ganesh mandir of Jhenaidaha, Krishna and Durga mandirs of Mohammadpur, Shiv mandir of Magura, Kodala Moth of Khulna, Lakhsminarayan and Jorhbangla mandirs of Jessore, Pancha-Rotno mandir or Noldanga, In Kushtia, Shilaidaha, which is associated with Rabindranath, Lalon's tomb and Mosharaf Hossain's homestead are a must-see for all.
There are several temples and ashrams in Coastal Bengal/ Jal Bangla. The names of the Kali temple. Sugandha pith in Barisal are noteworthy. A few miles north is the 400-year-old Maha-Bishnu temple at the Lakhsman kathi village, east of Batajore, In Madaripur one will find the Pronob Mott, the former headquarters or the Bharat Sevasram Sangha at Bajitpur village, founded by the nationalist and reformer saint, Swami Pranavananda Maharaj.
In Southeast Bengal there are at least 50 famous temples and viharas in Chittagong city alone. Some of the well-known ones are: Rajrajeswari Kalibari, Chatteswari Kalibari, Panchanan dham, Nandan-kanan Buddhist Mandir, Brahmo mandir, Koibalya-dham, Jagatpur ashram, Sitakunda, Pancha-batika of Swami Vivekananda fame, etc. In and around Comilla there are Abhoy Ashram. Iswar Pathshala. Gandhi Ashram of Noakhali, the half-a-millennium old Chandi-mura temple, the 10th century Maynamati Vihara and many more.
Sylhet has hundreds of famous temples dedicated to Lords Kali, Shiv and Sri Krishna. Bagala Matar Mandir of Habiganj and Kalibari of Jaintiapur are known throughout the subcontinent.
In North Bengal kings and zamindars (landed gentry) have built many temples, Mosques, palaces and ashrams. One of the most famous temples is the terra cotta Kantaji Mandir of Dinajpur. In addition, Bogra's Karatoa Tott tirtha, the Bardhan-Kuthi Mandir of Rangpur, the Shiv and Gobindo mandirs of Putia deserve special mention.
Besides Paharpur and Mahasthangarh, other noteworthy Buddhist religious establishments include Bhasu Vihar, Halud Vihar, and Sitakot. There are many khyang or pagodas in Ramu upazila of Cox's Bazar and Chittagong.
Comilla :
MAINAMATI: About eight km west of Comilla, town lies a range of low hills known as Mainamati-Lalmai ridge which is dotted with more than 50 ancient Buddhist settlements from the 8th to the twelve century Ad. Almost at middle of the is Salvan Vihara of 115 cells built built around a spacious courtyard with a cruciform temple in the centre. About 5 km north of Salvan Vihara is Kutila Mura, which is a picturesque relic of a unique Buddhist establishment. Dharma and Shangha –are seen side side by side. Charpata Mura is an isolated small oblong shrine situated about 2.5 km northwest of the kutila Mura stupas. The Mainamati site museum has a rich and varied collection of plate, gold and silver coins and 12 century bronze object.
Mainamati in Comilla
It is called the Seat of Lost Dynasties. About 8 km to the west of Comilla town, situated 114 km southeast of Dhaka, lies a range of low hills known as the Mainamati-Lalmai ridge, which was an extensive centre of Buddhist culture. On the slopes or these hills lie scattered a treasure of information about the early Buddhist civilization (7th-12th Century AD.). At Salban in the middle or the ridge, excavations have laid bare a large Buddhist Vihara (monastery) with an imposing central shrine. It has revealed valuable information about the rule of the Chandra and Deva dynasties which Flourished here from the 7th to the 12th century AD. The whole range of hillocks runs for about 18 km and is studded with more than 50 sites. A site museum houses the archaeological finds which include terra cotta plaques, bronze statues and caskets, coins, jewellery, utensils, pottery and votive stupas embossed with Buddhist inscriptions.
Parliament of Bangladesh
It is one of the most majestic public buildings in Bangladesh. The National Parliament (Sangsad Bhaban) complex is located at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar of Dhaka city. The National Parliament Building is an architectural masterpiece for which the nation can be said to be justifiably proud.
The decision to construct the National Parliament Complex at Dhaka was originally taken in 1959. Louis I Kahn. one of the greatest architects of the time was initially selected for designing the complex. which would include the National Parliament Building. Hostels for members of parliament. ministers and secretaries. hospitality halls and communally buildings. All linked by roads and walkways and surrounded by attractive gardens and lakes. The main characteristic of the building is its monumentally. The mass of concrete lined with marble strips, the outer wall punctuate by pure geometrical openings and the dominating circular and rectangular concrete masses impart a supreme monumentality to the building quite suited to its noble function.
The main building complex consists of nine individual blocks, of which eight at its periphery rise to a height of 35 meters, while the octagonal block at the centre shoots up to 52 meters. The central block accommodates the Parliament chamber with a capacity of 354 seats for members of the parliament. The entire complex has a floor area or 76,487 SQ meters in the main building, 20725 sq meters in the South Plaza and 6,041 sq meters in the North Plaza.
There is not a single column in the entire building. Hollow columns that are parts of space enclosures have been adapted as structural supports.
One of the important considerations in designing the building was protection from the sun and rain. The structure provides a visual impression or a majestic edifice. It avoided the conventional method of placing windows in the exterior and the disadvantages of monumental composition were removed by the provision of core walls with small gaps in between. Architecturally, the complex marks a distinct departure from the rest of the modern buildings in Dhaka.
National Museum of Bangladesh
The plea for setting up a museum in DHAKA was first made in the newspaper The DHAKA NEWS on 1 November 1856. In 1909, a few coins were transferred from Shillong to Dhaka, and a suitable place was needed to preserve them. H E Stapleton, a famous numismatist made a proposal to Governor Sir Lancelot Hare on 1 March 1910 to establish a museum in Dhaka. Consequently, a meeting of distinguished citizens of Dhaka was held on 25 July 1912 at NORTHBROOK HALL. The establishment of the museum was formally approved by the government and published in the official Gazette of 5 March 1913. A provisional General Committee of 30 members was constituted with Nicholas D Beatson-Bell, Commissioner of Dhaka Division, as president. It was authorised to appoint a provisional executive committee to draft rules for the management of the museum. The rules drawn up were approved by the government on 18 November 1913, and in accordance with these, a general committee and an executive committee were formed.
In the first meeting of the general committee held on 3 March 1914, a decision was taken to request the Bengal government for a grant of Rs 5,000 to cover the development expenses of the museum for 1914-15. The first meeting of the executive committee was held on 19 May 1914. At this meeting the draft budget for the year 1914-15 was prepared and a decision was taken to appoint a curator. NALINI KANTA BHATTASALI joined as the first curator of Dhaka Museum on 6 July 1914, with a monthly salary of Rs 100. Although the museum was inaugurated on 7 August 1913, it was opened to the public on 25 August 1914, with 379 objects on display. A total of 4,453 people visited the museum in 1914-15; among them 143 were female.
Gradually, collections and activities of the museum increased. The secretariat of the museum was transferred to Baraduwari and Deuri at Nimtali (now in the premises of the Asiatic Society of Bangladesh) in July 1915. In 1936, the government dissolved both the general committee and the executive committee and a 9-member Dhaka Museum Committee was formed with the Vice Chancellor of the UNIVERSITY OF DHAKA as president and the curator of the museum as secretary. Nalini Kanta Bhattasali died on 6 February 1947. Later, Professor Ahmed Hasan Dani, Professor Abu Mohamed Habibullah, Professor Sirajul Haque and Dr Mafizullah Kabir worked as part-time honorary curators at different times. According to the Dhaka Museum Ordinance, a board of trustees was formed on 22 April 1970 and the museum became an autonomous institution. The Bangladesh Jatiya Jadughar (National Museum) Ordinance was promulgated on 20 September 1983 under which the Bangladesh Jatiya Jadughar Board of Trustees has been constituted on 15 November 1983.
The Bangladesh National Museum was shifted to its present site at Shahbag on 17 November 1983. The four-storied building of the museum has 43 galleries on a total floor space of 238,000 square feet. The galleries include: Bangladesh in maps; Rural Bangladesh; SUNDARBANS; rocks and minerals; plants; flowers, FRUITs and creepers; animals; BIRDs; mammals; ELEPHANT; life in Bangladesh; BOATs of Bangladesh; tribes of Bangladesh-1; tribes of Bangladesh-2; potteries; archaeological artifacts; sculpture-1; sculpture-2; architecture; inscriptions; coins, medals and ORNAMENTS; ivory works; arms and weapons; metal works; porcelain and glassware; dolls; musical instruments; TEXTILES and costumes; embroidered quilts; wood carvings-1; wood carvings-2; manuscripts and documents; traditional and miniature paintings; Shilpacharya ZAINUL ABEDIN Gallery; contemporary art-1; contemporary art-2; eternal Bangladesh, portraits of national heroes, historical documents and mementos of national heroes, martyred intellectuals; WAR OF LIBERATION-1; War of Liberation-2; world art-1; world art-2 and portraits of world personalities. The museum has two auditoriums - one with 700 seats and the other with 200 seats, a temporary exhibition hall and office rooms for officers and the staff.
By June 1998, the museum had collected 82,475 objects. The most significant objects are: ancient petrified wood (2.5 million years old) collected from LALMAI and MAINAMATI; blackstone Naga Darwaza (serpent doorway) of 10th-11th century collected from Bangarh, DINAJPUR; pieces of atom bombs blasted in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan in 1945; mat made of ivory; objects of the Liberation War of Bangladesh; objects used by the martyrs of the LANGUAGE MOVEMENT; MUSLIN of Dhaka; items of folk art and crafts; coins of emperor Sher Shah; terracotta plaques; sculptures and collection of contemporary art including various types of statues.
A large portion of the budget of the museum comes from the government as grant. The sources of the museum's own income include the rent collected from the four auditoriums and other buildings and sale of entry tickets. The director general is the chief executive of the museum. It has four branch museums: Osmany Museum at SYLHET; AHSAN MANZIL Museum in Dhaka; Zia Smriti Museum in CHITTAGONG, and the Shilpacharya Zainul Abedin Sangrahashala at MYMENSINGH. The number of foreign and local visitors at the museum average 2,345 a day. For rural people, the museum organised a Mobile Exhibition in 1979 with a special bus containing a Mini Museum of 28 small galleries. The objective of this programme was to make the masses familiar with the culture and tradition of Bangladesh.
In 1976, the museum started the school service programme that provided the students of Dhaka city with the opportunity to visit the museum by using its own transport. Under this programme, a total of 24,013 student visitors visited the museum during 1996-97.
According to the nature of objects displayed, the museum is divided into four curatorial departments. These are: Department of History and Classical Art, Department of Ethnography and Decorative Art, Department of Contemporary Art and World Civilisation, and Department of Natural History. The important objects under the supervision of the Department of History and Classical Art include the table on which the Instrument of Surrender was signed by the Pakistan army on 16 December 1971; the first flag of independent Bangladesh hoisted at foreign missions; documents of the Liberation War of Bangladesh; torture machines; The historic declaration of BANGABANDHU SHEIKH MUJIBUR RAHMAN delivered on 7 March 1971 in Dhaka; the bullet- ridden and blood-stained shirt and shoes of Shaheed Shafiur Rahman, a martyr of the language movement of 1952; personal mementos of martyred intellectuals and Shaheed Asad; historical mementos of ROQUIAH SAKHAWAT HOSSAIN, MICHAEL MADHUSUDAN DUTT, KAZI NAZRUL ISLAM and RABINDRANATH TAGORE; ancient blackstone, sandstone and metal sculptures; coins of gold, silver and metal; ancient inscriptions and manuscripts; terracotta plaques; wooden sculpture; medals, royal decrees and historic artworks; iron axes; archaeological artifacts and objects of religious significance.
Sonargaon- the oldest capital of Bengal
Sonargaon's importance in the pre-Muslim period is borne out by its ancient name of Suvarnagrama (the golden village), from which it is obvious how the Muslim version of the name is derived, as well as by the existence of Langalbandh and Panchamighat, the two traditional holy bathing places of the Hindus, in this tract of land on the west bank of the old Brahmaputra. Sonargaon rose to be the seat of an independent ruler under Ghiyasuddin Bahadur Shah, and after his fall it was the headquarters of the eastern province of Bengal under the Tughlaqs till 1338. Sonargaon emerged as the capital of an independent Sultanate under Fakhruddin Mubarak Shah (1338-1349). In the late nineteenth and early twentieth century Panam Nagar was developed in a part of medieval Sonargaon.By the second Quarter of the fourteenth century AD Sonargaon had developed into a commercial metropolis; seafaring boats could easily reach Sonargaon from west Asian and southeast Asian countries. Ibn Batuta describes Sonargaon as an important port city, which had direct commercial relations with countries like China, Indonesia (Java) and the Maldives. Muslin produced in Sonargaon, especially its finest variety called khasa, had a worldwide reputation. With the loss of political status in the second decade of the seventeenth century AD Sonargaon gradually lost its commercial importance as well. It again rose to some eminence in the nineteenth century AD when Panam Nagar was established as a trading centre in cotton fabrics, chiefly English piece goods. Sonargaon developed into a seat of Islamic learning under the versatile scholar Maulana Sharfuddin Abu Tawwamah of Bokhara who came to Sonargaon sometime between 1282 and 1287 and established a Khanqah and madrasa wherein all branches of Islamic learning as well as secular sciences were taught and studied.
World War II Cemetery in Comilla
Second World War warrior’s graveyards are in this Cemetery. There are 755 graves in this graveyard of the great warriors who died d in world war from1939 to 1945 in Chittagong and Comilla areas. In this well-preserved cemetery at a quiet and picturesque place within the city lie buried in eternal peace over 700 soldiers from British, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, India, Myanmar, East and West Africa, The Netherlands and Japan who laid down their lives on the Myanmar front during the World War II. Every year a number of tourists come here to visit this Cemetery.
World War II Cemetery in Chittagong
Second World War warrior’s graveyards are in this Cemetery. There are 755 graves in this graveyard of the great warriors who died d in world war from1939 to 1945 in Chittagong areas. In this well-preserved cemetery at a quiet and picturesque place within the city lie buried in eternal peace over 700 soldiers from British, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, India, Myanmar, East and West Africa, The Netherlands and Japan who laid down their lives on the Myanmar front during the World War II. Every year a number of tourists come here to visit this Cemetery.
