Archaeological Sites in The World

Kantajir Temple is one of the medieval terracotta architecture of Bangladesh.

2011-07-03T08:33:00.000-07:00

Kantajir Temple is located in Dinajpur district. It is a Hindu Temple of the late middle ages. Kantajir temple near Dinajpur town, which was established during 1704-1752 AD by Ram Nath who was a Jomidar of Dinajpur and his father Maharaja Pran Nath . This is three storied brick by 50feet Square. This Temple is built on a high platform. It was basically a navaratna temple. Kantajir Temple is one of the medieval terracotta architecture of Bangladesh which once had as many as nine spires getting destroyed by an earthquake.

The temple was built with Nava Ratna style. In spite of the monument rightly claims to bathe finest example of its type in brick and terracotta. It is built by Bengali artisans. The central cell is surrounded on all side by a covered verandah, which are separated by equally ornate dwarf brick pillar, each pierced by three entrances, Corresponding to the three delicately cusped entrance of the balcony, the sanctum has also three richly decorated arches opening on each face. Every inch of this temple surface is embellished with exquisite terracotta plaques, representing flora fauna, geometric motifs, mythological scenes and favorite pastime and astonishing array of contemporary social scenes. The nice wall paints of this temple tell us the story of Krishna-Lila , Dev-Devies and Ramayan-Mohavharat.

Shait Gombuj Mosjid (Sixty Dombes Mosque)

2011-06-27T03:33:00.000-07:00

Bagerhat is a mint town of the independent Sultans of Bengal and was called Khalifatabad. Khan Jahan is considered one of the main torchbearer of Islam in the south of Bengal. He built hundreds of mosques and public structures. Many of these structures reflect the unique style is called Khan Jahani style. Shait Gumbuj Mosque large of them. It is largest multidomed mosques in Bangladesh, known as the Shait-Gumbuj Mosque.

The ancient city of Bagerhat, is located in Khulna Division, southern Bangladesh.

This is not 60 domes actually 81dombs on the roof but 77 squat domes including 7 chauchala or four segmented hut shaped domes in the central row. Its external dimension is 49m long x 33m wide. The vast prayer hall, although provided with 11 arched doorways on east and 7 each on north and south for ventilation and light, presents a dark and somber appearance inside. It is divided into 7 longitudinal aisles and 11 deep bays by a forest of slender stone columns, supporting the domes, from which springs rows of endless arches. Slightly tapering walls and hollow and round, six feet thick, resembling the bastions of fortress, almost detached corner towers, each capped by small rounded cupolas, recall the Tughlaq architecture of Delhi. Shait-Gumbuj Mosque is now a UNESCO World Heritage listed site. Today, Bagerhat is being developed as a tourist spot.

Paharpur Buddhist monastery

2011-06-27T03:25:00.000-07:00

Paharpur is the famous attractive archaeological site of Bangladesh. It is the largest Buddhist monastery of the world. It is situated 5 km. west of Jamalganj, at Badalgacci upzilla in Naogaon district. Pal emperor Dharmapal established Paharpur Monastery in 7th century. This Buddhist monastery known as ‘Sompur Vihar. From 1930 till today many archaeologist excavated Paharpur Buddhist monastery.

After excavation findings many artifacts here. It has been preserved at the Varendra Research Museum in Rajshahi. The antiquities of the museum include images of different gods and goddesses, terracotta plaques, coins, potteries, ornamental bricks, inscriptions and other objects. Paharpur is now a UNESCO World Heritage listed site.

Mahasthangarh, is the ancient city of Bangladesh

2011-06-27T03:22:00.000-07:00

Mohasthan is one of the most attractive archaeological

Site of Bangladesh. This is the ancient capital of Mourjo, the Gupta and the Sen. Dynasty. It is the oldest city of Bangladesh which was established in 2500 BC.

The location of Mohasthangarh, is19 km north of Bogra town beside Bogra-Rangpur Road. It is situated in the village Mahasthan of Shibganj upzilla under Bogura district.

The average height of Mahasthan is 15ft from surface area. It is oblong (1.523 km X 1.371 km) in shape. At first Mahasthan was discovered in 1879 by Sir Alexander Cunningham who was a famous archaeologist. since 1879 to 2011 many archaeologist involved with the excavation of Mahasthan, most of them are- Sir Alexander Cunningham, 1929 by the Archaeological Survey of India, At the same time- the historical framework of the city was clarified by a renown scholar from Rajshahi, P.C. Sen. after long break excavation was1961.It was running from 1961 to 1968 by the Bangladeshi archaeologist. Since 1993 to still now a Bangladesh-France joint venture group is carrying out annual excavations on the site.

After all these excavation they find out many archaeological objects. These are- copper cast coins, silver punch marked coins, NBPW, roulette ware, Black and Red Ware, Black slipped ware, terracotta plaques, beads of semiprecious stones, , sculptures, toys, very day use objects and others. They has also presented a dozen of C14 dating which proved the time of Mahasthan was (-370-72)BC.

Sonargaon is the famous Archaeological site of Bangladesh

2011-06-19T04:34:00.000-07:00

Sonargaon is a famous archaeological site of Bangladesh. It situated about 25 kilometers to the south east of Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh and five kilometers from Narayangonj district. It is bounded by the old Brammaputra and Shitalakhya to the north and west, by the Megna River to the east and south merging wit h Dhalessheria and Shitalakhaya to form a triangular shape. Menikhali to the south of the town, given it a second protection.

It has different times been variously described by historians and travelers as a large city, a Pargana and trade center.

This place now extends over a number of villages comprising about thirty eight squire kilometers. Modern Sonargaon covers the villages of Aminpur, Panama, Goaldi, Mograpara, Azampur and Dulalpur and spread of both side of Dhaka Chitogong Trunk road. There are a number of old relics and architectural remains in the area, some of witch had been built in t he early fifteenth century A.D.

The history of Sonargaon is, to a great extent, clear from the late thirteenth century – but its origin is uncertain. It is generally believed that Subornanagram ora Sonargaon are an ancient place and had existed front the time of the Pala and Deba kings as their administration town. It is also surmised that the ancient capital city of Vikrampur last iris former prosperity owing to the change in the river courses and their rulers mocrd to Sonargaon on the other side of the river. But there is no dated reference to Sonargaon before the thirteenth century A.D. According to Ziauddin Barani, author of Tarikh-i-Firuzshahi, Ghyasuddin Balban, the sultan ofDillhi came to Bengalto suppress the rebellious governer Tugril Khan and concluded a treaty of friendship with Rai Daruj the Hindu king of Sonargaon. Henceforth it became the seat of administration of the Muslim rulers of eastern Bengal. In 1338 Fakhruddin Mubarak Shah declared himself an independent ruler and established his headquarters at this place. Thereafter several rules of Ilyas Shahi dynasty no doubt ruled Bengall from Lakhanabati but sultan Gyasuddin Muhmmad Azom Shah of this dynasty (1389-1410) really made Sonargaon known all over the sub- continent. He also invited the celebrated Persion Poet Hapiz to pay a visit to his capital.

The famous Moroccan traveler Ibn Batuta visited this place in about 1345A.D. He took a sea going vessel from Sonargaon for his journey to the island of Java in Indonesia. The Chinese traveler who came to Bengal during the fifteenth century described Sonargeon as a Walled city wit h a flourishing trade and commerce. In 1586 the English traceler Ralph Fitch visited Sonargaon when I sa Khan, the most prominent among the Zaminder of Bengal, known as Bara Bhuiyas was the ruler of the area. According to him Sonargaon was situated six miles from Sripuf and famous for the best and finest quality cotton textiles ( Muslin) in the whole of the subcontinent. The story of the heroic resistance pit forward by Isa Khan and his successors to the Mughal governor and generals till the eastern part of the procunce was subjugated by Islam Khan is well known. After Islam Khan had moved from Rajmahal to Dhaka in the darkly seventeenth century 1610), Sonargaon lost its importance as an administratibe center but retaomef its commercial predominance, whice continued for a long time ever after the establishment of British rule.

Tough in Sonargaon, signs of pre Muslim remains cannot be traced there are a number of old relics and architectural remains in the area, some of which built in warily fifteenth century A.D. Among them the tomb of Sultan Gyasuddoin Azam Shah of Ilyas Shahi Dynasty, the single- domed mosque at Mograpara ( built in 1486) during the time of SultanFatrh Shah,the tomb of Hazrat Shaikh Muhammad,the Goaldi mosque ( built in 1519 during the time of Alauddin Hussain Shah), the arched bridge at Panam, the tombs of five Pairs and Manah Shah, The Dsmdam fort are the most significant. The Khasinagar Dighi, the large pond was used by the weavers to wash their cotton threads to produce finer Muslin cloth. The Ain-i-Akbari mentioned about the special quality of the water of this pond, which made the muslin threads remarkably whiter and brighter.

A part of the city at present known as Panamnagar came into prominence during the second half of the nineteenth and early part or the twentieth century. This place is known to have been built by the local merchants who flourished un this period ocer the remains of the old city. The buildings of Panamnagar are of different style and represent a new chapter of architecture which continue in Bengal throughout the British period. The Panam monuments, mostly residential in character are special in the sense nowhere in Bengal such a large assemblage of residential buildings exist. All these bear testimony to the pattern of architecture developed during pre- Mughal and Mughal Periods and at a later stage during the British in this part of Bangladesh. But unfortunately a vast period of this history has so long been ignored. As Brady –Bart pointed out in the first decade of the 20^th century when he wrote the humble cultivator today lives and dies on the very scene of its former greatness, careless and ignorant of its long –forgotten, it passed out of the realm of history and none cared to record the annals of a kingdom whose they was done. So Sonargaon slept unminded, and itself unminded of its past. The folk Art Museum established by the government of Bangladesh. Among the additional items of Tourist attraction are handicraft made of jute and Bamboo, Clay works and shops Jamdani saris and designed etc.