Next Release in Blogs Dome

What Wikipedia Can't Tell You About Natural Resources in Bangladesh?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 13 Nov 2020 17:54:00 +0000

What is Natural Resources?

Let’s define what is a natural resource, once upon a time, there was an unpleasant oily liquid around us. We would never know until it converts as usable fuel oil. Extracted liquid from the soil and then discovered as usable fuel oils. It is called Natural Resources. Natural Gas formed of natural resources is the best of them using many industries in Bangladesh.

Discovered it First Time.

Before the liberation war, the natural gas field in Bangladesh first discovered in 1955. Its ranks are 92, spanning 148,460 square kilometers (57,320 sq mi). Eight most populous countries in the world with 162 million Peoples. West and north and east side surrounded by Indian border and Myanmar to the southeastern side and the other part is the Bay of Bengal. The small area of this country has a number of mineral resources such as natural gas, oil, coal, hard rock, limestone, white clay, glass sand, and mineral sand notable.

Using out of them as natural resources.

Besides this it has other natural resources to be noted below:

Natural Gas:

Courtesy of Shutterstock

It’s a major source of energy for Bangladesh. It is contributing more than 70% of commercial energy. Bangladesh is the 7th largest natural gas producer in Asia with 26 gas fields. They are producing about 2700 million cubic feet of natural gas per day.

Water Resources:

Surface water, groundwater, and rainwater are the main sources of water in Bangladesh.Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna river system discharges a huge amount of surface water and some parts of that water enter into the ground to form groundwater. In monsoon season there are 3 months with heavy rainfall is also contributed to some water as sources of rainwater. The natural water resources system is derived from an interlinked system of rivers, estuaries, canals, khals, laks, ponds etc.

Courtesy of Shutterstock

So check at a glance what major use of the sources water used is

Fisheries: More than 2.8 million tons of fisheries produced in the rural areas beside the riverside and some of haors, beel, ponds, and majority is the sea.
Water Transportation: The river network of Bangladesh as the most important transport artery and even cheaper. Including unclassified routes, the total length of its waterway (700 rivers) is about 13,00km. 8,433 km is navigable by larger vessels in the rainy season. In the dry season, 4,800 km is navigable. Some of the merchant vessel (ferry) is used as transporting passengers, road transports and heavy-duty cargo carriers. Rest is launch, wooden boat; speed boat is available transporters in this water.
Agricultural Water: It has a tropical monsoon climate with two prominent seasons; dry season (Nov-May) and wet season (June-October). About 54% of the lands are used for crop production. The irrigation system is used with a huge amount of water in the dry season for producing 25.00 million tons to feed her 135 million Peoples.

Manpower:

During the last two decades, the Bangladesh economy dramatically improved in industrial growth. ready-made Garment sectors are the best of them which is contributed to a significant role. Its share of total export 82.5 percent economical contribution in 2016. More than 55% of female workers are working in these garments sectors. Every year by exporting skilled/semi-skilled/non-skilled workers also earn more than 34.4% remittances

Wood:
Forest cover about 16 percent of the total area of the country. Wood is a renewable resource that is used in several ways like a traditional source of fuel, construction, furniture, and paper pulp are all timbers and products produces or derived from them are timber products.

Shiva Temple in Puthia, Rajshahi, Bangladesh

noreply@blogger.com (smeasin) — Thu, 23 Apr 2015 21:16:00 +0000

Historical Places in Bangladesh

Shiva Temple in Puthia, Rajshahi, Bangladesh

Shiva Temple in Puthia, Rajshahi, Bangladesh

History of Shiva Temple :-
Puthia Temple Complex consists of a cluster of notable old Hindu temples in Puthia Upazila, Rajshahi Division, Bangladesh. Located 23 km to the east of Rajshahi city, it has the largest number of historic temples in Bangladesh. The temples were built by Hindu Zamindars Rajas of the Puthia Raj family who were noted philanthropists of Rajshahi. The temples have been built in terracotta in a variety of styles combining the typical Jor-bangla architecture with other influences. The Rajbari or Palace of the Raja of Puthia and the Dol Mancha are part of the complex. The temples are laid out around a lake with a sprawling lawn.

Shiva Temple in Puthia, Rajshahi, Bangladesh

The Puthia Raj family was established by a holy man named Bhatsacharya, who lived in the 16th century. Raja Man Singh, governor of the Mughal emperor Akbar, confiscated the Jagir of the refractory pathan jagirdar of Rajshahi named Lashker Khan and bestowed the Zamindary on the saintly Bhatsacharya for his learning, but he declined. However, his son Pitambar was granted the Lashkarpur estate permanently. On his death, his son Nilambar received the title of Raja from Emperor Jahangir. The Puthia Royal Family estate was the second largest zamindary and the wealthiest in British Bengal. After India's partition, the then Pakistani government abolished the zamindary system and confiscated all Hindu properties. The Royal Family migrated to India shortly afterwards.

The Pancharatna Gobinda Temple

The Pancharatna Gobinda Temple :-

This grand temple of Puthia, the Govinda Temple was erected in mid-nineteenth century by the queen of Puthia. The temple is dedicated to Lord Krishna, as the Puthia royal family were converted to Vaishnavism by Radhamohana Thakura. The temple has exquisite terracotta ornamentation depicting the divine romance between Krishna and Radha. The temple's survival is threatened by the newly established college nearby and the lack of conservation efforts.

The Shiva Linga at the Shiva temple

The Shiva Linga :-
The Bhubaneshwar Shiva Temple is the largest Shiva temple in Bangladesh. Built in 1823 by Rani Bhubonmoyee Devi, the widow of Raja Jagat Narayan Roy, it overlooks the Shiv Sagar lake. This ornate temple is an imposing and excellent example of the five spire style (Pancha Ratna) temple architecture common in northern India. The corridors have a touch of Jaipuri architecture and in the sanctuary, lies a very large black basalt Shiva Linga, the largest in the country. It is decorated with stone carvings and sculptural works, which were disfigured during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971. The invading Pakistani army attempted to displace and break the Shiva Linga, but were unable to move it from its position. The temple is now a protected monument.

Jagannath Temple

Jagannath Temple :-
The Jagannath Temple is dedicated to the Hindu God Jagannath, a form of Krishna. It is a fine example of Bengali architecture, having intricate embellishments and terracotta reliefs, it measures 5m by 10m.

Mainamati Comilla, Bangladesh

noreply@blogger.com (smeasin) — Thu, 23 Apr 2015 20:49:00 +0000

Documentary of Historical Places in Bangladesh
Mainamati Comilla, Bangladesh

Mainamati Historical Places in Bangladesh

History of Mainamati :-
Mainamati (Bengali: ময়নামতি Môenamoti) is an isolated low, dimpled range of hills, dotted -with more than 50 ancient Buddhist settlements of the 8th to 12th century A.D. It is extended through the centre of the district of Comilla. Mainamati is located almost 8 miles from the town of Comilla, Bangladesh. It is the home of one of the most important Buddhist archaeological sites in the region. There are a number of Buddhist sites in this region, dating approximately from 7th to 12th centuries CE. Comilla Cantonment is located nearby and houses a beautiful colonial era cemetery. Mainamati is named for the Candra queen of the same name, mother of the Govindachandra. Mainamati is only 114 km. from Dhaka city and is just a day's trip by road on way to Chittagong.

The centre piece of the Buddhist sites at Mainamati is the Shalban vihara, almost in the middle of the Mainamati-Lalmai hill range consists of 115 cells, built around a spacious courtyard with a cruciform temple in the centre, facing its only gateway complex to the north, resembling that of the Sompur Bihara. It is clearly a Vihara, or an educational centre with residential facilities.

Mainamati Shalban vihara

Kutila Mura situated on a flattened hillock, about 5 km north of Shalban Vihara inside the Comilla Cantonment is a picturesque Buddhist establishment. Here, three stupas are found side by side representing the Buddhist "Trinity" or three jewels, i.e. the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha.

Charpatra Mura is an isolated small oblong shrine situated about 2.5 km. north-west of Kotila Mura stupas. The only approach to the shrine is from the East through a gateway which leads to a spacious hall. Here a number of shrines can be found.

Maynamati War Cemetery

The Mainamati site Museum, situated next to Shalvan Vihara, houses a good collection of artifacts found at these sites. The Museum has a rich and varied collection of copper plates, gold and silver coins and 86 bronze objects. Over 150 bronze statues have been recovered mostly from the monastic cells, bronze stupas, stone sculptures and hundreds of terracotta plaques each measuring on an average of 9" high and 8" to 12" wide.

The Mainamati site Museum

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.

Mahasthangarh, Bogra, Bangladesh

noreply@blogger.com (smeasin) — Mon, 20 Apr 2015 04:21:00 +0000

Documentary of Historical Places in Bangladesh
Mahasthangarh, Shibganj, Bogra, Bangladesh

Mahasthangarh, Shibganj, Bogra, Bangladesh

History of Mahasthangarh :-
Mahasthangarh (Bengali: মহাস্থানগড় Môhasthangôṛ) is one of the earliest urban archaeological sites so far discovered in Bangladesh. The village Mahasthan in Shibganj thana of Bogra District contains the remains of an ancient city which was called Pundranagara or Paundravardhanapura in the territory of Pundravardhana. A limestone slab bearing six lines in Prakrit in Brahmi script, discovered in 1931, dates Mahasthangarh to at least the 3rd century BC. The fortified area was in use till the 18th century AD. Together with the ancient and medieval ruins, the mazhar (holy tomb) of Shah Sultan Balkhi Mahisawar built at the 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.

Mahasthangarh, Shibganj, Bogra, Bangladesh

Etymology of Mahasthangarh :-
Mahasthan means a place that has excellent sanctity and garh means fort. Mahasthan was first mentioned in a Sanskrit text of the 13th century entitled Vallalcharita. It is also mentioned in an anonymous text Karatoya mahatmya, circumstantially placed in 12th–13th century. The same text also mentions two more names to mean the same place – Pundrakshetra, land of the Pundras, and Pundranagara, city of the Pundras. In 1685, an administrative decree mentioned the place as Mastangarh, a mixture of Sanskrit and Persian meaning fortified place of an auspicious personage. Subsequent discoveries have confirmed that the earlier name was Pundranagara or Paundravardhanapura, and that the present name of Mahasthangarh is of later origin.

Portion of the ramparts of Mahasthangarh

Geography of Mahasthangarh :-

Mahasthangarh, the ancient capital of Pundravardhana is located 11 km (6.8 mi) north of Bogra on the Bogra-Rangpur highway, with a feeder road (running along the eastern side of the ramparts of the citadel for 1.5 km) leading to Jahajghata and site museum. Buses are available for Bogra from Dhaka and take 4½ hours for the journey via Bangabandhu Jamuna Bridge across the Jamuna River. Buses are available from Bogra to Mahasthangarh. Rickshaws are available for local movement. Hired transport is available at Dhaka/ Bogra. Accommodation is available at Bogra. When travelling in a hired car, one can return to Dhaka the same day, unless somebody has a plan to visit Somapura Mahavihara at Paharpur in the district of Naogaon and other places, or engage in a detailed study. It is believed that the location for the city in the area was decided upon because it is one of the highest areas in Bangladesh. The land in the region is almost 36 metres (118 ft) above sea level, whereas Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, is around 6 metres (20 ft) above sea level. Another reason for choosing this place was the position and size of the Karatoya, which as recently as in the 13th century was three times wider than Ganges. Mahasthangarh stands on the red soil of the Barind Tract which is slightly elevated within the largely alluvium area. The elevation of 15 to 25 metres above the surrounding areas makes it a relatively flood free physiographic unit.

Discovery of Mahasthangarh :-
Several personalities contributed to the discovery and identification of the ruins at Mahasthangarh. Francis Buchanan Hamilton was the first to locate and visit Mahasthangarh in 1808, C.J.O'Donnell, E.V.Westmacott, and Beveridge followed. Alexander Cunningham was the first to identify the place as the capital of Pundravardhana. He visited the site in 1879.

Ramparts of Mahasthangarh

Citadel of Mahasthangarh :-
The citadel (see map alongside), the fortified heart of the ancient city, is rectangular in plan, measuring roughly 1.523 kilometres (0.946 mi) long from north to south, and 1.371 kilometres (0.852 mi) from east to west, with high and wide ramparts in all its wings. Area of the citadel is approximately 185 ha. The Karatoya, once a mighty river but now a small stream, flows on its east. Till the 1920s, when excavations started, the inside of the citadel was higher than the surrounding areas by over 4 metres and was dotted with several straggling elevated pieces of land. The rampart looked like a jungle clad mud rampart with forced openings at several points. The rampart was 11–13 metres (36–43 ft) higher than the surrounding area. At its south-east corner stood a mazhar (holy tomb). A later day mosque (built in 1718–19) was also there. At present there are several mounds and structural vestiges inside the fortifications. Of these a few of note are: Jiat Kunda (well which, according to legends, has life giving power), Mankalir Dhap (place consecrated to Mankali), Parasuramer Basgriha (palace of a king named Parasuram), Bairagir Bhita (palace of a female anchorite), Khodar Pathar Bhita (place of stone bestowed by God), and Munir Ghon (a bastion). There are some gateways at different points: Kata Duar (in the north), Dorab Shah Toran (in the east), Burir Fatak (in the south), and 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.

Karatoya River by the Mahasthangarh

Suburb of the citadel of Mahasthangarh :-

Besides the fortified area, there are around a hundred mounds spread over an area with a radius of 9 km.

Excavated Mounds :

Gobhindo Bhita, a temple close to the north-eastern corner of the citadel.
Khulnar Dhap, a temple 1 km north of the citadel.
Mangalkot, a temple 400m south of Khulnar Dhap.
Godaibari Dhap, a temple 1 km south of Khulnar Dhap.
Totaram Panditer Dhap, a monastery 4 km north-west of the citadel.
Noropotir Dhap (Vashu Bihara), a group of monasteries 1 km north-west of Totaram Ponditer Dhap (said to be the place where Po-shi-po Bihara mentioned by Xuanzang (Hieun Tsang) was located).
Gokul Medh (Lokhindorer Bashor Ghor), a temple 3 km south of the citadel.
Shkonder Dhap, a temple 2 km south-east of Gokul Medh.

Major unexcavated Mounds :

Shiladebir Ghat.
Chunoru Dighi Dhap.
Kaibilki Dhap.
Juraintala.
Poroshuramer Shobhabati.
Balai Dhap.
Prochir Dhibi.
Kanchir Hari Dhibi.
Lohonar Dhap.
Khujar Dhap.
Doshatina Dhap.
Dhoniker Dhap.
Mondirir Dorgah.
Bishmordana Dhibi.
Malinar Dhap.
Malpukuria Dhap.
Jogir Dhap.
Podmobhatir Dhap.
Kanai Dhap.
Dulu Mojhir Bhita.
Podda Debhir Bhita.
Rastala Dhap.
Shoshitola Dhap.
Dhonbandhor Dhap.
Chader Dhap.
Shindinath Dhap.
Shalibahon Rajar Kacharibari Dhipi.
Kacher Angina.
Mongolnather Dhap.
ChhoutoTengra/ Babur Dhap/ Kethar Dhap.
Boro Tengra/ Shonyashir Dhap.

Excavations of Mahasthangarh :-
Systematic archaeological excavation of Mahasthangarh was first started in 1928–29 under the guidance of K.N.Dikshit of the Archaeological Survey of India. The areas around Jahajghata, Munir Ghon and Bairagir Bhita were explored. Excavation was resumed in 1934–36 at Bairagir Bhita and Govinda Bhita. Excavation was carried out in 1960s around the Mazhar, Parasuramer Prasad, Mankalir Dhap, Jiat Kunda and in a part of the northern rampart. In the next phase excavation was carried out sporadically in parts of the east and north ramparts but the final report is yet to be published. In the period 1992–98 excavation was conducted in the area lying between Bairagir Bhita and the gateway exposed in 1991 as a Bangla-Franco joint venture, which is now in its second phase with excavation around the mazhar in the western side of the citadel.

Gokul Medh of The Mahasthangarh

Movable Antiquities of Mahasthangarh :-
The excavations have led to the recovery of a large number of items, a few of which are listed here.

Inscriptions : A 4.4 cm x 5.7 cm lime stone slab bearing six lines in Prakrit in Brahmi script, discovered accidentally by a day labourer in 1931 was an important find. The text appears to be a royal order of Magadh, possibly during the rule of Asoka. It dates the antiquity of Mahasthangarh to 3rd century BC. An Arabic inscriptional slab of 1300–1301 discovered in 1911–12 mentions the erection of a tomb in honour of Numar Khan, who was a Meer-e-Vahar (lieutenant of the naval fleet). A Persian inscriptional slab of 1718–19 records the construction of a mosque during the reign of the Mughal emperor Farrukhshiyar.

Coins : Silver punch marked coins are datable to a period between the 4th century BC and the 1st–2nd century AD. Some uninscribed copper cast coins have been found. Two Gupta period coins have been reported from a nearby village named Vamanpara. A number of coins belonging to the sultans of 14th–15th century and British East India Company have been found.

Ceramics : Mostly represented by a vast number of shards.
Sculpture: A 5th century Buddha stone sculpture recovered from Vasu Vihara, a Lokesvara stone sculpture showing blending of Visnu and Avalokitsvara, salvaged from neighbouring Namuja village, a number sand stone door-frames, pillars and lintels (datable to 5th–12th century), numerous Buddha bronze sculpture datable to 10th–11th century, a terracotta Surya discovered at Mankalir Bhita, and numerous other pieces.

Terracotta Plaques : A number of terracotta plaques have been discovered.

Many of these are on display in the site museum, which is open Sunday to Thursday summer:10 am to 6 pm, winter:9 am to 5 pm. Recess:1–2 pm, Friday recess is from 12.30 to 2.30, opens at 9 am in summer, other timings same. Summer timings 1 April to 30 September, winter timings 1 October to 30 March. Books on Mahasthangarh and other archaeological sites in Bangladesh (in Bengali and English) are available at the ticket counter for the site museum.

Highlights of Some Excavated Sites :-

Bairagir Bhita : Constructed/ reconstructed in four periods: 4th–5th century AD, 6th–7th century, 9th–10th century, and 11th century. Excavations have revealed impoverished base ruins resembling temples. Two sculptured sand stone pillars have been recovered.

The Museum of Mahasthangarh

Khodarpathar Bhita : Some pieces of stone carved with transcendent Buddha along with devotees in anjali (kneeling with folded hands) recovered.

The Museum of Mahasthangarh

Parasuramer Prasad : Contains remains of three occupation periods – 8th century AD findings include stone Visnupatta of Pala period, 15th- 16th century findings include some glazed shreds of Muslim origin, and the third period has revealed two coins of the British East India Company issued in 1835 and 1853.

The Museum of Mahasthangarh

Mankalir Dhap : terracotta plaques, bronze Ganesha, bronze Garuda etc. were discovered. Base ruins of a 15-domed mosque (15th–16th century) was revealed.

The Museum of Mahasthangarh

Bangla-Franco joint venture : Excavations have revealed 18 archaeological layers, ranging from 5th century BC to 12th century AD, till virgin soil at a depth of around 17 m.

Outside the citadel :-

Govinda Bhita: Situated 185 m north-east of Jahajghata and opposite the site museum. Remains dated from 3rd century BC to 15th century AD. Base remains of two temples have been exposed.

The Museum of Mahasthangarh

Totaram Panditer Dhap: Situated in the village Vihara, about 6 km north-west of the ciradel. Structural remains of a damaged monastery have been exposed.

Narapatir Dhap: Situated in the village Basu Vihara, 1.5 km north-west of Totaram Panditer Dhap. Base remains of two monasteries and a temple have been exposed. Cunningham identified this place as the one visited by Xuanzang (Hiuen Tsang) in the 7th century AD.

The Museum of Mahasthangarh

Gokul Medh: Also known as Behular Basar Ghar or Lakshindarer Medh, situated in the village Gokul, 3 km to the south of the citadel, off the Bogra-Rangpur road, connected by a narrow motorable road about 1 km. Excavations in 1934–36 revealed a terraced podium with 172 rectangular blind cells. It is dated 6th–7th century. Local mythology associates it with legendary Lakshmindara-Behula. The village Gokul also has several other mound Kansr Dhap has been excavated.

The Museum of Mahasthangarh

Skandher Dhap: Situated in village Baghopara on the Bogra-Rangpur road, 3.5 km to the south of the citadel, a sandstone Kartika was found and structural vestiges of a damaged building were revealed. It is believed to be the remains of Skandha Mandira (temple consecrated to Kartika), mentioned in Karatoya mahatmya, as well as Kalhan's Rajatarangin, written in 1149–50. There also are references to Skandhnagara as a suburb of Pundranagara. Baghopara village has three other mounds.

The Museum of Mahasthangarh

Khulnar Dhap: Situated in village Chenghispur, 700 m west of the north-west corner of the citadel has revealed remains of a temple. The mound is named after Khullana, wife of Chand Sadagar.

From the present findings it can be deduced that there was a city called Pundravardhana at Mahasthangarh with a vast suburb around it, on all sides except the east, where the once mighty Karatoya used to flow. It is evident that the suburbs of Pundravardhana extended at least to Baghopara on the south-west, Gokul on the south, Vamanpara on the west, and Sekendrabad on the north. However, the plan of the city and much of its history are still to be revealed.

The Museum of Mahasthangarh

Bhimer Jangal This well-known embankment starts from the north-east corner of Bogra town and proceeds northwards for about 30 miles to a marshy place called Damukdaher bit, under police station Govindaganj (Rangpur District) and it is said, goes oil to Ghoraghat. It is made of the red earth of the locality and retains at places even now a height of 20 feet above the level of the country. There is a break ill it of over three miles from Daulatpur (north west of Mahasthan-garh) to Hazaradighi (south-west, of it). About a mile south of Hazradighi. the stream Subil approaches the jangal and runs alongside it down to Bogra town.

Some people think that the Subil is a moat formed by digging the earth for the jangal but as there is no embankment on the northern reach of the Subil now called the Ato nala. which merges in the Kalidaha bil; north of Mahasthan-garh O'Donnell was probably right in saying that the Subil represents the western of the two branches into which the Karatoya divided above Mahasthan.

On the Bogra-Hazradighi section of thee jaligal, there are two cross embankments running down to the Karatoya, about 2 miles and 4 miles respectively north of Bogra town and there is a diagonal embankment connecting these cross bonds and then running along the Karatoya until it meets the main embankment near Bogra.

This jangal or embankment appears to have been of a military character, thrown up to protect the country on its east. The break roar Mahasthan may be due to the embankment having been washed away or to the existence of natural protection by the bit. The Bhima to whom the embankment is ascribed may be the Kaivarta chief of the eleventh century who according to the Ramcharitam ruled over Varendra in succession to his father Rudraka and uncle Divyoka, who had ousted king Mahipala II of the Pala, dynasty. Bhima in his turn was defeated in battle and billed by Ramapala. Mahipala's son.

Jogir Bhaban South west of Bagtahali (beyond Chak Bariapara) and some 3 miles west of the khetlal road is a settlement of the Natha sect of Saiva sannyasis, known as Yogir-bhavan, forming the eastern section of Arora village. An account of this settlement is given by Beveridge, J.:1.S.T., 1878; p. 94. It occupies about so, bighas of land and forms the headquarters of the sect. of which there are branches at Yogigopha and Gorakh-kui, both in the Dinajpur District, the.former in its south-west part some 5 miles west of Paharpur, J.A.S.B.1875, p. 189, and the latter in its north-west part some 4 miles west of Nekmardan.

The shrines at Yogir-bhavan are situated in the south-west corner of an en¬closure or-math. One of them called Dharmma-dungi, bears a brick inscription, reading scrvva-siddha sana 1148 Sri Suphala ... (the year =1741 A.D.). 'In front of it is another shrine called `Gadighar,' where a fire is kept burn at all hours. Outside the enclose are four temples, dedicated respectively to Kalabhai¬rava, Sarvamangala Durga and Gorakshanatha. The Kalabhairava temple contains a diva linga and bears a brick inscription reading Sri Ramasiddha sana 1173 sala (=1766 A.D.) ample Sri Jayanatha Nara-Narayana. The Sarva¬mangala temple contains three images of Hara-Gauri, one of Mahishamardini, a fragment of an Ashta-matrika slab, a fragment of a three-faced female figure probably Ushnishavijava (Sadhanamala; II. pl. XIV) and a four-armed female figure playing on a vina (evidently Sarasvati, but worshipped here as Sarva¬ mangala). Over the entrance is a brick inscription reading 1089 Meher Natha sadaka sri Abhirama Mehetara (the year =1681 A.D.). In the Durga temple is a stone image of Chamunda, and in the Gorakshanatha one, a Siva lihga. There are three brick built samadhis near the latter temple.

Arora South-west of the Dadhisugar and standing on the Masandighi, in Arora village; is Salvan Rajar bari referred to under Baghahali. This Silvan may possibly be the same as king Salavahan, son of Sahila-deva of the Chamba inscription who won the title of Kari-ghata-varsha (= hunjara-ghata-varsha ?) (R.C. Majumdar, vange kambojadhikara,' vanga-rani, Chaitara, 1330.B.S.p. 251, ind. Ant, XVII.pp. 7–13). Beveridge refers to this mound in JA.S.B., 1878, p 95.

This name of Sahila seems, to occur again in Sahiladitya lakshmam in v. 10 of the Silimpllr inscription (Ep. Ind, XIII, p. 291). If this identification is correct, then the word kaunjanraghatacarshcna in the Bangarh stone inscription (Gauda-raja-mala, p. 35) is really the title or virudha of the Gudapati of the Kumboja family and not the date of the inscription.

Teghar North of Chandnia hat the road skirts the bil and comes to Teghar village Which juts out into the bil 'Near about here are several mounds; such as Naras¬patir dhap. Kacher Angina (or glazed courtyard, a term applied to many ruins in these parts) etc. The biggest of these mounds, Mangal-nather dhap, (Fig. 6) is situated close to the point, from which a road branches off to Bihar. It is said that terra-cotta plaques as well as stone images were found at this site, but were all consigned to the neighbouring dighi.

Rojakpur Proceeding westward along the road from Gokul to Haripur, we pass into the western arm of the latter village, already referred to. and meet the Bogra¬ Khetlal road near the Chandnia hat. West of Haripur and south of the Somrai bil is the village of Rojakpur, into which, as already stated, the elevated ground from Chandnia hat extends. On this ground are two mounds called respectively Chandbhita. (probably referring to the Manasa legend) and Dhanbhandar. A little further west is another mound called Singhinath Dhap.

Mathura East of Bumanpara and extending up to the garh on the east and the Kalidaha bill on the north, is the village of Mathura, in Which there are several tank and on a ridge overlooking the Gilatala moat, two mounds called Parasuramer Sabhabati and Yogir Dhap.

Threats to Mahasthangarh :-
In a 2010 report titled Saving Our Vanishing Heritage, Global Heritage Fund identified Mahasthangarh as one of 12 worldwide sites most "On the Verge" of irreparable loss and damage, citing insufficient management (poor water drainage in particular) and looting as primary causes.

Anecdote of Mahasthangarh :-
There is a local legend that Shah Sultan Balkhi Mahisawar arrived at Pundravardhana in the garb of a fakir (mystic holy pedlar of Islamic philosophy) riding a fish. (Mahisawar is Sanskrit-Persian word meaning a person who rides a fish). He came from Balkh in Afghanistan with a retinue. The period of his arrival is variably put at 5th century AD, 11th century AD and 17th century AD. At that time there was a king named Parasuram with his seat and palace in Mahasthangarh. Mahisawar requested Parasuram for a piece of land to spread his prayer mat on which he could pray. The request was granted but the prayer mat started expanding as soon as it was laid on the ground. When the prayer mat reached the area around the palace bewildered Parasuram declared war. In the beginning the battle seemed to be favouring Parasuram. A scavenger Harapala informed Mahisawar that it was difficult to defeat the royal troops because of the pool called Jiat Kunda. A dead soldier bathed in the waters of Jiat Kunda came back to life. On knowing this Mahisawar asked a kite to drop a piece of beef in Jiat Kunda. When this was done, the pool lost its powers. The royal troops were on the verge of defeat. The commander of the royal troops, Chilhan, with a large number of his followers, went over to Mahisawar. Thereafter Parasuram and many members of the royal family committed suicide. There are many variations of this anecdote, some of which are sold in Bengali booklets in and around Mahasthangarh/Pundravardhana.

Some Antiquity Comparisons :-
Mahasthangarh dates back to at least 3rd century BC and is acknowledged as the earliest city-site so far discovered in Bangladesh. Somapura Mahavihara at Paharpur in Naogaon District was once the biggest Buddhist monastery south of the Himalayas. It dates from the 8th century AD. Mainamati ruins in Comilla District date back to 6th–13th centuries AD. In neighbouring West Bengal, the ruins of Pandu Rajar Dhibi on the banks of the Ajay River in Bardhaman district date back to 2000 BC. However, this recent archaeological discovery has not yet been properly studied by outside experts and specialists in this field, and as such the historical value of many of the statements must be considered as uncertain. The ruins at Chandraketugarh in 24 Parganas South and Rajbadidanga in Murshidabad district date back to the early years of the Christian era.

Sonargaon Ancient Kingdom of Bangla

noreply@blogger.com (smeasin) — Sat, 11 Apr 2015 01:01:00 +0000

Documentary of Historical Places in Bangladesh

The Ancient Kingdom of Bangla

Sonargaon, Narayanganj, Bangladesh

Sonargaon Ancient Kingdom of Bangla, Narayanganj, Bangladesh

Documentary of Sonargaon :-

Sonargaon (Bengali: সোনারগাঁও; also transcribed as Sunārgāon, meaning City of Gold) was a historic administrative, commercial and maritime center in Bengal. Situated at the center of the Ganges delta, near the old course of the Brahmaputra River, it was the seat of the medieval Muslim rulers and governors of eastern Bengal. Sonargaon was described by numerous historic travelers, including Ibn Battuta, Ma Huan, Niccolò de' Conti and Ralph Fitch, as a thriving center of trade and commerce on the silk route. It served as the capital of Sultan Fakhruddin Mubarak Shah, Isa Khan and the Baro-Bhuyan Confederacy. The area is located near the modern industrial river port of Narayanganj in Bangladesh. Today, the name Sonargaon survives as the Sonargaon Upazila (Sonargaon Subregion) in the region.

The 7th voyage of Zheng He's fleet map based on analysis by
Edward L. Dreyer shows that Hong Bao and
Ma Huan visited Sonargaon in 1432.

History of Sonargaon :-

Pre-Muslim period,
The name Sonargaon came as the Bangla version of the ancient name Suvarnagrama. Bauddha ruler Danujamadhava Dasharathadeva shifted his capital to Suvarnagrama from Bikrampur sometime in the middle of the 13th century. In early 14th century, Bauddha ruling in this area ended when Shamsuddin Firoz Shah (reigned 1301–1322) of Lakhnauti occupied and annexed it to his kingdom.

Muslim period,
Muslim settlers first arrive in Sonargaon region in around 1281. Sharfuddin Abu Tawwamah, a medieval Sufi saint and Islamic philosopher came and settled here sometime between 1282 and 1287. He then established his Khanqah and founded a Madrasa. Firoz Shah built a mint in Sonargaon from where a large number of coins were issued. When he died in 1322, his son, Ghiyasuddin Bahadur Shah, replaced him as the ruler. In 1324 Delhi Sultan, Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq, declared war against him and after the battle, Bahadur Shah was captured and Bengal, including Sonargaon, became a province of Delhi Sultanate. The same year, Sultan Muhammad bin Tughlaq, son and successor of Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq, released him and appointed him as the governor of Sonargaon province. After 4 years of governorship, in 1328, Bahadur Shah declared independence of Bengal. Delhi Sultan Muhammad bin Tughlaq sent his general, Bahram Khan, to depose him. In the battle, Bahadur Shah was defeated and killed. Bahram Khan recaptured Sonargaon for the Delhi Sultanate and he was also appointed the governor of Sonargaon. When Bahram Khan died in 1338, his armor-bearer, Fakhruddin Mubarak Shah, declared himself the independent Sultan of Sonargaon. Fakhruddin sponsored several construction projects, including a trunk road and raised embankments, along with mosques and tombs. 14th century Moroccan traveller, Ibn Batuta, after visiting the capital in 1346, described Fakhruddin as "a distinguished sovereign who loved strangers, particularly the fakirs and sufis". After the death of Fakhruddin in 1349, Ikhtiyaruddin Ghazi Shah became the next independent ruler of Sonargaon. Ilyas Shah, the independent ruler of Lakhnauti, attacked Sonargaon in 1352. After defeating Ikhtiyaruddin Ghazi Shah, he became the sole ruler of whole Bengal for the first time in history and thus he became the founder of a sultanate of the unified Bengal. A squadron of the Chinese fleet of Zheng He, commanded by the eunuch Hong Bao, visited Sonargaon in 1432. The information about that expedition comes from the book of one of its participants, the Muslim translator Ma Huan. In 1451 Huan wrote his experience in details in his book Yingyai Shenglan (The Overall Survey of the Ocean's Shores). Sonargaon is the eastern terminus of the Grand Trunk Road, which was built by the Pashtun emperor Sher Shah Suri, extended approximately 2500 kilometres from Bangladesh across northern India and Pakistan to Kabul in Afghanistan.

Isa Khan's Ruling :-
When Taj Khan Karrani was the independent Afghan ruler of Bengal, Isa Khan obtained an estate in Sonargaon and Maheswardi Pargana in 1564 as a vassal of the Karrani rulers. Isa Khan gradually increased his strength and in 1571 he was designated as the ruler of whole Bhati region. In 1575 he helped Daud Khan Karrani to fight with Mughal flotilla in the vicinity of Sonargaon. Daud Khan Karrani died in the battle of Rajmahal against Mughals in 1576. Akbar then assigned Isa Khan as one of the Bara-Bhuiyans by making him the zamindar of Sonargaon. Since then he resisted Mughal's ruling in his area. With the help of allies, he stood defiant against Mughals in the battle against Subahdar Khan Jahan in 1578, Subahdar Shahbaz Khan in 1584 and Durjan Singh in 1597. Isa Khan died in September 1599. Then his son, Musa Khan, took control of Bhati region. But after the defeat of Musa Khan in 10 July 1610 by Islam Khan, the army general of Mughals, Sonargaon became one of the sarkars of Bengal subah. The capital of Bengal is then shifted to Jahangirnagar (later named Dhaka).

British Period :-
Panam City was established in the late 19th century as a trading center of cotton fabrics during British rule. Hindu cloth merchants built their residential houses following colonial style with inspiration derived from European sources. Today this area is protected under the department of archaeology of Bangladesh. Panam city area was linked with the main city area by three brick bridges - Panam Bridge, Dalalpur Bridge and PanamNagar Bridge - during Mughal period. The bridges are still in use. Sonakanda Fort is a Mughal river-fort located on the bank of the Shitalakshya River at Bandar.

Bangladesh Period :-
Lok Shilpa Jadughar (Folk Art and Craft Museum) of Sonargaon was established by Bangladeshi painter Joynul Abedin on March 12, 1975. The house, originally called Bara Sardar Bari, was built in 1901. On 15 February 1984, Narayanganj subdivision is upgraded to a district by the Government of Bangladesh. Hence Sonargaon became a subdistrict of Narayanganj District of Dhaka division. Due to the many threats to preservation (including flooding and vandalism), Sonargaon is placed in 2008 Watch List of the 100 Most Endangered Sites by World Monuments Fund.

Paharput Buddha Bihar, Naogaon, Bangladesh

noreply@blogger.com (smeasin) — Wed, 08 Apr 2015 22:25:00 +0000

Documentary of Historical Places in Bangladesh
Paharput Buddha Bihar, Somapura Mahavihara

Naogaon, Bangladesh


Paharput Buddha Bihar, Somapura Mahavihara

Documentary of Paharput Buddha Bihar :-
Somapura Mahavihara (Bengali: সোমপুর মহাবিহার Shompur Môhabihar) in Paharpur, Badalgachhi Upazila, Naogaon District, Bangladesh is among the best known Buddhist viharas in the Indian Subcontinent and is one of the most important archeological sites in the country. It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985.

History of Paharput Buddha Bihar :-
The Number of monasteries grew up during the Pāla period in ancient Bengal and Magadha. According to Tibetan sources, five great Mahaviharas stood out: Vikramashila, the premier university of the era; Nalanda, past its prime but still illustrious; Somapura Mahavihara; Odantapurā; and Jaggadala. The monasteries formed a network; "all of them were under state supervision" and there existed "a system of co-ordination among them ... it seems from the evidence that the different seats of Buddhist learning that functioned in eastern India under the Pāla were regarded together as forming a network, an interlinked group of institutions," and it was common for great scholars to move easily from position to position among them.

First level plinth at Somapura Mahavihara in Bangladesh

The excavation at Paharpur, and the finding of seals bearing the inscription Shri-Somapure-Shri-Dharmapaladeva-Mahavihariyarya-bhiksu-sangghasya, has identified the Somapura Mahavihara as built by the second Pala king Dharmapala (circa 781–821) of Pāla Dynasty. Tibetan sources, including Tibetan translations of Dharmakayavidhi and Madhyamaka Ratnapradipa, Taranatha's history and Pag-Sam-Jon-Zang, mention that Dharmapala's successor Devapala (circa 810–850) built it after his conquest of Varendra.[3] The Paharpur pillar inscription bears the mention of 5th regnal year of Devapala's successor Mahendrapala (circa 850–854) along with the name of Bhiksu Ajayagarbha. Taranatha's Pag Sam Jon Zang records that the monastery was repaired during the reign of Mahipala (circa 995–1043 AD).

Somapura Mahavihara complex, in Bangladesh

The Nalanda inscription of Vipulashrimitra records that the monastery was destroyed by fire, which also killed Vipulashrimitra's ancestor Karunashrimitra, during a conquest by the Vanga army in the 11th century, assumed to be an army of the Varman rulers. About a century later Vipulashrimitra renovated the vihara and added a temple of Tara. Over time Atish's spiritual preceptor, Ratnakara Shanti, served as a sthavira of the vihara, Mahapanditacharya Bodhibhadra served as a resident monk, and other scholars spent part of their lives at the monastery, including Kalamahapada, Viryendra and Karunashrimitra. Many Tibetan monks visited the Somapura between the 9th and 12th centuries. During the rule of the Sena dynasty, known as Karnatadeshatagata Brahmaksatriya, in the second half of the 12th century the vihara started to decline for the last time. One scholar writes, "The ruins of the temple and monasteries at Pāhāpur do not bear any evident marks of large-scale destruction. The downfall of the establishment, by desertion or destruction, must have been sometime in the midst of the widespread unrest and displacement of population consequent on the Muslim invasion.

Architecture of Paharput Buddha Bihar :-
The quadrangular structure consists of 177 cells and a traditional Buddhist stupa in the center. The rooms were used by the monks for accommodation and meditation. In addition to the large number of stupas and shrines of various sizes and shapes, terracotta plaques, stone sculptures, inscriptions, coins, ceramics etc. have been discovered. The site houses the architectural remains of a vast Buddhist monastery, Somapura Mahavihara, covering 27 acres (110,000 m2). It was an important intellectual centre for Dharmic Traditions such as Buddhists (Buddha Dharma), Jains (Jaina Dharma) and Hindus (Sanatana Dharma) alike. The 21 acre (85,000 m²) complex has 177 cells, viharas, numerous stupas, temples and a number of other ancillary buildings. The outside walls with ornamental terracotta palques still display the influence of these three religions. In acreage, Somapura was the largest of the mahaviharas. It was also quite unusual architecturally. As one scholar described, the complex was dominated by a temple, which was not typical, and further, the temple had "none of the characteristic features of Indian temple architecture, but is strongly reminiscent of Buddhist temples of Burma, Java and Cambodia, reproducing the cruciform basement, terraced structure with inset chambers and gradually dwindling pyramid form ... during the age of the Palas some sort of intercourse between eastern India and south-east Asia existed ... but how this temple type, represented in India by this solitary example, became the standard of Buddhist temple architecture is not known." Another commented, "there can be no doubt that this style of architecture has most profoundly influenced that of Burma, Java and Cambodia. The nearest approximation to the plan and the superstructure of the Paharpur temple is afforded by the temples known as Chandi Loro Jongrang and Chandi Sevu of Prambanam in Central Java."

Central Temple of Paharput Buddha Bihar :-
The purpose of this central structure at the midst of the courtyard remains unsolved since its discovery. Hence, most of the debates generated hitherto on the architecture of Sompur Mahavihara are cantered on the identification its missing superstructure. The reason may be manifold, but the most important one is the non-availability of substantial amount of first-hand resource including a comprehensive architectural documentation at the disposal of the researchers. There are different arguments regarding the terminating top of the central structure of Sompur Mahavihara. Consequently, most of works done so far are mainly based on the findings of the archaeological excavation and studying the artefacts from the archaeological perspective. The first study on this monument with documentation was by archaeologist K.N. Dikhist in his Paharpur, Memoirs of Archaeological Survey in India (1938). Dikhsit was concerned with documentation of the archaeological findings and concentrated on their interpretation and analysis. He attempted to suggest a probable architectural treatment of the missing parts of the structure through studying the archaeological remains. Till today, this study is considered as the most authentic record of the Sompur Mahavihara. Prudence R. Myer published the first of such studies in 1969 as a journal paper, in which he proposed the missing superstructure as a stupa and illustrated the possible three-dimensional articulations. Myer embarked on his proposal through a diachronic study of the stupa and stupa shrines in India. He took Sompur Mahavihara as an example to elaborate his study and did a conjectural restoration of the central structure in support of his analysis. The second work was published around thirty years after Myer's proposition. A team of architects from Khulna University lead by Mohammed Ali Naqi has proposed another theoretical reconstruction of the central structure as well as some parts of the peripheral block (mainly the entrance hall) in 1999. This work was also presented in the "International Seminar on Elaboration of an Archaeological Research Strategy for Paharpur World Heritage Site and Its Environment" jointly organized by UNESCO and Department of Archaeology of Bangladesh in 2004. Muhammad Ali Naqi proposed a temple-like spire at the top by considering the central mound as a ‘Stupa-Shrine’ with a ‘Shikhara’ type stupa in his reconstruction.

Nameable statues found :-
The statues are reserved in the adjacent museum for display. Some nameable statues are:
•    'Chamunda' Statue of Clay Stone.
•    Standing 'Seetala' Statue of Red Stone.
•    Broken Parts of 'Visnu' Statue of Krishna Stone.
•    'Keerti' Statue of Clay Stone.
•    Damaged 'Haargouri' Statue.
•    Broken Statue of Laxmi Narayan of Krishna Stone.
•    'Uma' Statue of krishna Stone.
•    'Gouri' Statue of Clay Stone.
•    'Visnu' Statue of Clay Stone.
•    Nandi Statue.
•    'Visnu' Statue of Krishna Stone.
•    Sun Statue.
•    'Mansha' Statue of Clay Stone.

Protection of Paharput Buddha Bihar :-
Somapura was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985. Since then, a series of UNESCO missions has regularly visited the site and helped with the project. Moreover, the UN body prepared a master plan, involving US$5.6 million. The terracotta artworks in the site have suffered from serious damage as a result of "lack of proper maintenance, shortage of manpower, fund constraint and heavy rainfall." Furthermore, poor water drainage accompanied by high levels of salinity in the soils has contributed to decay the terracotta sculptures. Other threats include uncontrolled vegetation, vandalism, climate conditions, and public trespassing and encroachment.

Bandarban Golden Temple Bandarban, Bangladesh

noreply@blogger.com (smeasin) — Wed, 08 Apr 2015 21:19:00 +0000

Documentary of Historical Places in Bangladesh
The Bandarban Golden Temple, The Buddha Dhatu Jadi,

Bandarban, Bangladesh

The Bandarban Golden Temple

Documentary of Bandarban Golden Temple :-
The Buddha Dhatu Jadi (Bengali: বুদ্ধ ধাতু জাদি; also known as the Bandarban Golden Temple) is located close to Balaghata town, in Bandarban City, in Bangladesh. Dhatu are the material remains of a holy person, and in this temple the relics belong to Buddha. It is the largest Theravada Buddhist temple in Bangladesh and has the second-largest Buddha statue in the country. The Bandaban Golden Temple belongs to the Theravada Buddhism order, which is practiced by the Marma indigenous people, a dominant ethnic group of Bandarban. It was built in 2000 in Arakanese architecture, an adoption of South East Asia style.

The Buddha Dhatu Jadi

Location of Bandarban Golden Temple :-
The Buddhist temple is known in local language as Kyang. It is located in the remote Bandarban Hill District in south-eastern Bangladesh, which is part of the Chittagong Division of Chittagong Hill Tracts. The temple is ensconced in the hill town of Bandarban, which has two of the highest peaks with rolling hills, namely, the Tajingdong (4,000 feet (1,200 m)) and the Keokeradong (4,632 feet (1,412 m)), covered with dense forests with lush vegetation. Sangu river flows through the town. There is also a waterfall nearby. The temple is built on top of a 60 metres (200 ft) high hill, which is about 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) from the Balaghat town, and 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) from the Banderban city. Chittagong, known as a "picturesque part of Bangladesh that is referred to as the rooftop of the country", is about 92 kilometres (57 mi) away. Within the Bandarban town, the notable structures are the Ethnic Cultural Institute and a Museum.[1][2][4][5] There is also a lake on the hill known as the Debota Pukur (meaning:"pond of the God").

Location of Bandarban Golden Temple

History of Bandarban Golden Temple :-
Bandarban has a large ethnic population of Buddhists. Buddhism is practiced by a small percentage of 0.7 in Bangladesh, predominantly an Mulsim country. Buddhism is the third-largest religion in Bangladesh and the practice is of Theravada Buddhism; most Buddhists are from the south-eastern district of Chittagong and Chittagong Hill Tracts. In Bangladesh, the Theravada Buddhism, now practiced as "Sangharaj Nikaya", was introduced in the late 19th century, replacing many of the old forms of Buddhism practiced till then. The credit for this is given to Ven. Saramedha, known popularly as "Sangharaj".

The ethnic population of the town belongs mostly to Marma, an indigenous group of the Chittagong hill region on the eastern end of the country. They are of Arakanese descent and Buddhists by religion, and are the second-largest indigenous group in the hill districts of Bangladesh. Ven. U Paññya Jota Mahathero is the founder and chief priest of the temple. He belongs to the royal Bohmong family of Bandarban. He is a Theravada monk since 1991. He had served the government of Bangladesh for 8 years as a senior assistant judge. The Buddha’s dhatu (relic), which is enshrined in the temple, was a gift given to Ven. U Paññya Jota Mahathero in 1994 by the State Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee of Myanmar.

Architecture of Bandarban Golden Temple :-
Approached by an elegant stairway, the impressive temple built on the hill top is decorated with exquisite sculptural images. Apart from the second-biggest statue of the Buddha that is enshrined in the sanctum, there are smaller statues and a golden bell set on a dragon within the temple precincts. Construction of the temple was started in 1995 and completed in 2000. The dhatu, the corporeal relics of Buddha, has been enshrined here below four statues of Buddha. The dhatu is enshrined here, with the basic belief among Buddhists that it provides for peace of mind and happiness. The temple now forms a part of the Tourism Development Project of the 'Buddhist Circuit Tour' that is sponsored by the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation.

Hardinge Bridge, The Steel Railway Bridge Bangladesh

noreply@blogger.com (smeasin) — Mon, 06 Apr 2015 15:33:00 +0000

Documentary of Historical Places in Bangladesh

Hardinge Bridge The Steel Railway Bridge Bangladesh

Documentary of Hardinge Bridge :-
Hardinge Bridge (Bengali: হার্ডিঞ্জ ব্রিজ) is a steel railway bridge over the river Padma located at Paksey in western Bangladesh. It is named after Lord Hardinge, who was the Viceroy of India from 1910 to 1916. The bridge is 1.8 kilometres (1.1 mi) long.

Hardinge Bridge The Steel Railway Bridge Bangladesh

Construction of Hardinge Bridge :-
Construction of the through truss bridge began in 1910, though it was proposed at least 20 years earlier. It was completed in 1912 and trains started moving on it in 1915.

Construction of Hardinge Bridge 1910

History of Hardinge Bridge :-
The construction of a railway bridge over the Padma was proposed in 1889 by the Eastern Bengal Railway for easier communication between Calcutta and the then Eastern Bengal and Assam. In 1902, Sir FJE Spring prepared a report on the bridge. A technical committee reported that a bridge could be constructed at Sara crossing the lower Ganges between the Paksey and Bheramara Upazila stations on the broad gauge railway from Khulna to Parbatipur Upazila. The construction of the bridge started in 1910 and finished two years later. The bridge comprises 15 steel trusses. The main girders are modified "Petit" type.

Hardinge Bridge The Steel Railway Bridge Bangladesh

The most difficult task of the operation was to prevent bank erosion and to make the river flow permanently under the bridge. For this, two guide banks of the "Bell-bund" type named after J. R. Bell were built on either side, each extending 910 metres (3,000 ft) upstream and 300 metres (1,000 ft) downstream from the bridge. The ends of the river banks were curved inward and heavily pitched with stone.

Hardinge Bridge The Steel Railway Bridge Bangladesh

Hardinge Bridge was severely damaged during the Liberation War of Bangladesh of 1971.[4] It happened on 13 December 1971, when the Indian Air Force plane bombed on the 4th guarder from the Paksey side. As the Pakistani army was on retreat towards Jessore (their last stronghold) Hardinge Bridge was strategically very important. The allied force damaged the bridge. The Japanese Government helped to reconstruct the bridge.

Hardinge Bridge The Steel Railway Bridge Bangladesh

It is the second largest railway bridge in Bangladesh. Another bridge named Lalon Shah Bridge for road transport beside the Hardinge Bridge has recently been constructed.

Hardinge Bridge The Steel Railway Bridge Bangladesh

Tara Masjid, Star Mosque Armanitola, Dhaka, Bangladesh

noreply@blogger.com (smeasin) — Sat, 04 Apr 2015 21:30:00 +0000

Documentary of Historical Places in Bangladesh
Tara Masjid, Star Mosque Armanitola, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Tara Masjid, Star Mosque Armanitola, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Documentary of Tara Masjid :-
Star Mosque (Bengali: তারা মসজিদ; also known as Tara Masjid), is a mosque located in Armanitola area, Dhaka, Bangladesh. The mosque has ornate designs and is decorated with motifs of blue stars. It was built in the first half of the 19th century by Mirza Golam Pir (Mirza Ahmed Jan).

Tara Masjid, Star Mosque Armanitola, Dhaka, Bangladesh

History :-
Star Mosque was first built by Mirza Ghulam Pir, as a three domed oblong edifice. But an over enthusiastic and zealous merchant named Ali Jan Bepari completely remodeled and reconstructed it with extremely delicate and richly colored tiles of variegated patterns. Ali Jan has added the new verandah, that is mentioned in the introduction, on the east and spent lavishly on importing Japanese and English decorated China clay tiles to improve the inner and outer show of the mosque. It is now a five domed structure. In 1987, two domes have been raised on an extension to the northern side without any respect to its antiquity, architectural style and decoration.

Tara Masjid, Star Mosque Dhaka, Bangladesh

Architecture :-
Built in the Mughal style by Mirza Ghulam in the late 18th century, this mosque was originally a simple rectangular mosque, measuring 33' x 11' with three doorways on the east façade (main façade) and one on the north wall and another on the south wall. Three domes crowned the mosque, the central one being the larger. Towers accented the corners and the façades displayed plastered panel decoration. In early 20th century, Ali Jan Bepari financed its renovation when a front verandah was added. The surface was redone in ‘Chini Tikri’, a popular broken china decoration. The mosque is one of the very few examples of exclusive chinitikri mosaic, found in the striking blue star mosaic, which gave the mosque its name Star Mosque.

Tara Masjid, Star Mosque Mihrab

Inside The Tara Masjid, Star Mosque

In 1987, the prayer hall was extended by the Department of Architecture to include two more domes. It was decorated with imported china clay tiles and used both methods of applying chinitikri and used solid color, cur clay tiles and formed patterns by placing the colored tiles in white plaster. The domes and the exterior are covered with different colored star shaped china clay tiles. The upper portion of the eastern façade also incorporates a crescent motif. The work assumed another texture by using assorted glazed tiles on the interior. The three mibrabs and the doorways are decorated with mosaic floral pattern. A plant and vase motif is repeated as a decorative element on the pendantive and the interior of the verandah wall.

Out side Wall The Tara Masjid, Star Mosque

Exterior decoration :-
In early 20th century, Ali Jan Bepari, a local businessman, financed the renovation of the mosque and added a new eastern verandah. The surface was redecorated with Chinitikri work (mosaic work of broken China porcelain pieces), a decorative style that was popular during the 1930s. The mosque, which previously lacked any historical significance, is one of the few remaining architectural example of the Chinitikri (Chinese pieces) method of mosaic decoration. This decorative technique is found in the striking star motif that is in part the reason for the mosque's current acclaim and popular name, Star Mosque or Sitara Masjid. In 1987, the Ministry of Religious Affairs commissioned Giasul Huque and Zahiruddin Zahiruddin to make additions to the prayer hall, which was extended to include two more domes.

The mosque is decorated with Japanese and English china clay tiles and utilized both methods of the Chinitikri application. One approach uses solid color, cut clay tiles and form patterns through the placement of these colored tiles in white plaster. The domes and the exterior surface are covered with different colored star shaped China clay tiles. The upper portion of the eastern façade also incorporates a crescent motif.

Bangladesh 100 Taka Photo of Tara Masjid, Star Mosque

Interior decoration
Chinitikri tile work assumes another texture by using assorted pieces of different designs of glazed tiles on the interior surfaces of the mosque. The three mihrabs and the doorways are decorated with mosaic floral pattern. A plant and vase motif is repeated as a decorative element on the pendentives as well as on the interior of the verandah wall. As a decorative element, the Japanese Fujiyama motif, is found on the surface between the doors.

Prince Shah Shuja Tahkhana and Shah Nimatullah Mosque Chapai Nawabganj, Rajshahi, Bangladesh

noreply@blogger.com (smeasin) — Thu, 02 Apr 2015 01:34:00 +0000

Documentary of Historical Places in Bangladesh
Prince Shah Shuja Tahkhana and Shah Nimatullah Mosque, Chapai Nawabganj, Rajshahi, Bangladesh

Prince Shah Shuja Tahkhana and Shah Nimatullah Mosque,

Chapai Nawabganj, Rajshahi, Bangladesh

Prince Shah Shuja Tahkhana

Chapai Nawabganj, Rajshahi, Bangladesh

Shah Nimatullah Mosque,

Chapai Nawabganj, Rajshahi, Bangladesh

Natural Resources in Prince Shah Shuja Tahkhana and Shah Nimatullah Mosque, Chapai Nawabganj, Rajsha

Satkhira Zamindar Mansion Satkhira, Khulna, Bangladesh

noreply@blogger.com (smeasin) — Thu, 02 Apr 2015 01:09:00 +0000

Documentary of Historical Places in Bangladesh

Satkhira Zamindar Mansion, Satkhira, Khulna, Bangladesh

Natural Resources in Satkhira Zamindar Mansion, Satkhira, Khulna, Bangladesh

Satkhira Zamindar Mansion, Satkhira, Khulna, Bangladesh

Singair Mosque Bagerhat, Khulna, Bangladesh

noreply@blogger.com (smeasin) — Thu, 02 Apr 2015 00:43:00 +0000

Documentary of Historical Places in Bangladesh

Singair Mosque, Bagerhat, Khulna, Bangladesh

Documentary of Singair Mosque :-
The Singair Mosque is a historic mosque located in Bagerhat, Bangladesh. Built during the 16th century during Mughal rule of the Benglal, however many aspects of the main building feature many pre-Islamic architectural elements and is believed to have been converted into a mosque during the initial Mughal invasions of India, and built upon the original foundations of a Temple.

Natural Resources in Singair Mosque, Bagerhat, Khulna, Bangladesh

Singair mosque is part of the mosque town of Bagerhat, built in the 15th and the 16th century by Khan Jahan Ali and his followers. The mosque is located 3 miles west of the Bagerhat town, opposite to the Shaitgumbad mosque. The mosque is square, and has a single dome. Each side measures 39 feet 6 inches. The mosque is of red brick construction with terracotta designs. The east wall has three entrances, while the north and south walls have one entrance each. The four corners of the mosque have round columns. The columns have terracotta designs around them.

Singair Mosque, Bagerhat, Khulna, Bangladesh

The edges of the roof have terracotta ornamentations all around the mosque. Inside, the mosque has just one arched mihrab on the western wall. The mihrab is constructed entirely of terracotta. Though much of the ornamentations have ruined, but it is clear that the mihrab was very elegantly decorated.

Singair Mosque, Bagerhat, Khulna, Bangladesh

The dome is also constructed of red bricks, and is vaulted from inside. The dome is supported on the four walls of the mosque. There are several niches in the walls inside the mosque. These niches were used to places oil lamps for light sources. The decoration of the niches is similar to those of the mihrab. The massive walls of the mosque are 7 feet thick. The construction of the mihrab is extended outside of the western wall of the mosque. There are decorations on two sides of the extension.

Singair Mosque, Bagerhat, Khulna, Bangladesh

Nine Domed Mosque Bagerhat, Khulna, Bangladesh

noreply@blogger.com (smeasin) — Wed, 25 Mar 2015 20:48:00 +0000

Documentary of Historical Places in Bangladesh

Nine Domed Mosque, Bagerhat, Khulna, Bangladesh

Documentary of Nine Domed Mosque :-

The Nine Dome Mosque is located to the west of the takur dighi tank and built in the 15th century, it is close to Khan Jahan Ali's Tomb. Its western wall conventionally faces west towards Mecca, where the mihrab is inset on the western wall; terra cotta floral scrolls and flower motifs are the decorations seen around the mihrab. Circular towers are provided in the four corners. The walls of the mosque support a large central dome which has eight smaller domes around it. This structure was also affected by sulphates. It has been since substantially restored. Close to this mosque are the Zinda Pir Mosque and mazar (tomb), which are in ruins.

Nine Domed Mosque, (নয় গম্বুজ মসজিদ, বাগেরহাট)

Bagerhat, Khulna, Bangladesh

The interior of the mosque is divided into three aisles and three bays by two rows of stone pillars, two in each row, thus creating nine independent square bays, each of which is covered with an inverted cup-shaped dome. All the nine domes are internally carried on four intersecting arches springing from stone pillars and brick pilasters attached to the side walls. The phase of transition for each dome is achieved by means of traditional Bengali pendentives.

The qibla wall is internally recessed with three engrailed arched-mihrabs, which correspond to the three archways on the eastern facade. Here also the central mihrab is larger than the side ones and has an outer projection.

The stone pillars, supporting the domed roof, have stepped square pedestals and capitals. Their shafts are octagonal and are separated from the pedestals and capitals by raised bands. The engaged brick pilasters have also stepped square bases and capitals with stone imposts on the top. The corner towers emphasising the four exterior angles of the building are circular in the Khan Jahani style. All these towers, having moulded bases and plain tops, do not rise above the roof level. The cornices are gently curved.

The decoration, wrought in terracotta, is now confined to the archways, mihrabs, corner towers and cornices. On the exterior surface the rectangular frames, enclosing the archways, are enriched with net patterns. The narrow vertical sunken panels between the archways depict at their bases a pair of mouldings with lozenges. The space between the mouldings are decorated with rosettes alternating with diapers and sometimes with running scrolls containing small rosettes. Inside the building the spandrels of all the entrance arches depict large full-blown lotus flowers, while the faces of the arches at the key-point are embellished with large lozenges containing bordered rosettes. Three moulded bands ornamented with rows of small rosettes and lotus petals crown each of these archways. The narrow sunken spaces in between the bands depict necklaces, scrolls, tendrils and flowers of varying designs.

All the mihrabs are very richly decorated. The spandrels of the central mihrab arch are enriched with flower motifs. The space between the two moulded bands on top of the mihrab arch is docorated with vine scrolls containing bunches of grapes. The semi-circular mihrab niches are marked with decorated horizontal sunken panels, each being separated from the other by a raised decorated band. The motifs of ornamentation vary from panel to panel and consist of necklace designs, lotuses, palmettes and different types of interlocking patterns. Dividing the semi-circular mihrab niche a chain hangs down from the apex of the half-domed top and ends in a rectangular pendant, now bare. The rectangular frame, which encloses the mihrab arches, is filled with interlocking designs with rosettes. Above the frame are two boldly projected bands decorated with a row of rosettes. A frieze of ornamental crests crowns the whole composition.

The curvature of the cornice gives the building a pleasing appearance. The two cornice bands, running all round the building are enriched with rows of lozenges, while the sunken space in between them still depicts ornamental square panels at several places. The corner towers, divided by moulded bands, depict such decorative motifs as lozenges, lotus petals and pellets.

The mosque is stylistically dated to the time of khan jahan. Local tradition ascribes the building to one of Khan Jahan’s officers who had his residence nearby on the same bank of the Thakurdighi.

Two Ruined Mandirs Satkhira, Khulna, Bangladesh

noreply@blogger.com (smeasin) — Wed, 25 Mar 2015 20:32:00 +0000

Documentary of Historical Places in Bangladesh

Two Ruined Mandirs, Satkhira, Khulna, Bangladesh

Documentary of Two Ruined Mandirs :-

Two Ruined Mandirs, Satkhira, Khulna, Bangladesh

Placed :- English Year 1602

Two Ruined Mandirs, Satkhira, Khulna, Bangladesh

Placed :- English Year 1602

Two Ruined Mandirs, Satkhira, Khulna, Bangladesh

Placed :- English Year 1602

Two Ruined Mandirs, Satkhira, Khulna, Bangladesh

Placed :- English Year 1602

Two Ruined Mandirs, Satkhira, Khulna, Bangladesh

Placed :- English Year 1602

Pancha Mandir Satkhira, Khulna, Bangladesh

noreply@blogger.com (smeasin) — Wed, 25 Mar 2015 20:09:00 +0000

Documentary of Historical Places in Bangladesh

Pancha Mandir Satkhira, Khulna, Bangladesh

Pancha Mandir Satkhira, Khulna, Bangladesh

Documentary of Pancha Mandir :-

Annapurna Mandir Satkhira, Khulna, Bangladesh

Placed :- Bangla Year 1201 / English Year 1794

Durga Mandir Satkhira, Khulna, Bangladesh

Placed :- Bangla Year 1201 / English Year 1794

Kal Bhairav Mandir Satkhira, Khulna, Bangladesh

Placed :- Bangla Year 1201 / English Year 1794

Kali Mata Mandir Satkhira, Khulna, Bangladesh

Placed :- Bangla Year 1201 / English Year 1794

Shiv Mandir Satkhira, Khulna, Bangladesh

Placed :- Bangla Year 1201 / English Year 1794

Tetulia Jami Mosque Satkhira, Khulna, Bangladesh

noreply@blogger.com (smeasin) — Sat, 21 Mar 2015 11:06:00 +0000

Documentary of Historical Places in Bangladesh
Tetulia Jami Mosque Satkhira, Khulna, Bangladesh

Add caption

The Tetulia Jami Mosque, Satkhira, Khulna, Bangladesh

Documentary of Tetulia Jami Mosque :-
The Tetulia Jami Mosque, also known as the Khan Bahadur Salamatullah Mosque, and the Tetulia Shahi Mosque, is located in village of Tetulia (or Tentulia) in Tala upazila in the district of Satkhira in Bangladesh. The founder of the mosque was Khan Bahadur Maulvi Qazi Salamatullah Khan,of the zamindar (feudal-lord) Qazi family of Tetulia, who was also the founder of the mansion known as Salam Manzil (now in ruins) in the vicinity.The six-domed mosque was built Mughal style in 1858-59 and resembles those built by Tipu Sultan's descendants,as does the Salam Manzil, now in virtual decay.

In 1982, the front of the decaying “Shingho Doroja” (“Main Door” in the Bengali language) – that is, the gateway and entrance to Salam Manzil appeared to have inscriptions or patterns on the wall. Walking through the gate, one would find a spacious compound containing a lot of greenery. A very long verandah with a crumbling roof, supported by a twin-pillar system, overlooked the compound. Opening onto the verandah were dilapidated chambers, which used to function as offices in the past, when the mansion was in a working state. In the past, one or more end-rooms of the verandah had housed palkis (palanquins). One particular palki was enormous and twelve bearers were required to carry it.

The of Salam Manzil (1982)

It is unusual to find the use of the twin-pillar system in a remote village of Bengal in the mid 19th century. The twin-pillar system was necessary to support the roof, which had several layers of reinforcement. The distance of the roof from the ground appeared to be at least ten and a half feet. In the present time, the “Shingho Doroja” has been renovated to a different style, though the rest of the Salam Manzil is in complete ruins.

Khania Dighi Mosque, Chapai Nawabganj, Bangladesh

noreply@blogger.com (smeasin) — Fri, 20 Mar 2015 20:28:00 +0000

Documentary of Historical Places in Bangladesh

Khania Dighi Mosque, Chapai Nawabganj, Bangladesh

Khania Dighi Mosque, Chapai Nawabganj, Bangladesh

Documentary of Khania Dighi Mosque :-

Khania Dighi Mosque also called Rajbibi Masjid, is located on the western bank of Khania Dighi, which is about a quarter mile away from the high mud wall of the ancient city of Gaur on the north and the Balia Dighi on the west in Nawabganj district. The building is now in a good state after thorough repairs undertaken by the Directorate of Archaeology, Bangladesh. Built mainly of bricks, the mosque consists of a square prayer chamber, 9m a side, and a verandah of 9m × 3m in the east. The prayer chamber is roofed over by a large hemispherical dome, while the verandah is covered by three small domes.

Khania Dighi Mosque, Chapai Nawabganj, Bangladesh

The large dome of the prayer chamber is carried on half-domed squinches on the corners and blocked arches on the four cardinal sides and the pendentives in between the arches. The three small domes of the verandah are built on pendentives. The prayer hall is entered by three archways from the verandah which correspond in height and width to the three archways on the eastern facade and a single archway from the north and south sides. The four exterior angles of the building are marked by octagonal towers rising upto the roof level. Two other towers distinguish the points where the verandah joins the prayer chamber. All the towers are divided into sections by raised bands. The cornice of the building is slightly curved.

The qibla wall, recessed with three semi-circular mihrab niches corresponding to three eastern archways, is internally veneered entirely with blocks of granite stone. Blocks of stone have also been placed in the form of a lintel at the springing point of the arches on three other walls inside the prayer hall. The same sort of stone blocks forming the lintel have been extended to the verandah walls. The blocked-arches and squinches which support the dome above are erected over stone columns embedded into the walls. The two east-west arches which have divided the interior of the verandah into three parts are also carried on engaged stone columns. Of the three mihrabs the central one is larger than the side ones and shows rectangular projection on the outside along the height of the wall. Each of these mihrab niches, contained within a rectangular frame, is arched with cuspings in the face.

The whole building was once embellished with terracotta ornamentation, traces of which survive here and there both inside and outside the structure. The spaces in between the two moulded cornice bands which run all round the building are enriched with rows of small arcades carrying vegetal motifs. Further down is a couple of flat bands embellished with rows of lozenges and diaper patterns. The outer facade of the four walls are marked by two rows of boldly projected rectangular panels that give the impression of windows, a decorative device very popularly practised in the Sultanate monuments of Bengal such as the eklakhi mausoleum (early 15th century) at Hazrat Pandua, the tantipaDa mosque (1480) and the chhota sona mosque (1492-1519) in Gaur. Each of these panels is again decorated with a cusped arch on pillars showing hanging motifs within and rosettes on the spandrels.

Much of the original ornamentation is still preserved on the qibla wall inside. The ornately carved pillars which carry the mihrab arches depict the conventional hanging motif and include other designs. The spandrels of the mihrab arches are enriched with full-blown rosettes, while their rectangular frames are very nicely ornamented with vine scrolls. The pendentives in between the blocked arches and squinches are marked with big tiered-rosettes. Inside the circular base of the dome there is a moulded cornice band, the upper border of which is decorated with qangura merlons and the upper with a chequered design.

The mosque is not dated by any inscription although there is an epigraph over the central mihrab containing only verses from the Quran. But on stylistic ground it has been assigned to the later Ilyash Shahi period, say around 1480 AD.

It is important to note that the mosque, consisting of a single-domed prayer hall and a three-domed verandah on the east, marks an improvement over the simple square single-domed type, which was so common in Bengal. The earliest known specimen of the type is the gopalganj mosque (1460) in Dinajpur town. The type was very popular in Bengal unlike in other parts of India. There are numerous other examples, such as the chamkathi mosque (1475) and the lattan mosque (1493-1519) in Gaur, the masjidbari mosque (1465) in Patuakhali, the sankarpasHa mosque (1494-1499 AD) in Sylhet, the naVagram mosque (1526) in Pabna and the atiya mosque (1609) in Tangail. Where did the idea of this type of mosque come from? Was it an innovation of Bengali architects? Investigation into the architectural history of the Muslim world reveals that it resembles a popular type of mosques built in Turkish Anatolia under the Seljuks and the early Ottomans. It seems that the influence came from this distant land by way of immigrant Seljuk artists or craftsmen who took shelter in distant lands due to Mongol incursions into their territory.

Choto Shona Mosque Chapai Nawabganj, Bangladesh

noreply@blogger.com (smeasin) — Fri, 20 Mar 2015 19:41:00 +0000

Documentary of Historical Places in Bangladesh

Choto Shona Mosque, Chapai Nawabganj, Bangladesh

Choto Shona Mosque, Chapai Nawabganj, Bangladesh

Documentary of Choto Shona Mosque :-
Choto Shona Mosque (Bengali: ছোট সোনা মসজিদ, Small Golden Mosque) is located in Chapai Nawabganj district of Bangladesh. The mosque is situated about 3 km south of the Kotwali Gate and 0.5 km to the south-east of the Mughal Tahkhana complex in the Firozpur Quarter.

History :-
The mosque was built during the reign of Sultan Hussain Shah, between 1493 and 1519. The fifteen domes of the mosque were once gilded, giving the mosque the name of Choto Shona Masjid (Small Golden Mosque).[1][2] The mosque is one of the best-preserved sultana monuments under protection by the Department of Archaeology and Museums, Governments of Bangladesh. The gilding that gave the building its name does not exist anymore. The mosque premise, which covers an area of 42 m from east to west by 43.5 m from north to south, was originally surrounded by an outer wall (now restored) with a gateway in the middle of the east side.

Choto Shona Mosque, Chapai Nawabganj, Bangladesh

Design :-
Built of brick and stone the mosque proper forms a rectangle having outside dimensions of 25.1 m from north to south and 15.9 m from east to west. All the four walls are veneered externally and to some extend also internally with granite stone blocks. These stones have disappeared from the southern side of the west wall because of conservation works after the destruction by the earthquake of 1897. The four exterior angles of the building are strengthened with polygonal towers, of which nine facets are visible. The cornices are curvilinear and have stone gutters to drain off the rain water from the roof. There are five arched doorways in the eastern facade and three each on the north and south walls. Corresponding to the five archways in the east wall there are five semi-circular mihrabs inside the west wall. The stones of most of these miharbs have disappeared by now.

Short History of The Mosque The Bengali Language

The interior of the mosque, measuring 21.2 by 12.2 m is divided into three aisles by two rows of stone pillars, four in each row. A wide central nave has cut the aisles into halves, each half showing six equal square units with a side of 3.5 m. The nave has three rectangular units, each measuring 3.5 by 4.5 m. The interior of the mosque has therefore a total of fifteen units, of which the three rectangular units are covered with chauchala vaults, and the remaining twelve square units each by an inverted tumbler-shaped dome. They are all carried on radiating arches springing from the free-standing stone pillars and the engaged pilasters. The upper corners in between the arches of the square units are filled with corbelled brick pendentive to make up the phase of transition for the domes. At the northwest corner of the mosque there is a royal gallery forming an upper floor, which is still standing in a dilapidated condition. It was approached from the northwest corner of the mosque through a stepped platform connected with a doorway. The gallery has a mihrab in front.

Pictures of Chotto Sona Mosque In 20 Taka, Bangladesh Currency

Stone carving, brick-setting, terracotta, gilding and glazed tiles were used in decorating the building, and of them the former played the dominant role. The subject matters of the stone carving were chosen according to the demand of the spaces, e.g., the borders of the panels with creepers and their interior with various forms of stylised hanging patterns adapted from the chain-and-bell of the Bauddha and Jaina period. The spandrels of arches and the spaces above the frames are always dotted with rosettes, an attractive form of designs, but are all carved differently. The interior of the domes and vaults are decorated with terracottas, those of the vaults being copies of the bamboo frames of local huts. All the frontal archways and those of the mihrabs are cusped.

Ornamentation :-
The most important ornamentation of the mosque is to be seen on the frontal courtyard of the mosque, only recently excavated. The ornamentation consists of mosaic roundels in blue and white colours of variegated design. The mosaic design is not in situ, but a roundel has been composed by the excavators, putting the flakes in their appropriate places and exhibiting it in a room attached to the guesthouse nearby. At a distance of 14.5 m to the east of the gateway there is a stone platform containing two tomb sarcophagi inscribed with verses from the Quran and some names of God. It is unknown who is buried here. Cunningham suggests these are the tombs of Wali Muhammad, the builder of the mosque, and his father Ali.

Current situation :-
The glamour of the Chhoto Sona Masjid is not there as it was originally, particularly because of the stripping of the decorative mihrabs and the mosque courtyard, but the remains are nevertheless one of the most attractive monuments of Guar-Lakhnauti.

Khawaja Shahbaz Khan Mosque Shahabag, Dhaka, Bangladesh

noreply@blogger.com (smeasin) — Tue, 17 Mar 2015 07:33:00 +0000

Documentary of Historical Places in Bangladesh

Khawaja Shahbaz Khan Mosque Shahabag, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Khawaja Shahbaz Khan Mosque Shahabag, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Documentary of Khawaja Shahbaz Khan Mosque

Khawaja Shahbaz Khan Mosque :-

Khwaja Shahbaz’s Mosque and Tomb is located behind the Dhaka High Court, and to the east of the modern tomb complex of the three leaders (Teen Netar Mazar). Enclosed by a low outer wall with a gateway in the south the entire complex appears to have been built, as an inscription over the central doorway of the mosque records, in 1679 AD by Khwaja Shahbaz, merchant of Dhaka during the viceroyalty of prince muhammad azam.

Khawaja Shahbaz Khan Mosque Shahabag, Dhaka, Bangladesh

History :-

A merchant of prince of Dhaka who built the mosque as well as his own Dargah Sharif during his lifetime in - 1086 (h).It is an Islamic architecture. Now its present condition is good. Shahbaz Khan Mosque situated in the old high court area. In 1950 the Eastern circle of the Pakistan Directorate of Archaeology (DOA) took over both the Haji khwaja Shahbaj Masjid, and the adjacent square mazar. Shah baz khan built the mazar and post. This mosque and tomb, constructed in 1679 by Haji khwaja Shahbaz, a rich merchant of Dhaka, remains the city’s most refined mosque.

Architecture :-
Its high fortified walls and occasional bastions were encroached upon, destruction, defacement of different structures and changes in internal spaces, had put the fort in a sorry state. The two-storied diwan block was partly damaged; bathhouse, niches were filled in, and decorative panels were mostly plastered over. The DOA accomplished a good job in restoring the structure and converting it into a museum in the first place, but the pinkish finish on the exterior, rather than the original lustrous white, fuelled debates and controversies. The elegance of its interior bespeaks the patron’s wealth. The mosque’s interior is divided into three bays by two lateral cusped arches supported by stone piers embedded in the east and west walls. yet the Directorate restored the dochala roof on the veranda at the south of the tomb and the decorative features like engaged corner turrets. This appears to be the first use of lateral cusped arches in a Bengali mosque’s interior, and was doubtless inspired by imperial mughal architecture. The central Mihrab, particularly noteworthy, is highly ornamented with Cyprus-filled kanjuras, ornate arabesque plastic relief in the spandrels, a cusped arch, and engaged colonettes standing on bulbous floral bases. Due east of the mosque is the small, square, single-domed tomb with engaged turrets at each corner. Attached to the Southside was a low rectangular chamber with a do- chala roof, now collapsed. While the purpose of this room is not clear, it perhaps served as a prototype for the more symmetrical tomb of khwaja anwar-i shahid in Burdwan. It reconstructed the brick podium and provided adequate provision for ablution, plumbing, and sanitation services. The front façade of the mosque has three arched openings within four slender columns; it also has four corner turrets, ribbed and engaged. In a way the other two mosques built slightly later than this one bear similar features, but in an improved form. It is something that we now identify as a distinct Mughal style in Bengal.

It also worked on other structures, too. It shied away from proper excavation and documentation of the intricate water supply system a network of terracotta pipes, an aqueduct, a water reservoir and several fountains, until recently.

Present condition :-
Due to its uninterrupted use and some care and maintenance since then the mosque did not require any renovation. However, in the past, the DOA have made several unacceptable modifications while carrying out periodic repairs. Like in and around many other heritage structures all over the country, the premises of Shahbaz Khan mosque is occupied by religious groups building illegal structures and extensions to the listed building, ignoring its heritage value that they abuse, building codes and rules, fiercely protecting their possessions.

Lalbagh Fort, Lalbagh Kella Dhaka, Bangladesh

noreply@blogger.com (smeasin) — Sun, 15 Mar 2015 22:00:00 +0000

Documentary of Historical Places in Bangladesh

Lalbagh Fort, Lalbagh Kella Dhaka, Bangladesh

Part -1

Part-2

Documentary of Lalbagh Fort :-
Lalbagh Fort (also Fort Aurangabad) is an incomplete 17th century Mughal fort complex that stands proudly before the Buriganga River in the southwestern part of Dhaka, Bangladesh.The construction was started in 1678 AD by Mughal Subahdar Muhammad Azam Shah who was son of Emperor Aurangzeb and later emperor himself. His successor, Shaista Khan, did not continue the work, though he stayed in Dhaka up to 1688.

The Lalbagh Fort, Lalbagh Kella Dhaka, Bangladesh

History :-
Mughal prince Muhammad Azam, third son of Aurangzeb started the work of the fort in 1678 during his vice-royalty in Bengal. He stayed in Bengal for 15 months. The fort remained incomplete when he was called away by his father Aurangzeb.

Shaista Khan was the new subahdar of Dhaka in that time, and he did not complete the fort. In 1684, the daughter of Shaista Khan named Iran Dukht Pari Bibi died there. After her death, he started to think the fort as unlucky, and left the structure incomplete. Among the three major parts of Lalbagh Fort, one is the tomb of Pari Bibi.

After Shaista Khan left Dhaka, it lost its popularity. The main cause was that the capital was moved from Dhaka to Murshidabad. After the end of the royal Mughal period, the fort became abandoned. In 1844, the area acquired its name as Lalbagh replacing Aurangabad, and the fort became Lalbagh Fort.

Old Photo The Lalbagh Fort, Lalbagh Kella Dhaka, Bangladesh

Structures :-
For long the fort was considered to be a combination of three buildings (the mosque, the tomb of Bibi Pari and the Diwan-i-Aam), with two gateways and a portion of the partly damaged fortification wall. Recent excavations carried out by the Department of Archaeology of Bangladesh have revealed the existence of other structures.

The southern fortification wall has a huge bastion in the southwestern corner. On the north of the south fortification wall were the utility buildings, stable, administration block, and its western part accommodated a beautiful roof-garden with arrangements for fountains and a water reservoir. The residential part was located on the east of the west fortification wall, mainly to the south-west of the mosque.
The fortification wall on the south had five bastions at regular intervals two stories in height, and the western wall had two bastions; the biggest one is near the main southern gate. The bastions had an underground tunnel.

The central area of the fort is occupied by three buildings - the Diwan-i-Aam and the hammam on its east, the Mosque on the west and the Tomb of Pari Bibi in between the two - in one line, but not at equal distance. A water channel with fountains at regular intervals connects the three buildings from east to west and north to south.

Diwani-i-Aam :-
Diwan-i-Aam is a two storeyed building. A single storeyed hammam is attached on its west. The hammam portion has an underground room for boiling water. A long partition wall runs along the western facade of the hammam.

Diwani-i-Aam, Lalbagh Fort, Lalbagh, Dhaka Bangladesh

A water tank :-
A square shaped water tank (71.63m on each side) is placed to the east of the Diwan-i-Aam. There are four corner stairs to descend into the tank.
Tomb of Bibi Pari :-
The tomb of Bibi Pari, the daughter of Shaista Khan, is in the middle of the complex. There is a central square room. It contains the remains of Bibi Pari covered by a false octagonal dome and wrapped by brass plate.[1] The entire inner wall is covered with white marble. Eight rooms surround the central one. There is another small grave in the southeastern corner room.

Tomb of Bibi Pari, Lalbagh Fort, Lalbagh, Dhaka Bangladesh

Lalbagh Fort Mosque :-
The Lalbagh Fort Mosque is a three-domed mosque with a water tank on the eastern side.

The Lalbagh Fort Mosque, Lalbagh, Dhaka Bangladesh

Stories :-
From the time of construction till date, various myths have revolved around the fort. Among all the historical stories and debates, it is widely believed that Lalbagh Fort stands as a monument of the unfulfilled dreams of Prince Muhammad Azam, beloved son of Emperor Aurangzeb. In the mid 17th century, he was serving as the Viceroy of Bengal and began the construction of the impressive Lalbagh Fort complex.
Therefore the popular stories about the fort begin. Before the construction was finished, Prince Azam was called back to his father, to assist in the war against the Marathas. Legend says, after the Mughal prince departed, Shaista Khan continued with building the project, but upon the untimely death of his much-loved daughter Iran-Dukht, warmly known as Pari Bibi, the construction was stopped. Bibi was engaged to Prince Azam at the time of her death.

There are also legends and debates about the identity of Pari Bibi. Few researchers claim she was a nine-year-old Ahom princess. Mir Jumals Ahom’s expedition brought a war adjoining the Garo hills. He took the daughter of Ahom Raja to compel him for the full execution of the previous peace treaty. Later, the emperor made her convert to Islam and married her off to prince Azam. However, overshadowing all the debates, people now believe that she was the loving daughter of Nawab Shaista Khan.

Important facts :-
Archeologists after a recent excavation discover continuity of the main fort walls towards east below Shaishta Khan Road and opine that the present area of Qilla only represents half portion as planned by Prince Azam Khan. The gate at south east of Fort (adjacent to Lalbagh Shahi Masjid) as per requirement fits properly as the Central Gate in the middle of Fort, the other half on east- likely palnned for administrative purpose (Girde Qilla area)- were incomplete or extinct long ago.

Thomas Church, Johnson Road, Dhaka, Bangladesh

noreply@blogger.com (smeasin) — Sun, 15 Mar 2015 10:50:00 +0000

Documentary of Historical Places in Bangladesh
St Thomas Church, Nawabpur Road/Johnson Road, Dhaka

St Thomas Church, Nawabpur Road/Johnson Road, Dhaka

St Thomas Church :-

St Thomas Church is an Anglican Church which is also known as The Church of Bangladesh . The church premise was in an area of lush greeneries with the famous Bahadur Shah Park at a stone’s throw distance on the south. The north-south axial Nawabpur Road/Johnson Road, the most important commercial street connecting the old part of the city with the new, is on the west and separated the area from the court, Bank, DC's office and Jagannath University buildings across it. In fact the church overlooking the greens is a major focal of the city centre in the nineteenth century.

1870 Old Photo St Thomas' Church, Dhaka, Bangladesh

History :-
Built in 1819, and inaugurated by Bishop Reginald Heber of Kolkata (Calcutta) on the 10th of July in 1824 while he was on a visit to Dhaka. The church is serving as a cathedral church since 1951. It is said that the convicts from Dhaka Jail gave their labour to build this church as well The church of Bangladesh continues the history of the movement of Protestants into India early in the 19th century. The Protestant community in what is now Bangladesh has been dominated by the Baptists, but the Church of England and the Presbyterians were also active. In 1947 Bangladesh became the eastern province of bifurcated nation of Pakistan, but in 1972 it officially separated as an independent nation. In 1970, the Presbyterians and Anglicans in Bangladesh united (as part of the general union of Christian in Pakistan) to form the Diocese of Dhaka of the Church of Pakistan. The creation of Bangladesh involved a civil war and the development of harsh relation between two countries. Although officially continuing as a Diocese of the Church of Pakistan for some years, the church in Bangladesh began almost immediately to function as an autonomous organization which gradually emerged as the independent Church of Bangladesh (St Thomas Church). The church is led by most reverend Paul S.Sarkar who in January 2003 became the third bishop of the church of Bangladesh. The 71 parishes are divided into 2 dioceses. The church has approximately 15,600 members (2005). It has been a member of the World Council of Churches since 1975 and functions as part of the larger worldwide Anglican Communion.

St Thomas Church, Johnson Road, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Architectural Features :-
The attraction of this building, built after the style of east churches, with a square clock tower with arch windows on its walls. A small porch leads to the entrance of the church supported on four columns which are of perpendicular gothic design on top of the entrance. Small square parapets are used on the roof. There are two columns at the back of the rectangular nave which leads to a pulpit through an arch. The pulpit is rectangular and has a brass cross on the wall at the back. The altar is constructed of wood and also has a brass cross on top of it. The location of the altar is at the east end. There are elegant curved chairs for congregation. A stone font on the back of the nave. The walls of the church are adorned with stone tablets commemorating some of the members of the church. the roofs of the verandas are set upon sloppy korhikath. The rectangular hall room is very much tidy and two piers with grooves are easity visible surpasiing other things and these piers donot carry any weight.The roof used wooden battens on iron joists; the floor have tiles. The delicate stone and brick works of this white plastered building are still as immaculate as it has been for nearly two centuries. Even most of the thick teak furniture, altar, and ablution bowl (for baptising) in marble are still unblemished and in good working condition. However, the open colonnades around two sides of the nave (central axial hall) were walled up later. In 2005 the church authority has undertaken a massive renovation of the building. Though the church is small in size, it is one of the most attractive ones in Bangladesh. The rectangular flat-roof steeple rises above the roof in two stages.

Dhakeshwari National Temple, Dhakeshwari Mandir, Dhaka, Bangladesh

noreply@blogger.com (smeasin) — Sat, 14 Mar 2015 21:42:00 +0000

Documentary of Historical Places in Bangladesh

Dhakeshwari National Temple, Dhakeshwari Mandir,

Bakshi Bazar, Dhakeshwari Road, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Dhakeshwari Mandir, Dhakeshwari National Temple, Dhaka,Bangladesh

Dhakeshwari Mandir :-

Dhakeshwari National Temple (Bengali: ঢাকেশ্বরী জাতীয় মন্দির Ðhakeshshori Jatio Mondir) is a Hindu temple in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is state-owned, giving it the distinction of being Bangladesh's 'National Temple'. The name "Dhakeshwari" (ঢাকেশ্বরী Ðhakeshshori) means "Goddess of Dhaka". Since the destruction of Ramna Kali Mandir in 1971 by the Pakistan Army during the Bangladesh Liberation War, the Dhakeshwari Temple has assumed status as the most important Hindu place of worship in Bangladesh.

1904 Old Photo Dhakeshwari Mandir Dhaka,Bangladesh

History :-

The Dhakeshwari temple was built in the 12th century by Ballal Sen, a king of the Sena dynasty, and many say the city was named after this temple. The current architectural style of the temple cannot be dated to that period because of the numerous repairs, renovations and rebuilding which have taken place over time. It is considered an essential part of Dhaka's cultural heritage. Many researchers say that the temple is also one of the Shakti Peethas, where the jewel from the crown of the Goddess Sati had fallen. Although there is not enough historical context to establish this as a fact, researchers were directed to this site while trying to locate the particular Shakti Peetha. Since ages, the temple has been held in great importance. The original 800-year old statue was taken to Kumartuli, Kolkata, West Bengal, India. There remains the replica of original idol in Dhaka. The temple was further damaged during the Muslim mob attacks of 1989–90.

It is widely believed that the Queen, wife of King Bijoy Sen went to Langolbond for bathing. While coming back she gave birth to a son, known to historians as Ballal Sen. After ascending to the throne, Ballal Sen built this temple to glorify his birthplace. Legends say that Ballal Sen once dreamt of the deity covered under the jungle. Ballal Sen uncovered the deity from there and built a temple, named for Dhakeswari. Whatever the legends describe, Hindu religious consider Dhakeswari to be the presiding deity of Dhaka, which is an incarnation or form of Goddess Durga the Adi Shakti . The idol of Durga is called Dhakeswari .

Dhakeshwari Mandir Dhaka, Bangladesh

Structure :-

Exterior view :- Within the premises of the Dhakeswari there are temples of two types of architecture. The ancient one is of the Poncharotna Goddess Durga’s which lost its actual look after the renovation work. Bradly Bird wrote this at the beginning of this century. The present temple is two hundred years old which was built by an agent of East India Company. Most probably he had renovated the temple. Other than this there are four Shib Temples. According to hearsay, in the 16th century King Mansing built these temples by laying four Shib Lingas there. But this information seems to be unreliable. The fusion of Bangla chowchala and shikor temple is notice in the architecture of Dhakeshawri. Ratan Lal Chakraborti in an article mentioned that “ the structure and architecture of it is like a Buddhist Pagoda”. He opined that it was probably a Boddist pagoda which was turned into a Hindu temple later. From this he assumed that the temple was probably built in the 10th century.

How did Dhakeshari temple look like in the 19th century? Ridoynath Majumder described about the temple. At that time the temple was covered by jungle and in its north the Urdu road went westward towards Pilkhana and at its south west was Mirpur road. At its south there was a wood and Urdu bazar was at the east.

Interior view :- The temple was panchoratno, at its front Natamandir and around it there is a row of rooms and a big pond and nahobottola gate through which elephant used to go. At its east there are tombs of some saints who used to pray or meditate at the temple. Outside the temple there are 5-6 pagoda with a shiblinga. The priest of Dhakeshawri temple used pray every day. The deity is doshvuja. It is believed that it is made of gold. At the left and right side of the deity there are some other murti. Like the ancient temples its inside is dark. To see the deity light is to be arranged. The temple is owned by many because it is bought by the new caretaker from the old caretakers. Jotindramohan bought it in 1901. Dhakeshawri is crowded but it is an abode of peace. The low sound of the tongue mixes with the evening light and tune of temple bell and make the peaceful environment a happy event.

Dhakeshwari National Temple, Dhaka,Bangladesh

Declaration as National Temple of Bangladesh :-

In 1996, Dhakeshwari Temple was renamed Dhakeshwari Jatiya Mandir (National Temple) reflecting its position as the center of Hindu culture and worship in Bangladesh. This was the culmination of a major campaign by Bangladeshi Hindu groups who had been demanding official recognition for the primary Hindu place of worship following the declaration of Islam as the state religion in 1988. As a result, the flag of Bangladesh is hoisted every morning outside the main temple premises, and it follows the National Flag Code rules such as rendering half-mast on nationally declared days of mourning.

As is the practice in other leading religious places of worship in Bangladesh, day-long prayers are common practice during important national holidays such as Independence Day, Language Martyrs' Day, Victory Day and birth and death anniversaries of former leaders such as Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Ziaur Rahman.

Threats to temple security :-

The Dhakeshwari Temple was severely damaged during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, and over half of the temple's buildings were destroyed. The main worship hall was taken over by the Pakistan Army and used as an ammunitions storage area. Several of the temple custodians were tortured and killed by the Army though most, including the Head Priest, fled to their ancestral villages then to India and therefore escaped death.

A significant portion of the temple land has been lost due to the Vested Property Act and confiscation by the Bangladesh Government, and the current premises are considerably lower than the historic reach of the property. Muslim mobs have attacked the temple complex many times, with the last major attack taking place in December 1992, following the demolition of Babri Masjid in India.

Religious and socio-cultural activities :-

Dhakeshwari Temple is a hub of socio-cultural as well as religious activity. Each year, the largest celebration of Durga Puja (the most important event in the Bengali Hindu calendar) in Dhaka is held at the National Temple, and a stream of dignitaries (such as the Bangladeshi President, Prime Minister, Leader of Opposition, Members of Parliament and media celebrities) come to felicitate the Bangladeshi Hindu community from the temple premises. Several thousand worshippers and onlookers (including Muslims) stream through the premises where they are offered prasad (food - usually rice and lentils). A Bijaya Sammelani (cultural program following Durga Puja) takes place in the adjoining parade ground a few days after Durga Puja is complete, and is also a major cultural event in the Dhaka calendar, regularly attracting some of the top performers from the Dhaka music and film industry.

One of the most important events of the year is the Janmashthami procession which starts from Dhakeshwari temple and then proceeds through the streets of Old Dhaka; this occurs on the day of Lord Krishna's birthday, which is also a national holiday in Bangladesh and second only to Durga Puja in importance in the Bengali Hindu calendar. The procession dates back to 1902 but was stopped in 1948 following the establishment of Pakistan and subsequent attacks by Muslim mobs in Dhaka. The procession was resumed in 1989.

Concerts and charity drives (such as flood relief) are also a regular fixture within the temple throughout the year. Each year, Dhakeshwari Temple hosts major blood drives and inoculation programs which are open to all residents of Dhaka city.

At the old time festivals happened on the month of Chaitra in temple complex of Dhakeswari. This place was crowded by various colored shops. Peoples-virtuous comes to visit the temple to gather religious merit and get back to their home. Millions of Hindu religious peoples taking bath at Langolbondon the month of choitra on sukla ostomi time to rid of their sins. People comes to dhakeswari temple by on foot from different roads to be blessed by the deity Durga like a row of ants. It was the best moment of their whole year. With great hope they come out from their home and it’s reflected on their faces, to getting rid of their sins they worship to the Deity with exclusive devotion by bowing their head to mediation of Bhagaban. They forget about everything hunger, sleep, restless everything, they just believe that they will be blessed and they step up for the temple. All those peoples divided into small groups, each groups has ten to twenty. Every one of those group members are women, only one man is there to taking care of them who is the elders of the village. They have comes from very long distance by forming groups. Old peoples, skinny peoples and the oldest are also gathered to this group. Young people from the nearest city to the temple volunteering for the people come from long distance to be blessed by the Deity. With a great concentration, eagerness to the worship of the Deity and often bowing by shouting “Oom Dhaka eswari”.

In present days, each year, the largest celebration of Durga puja(the most important event in the Bengali Hindu calendar) in Dhaka is held at the National Temple, and a stream of dignitaries come to felicitate the Bangladeshi Hindu community from the temple premises. Several thousand worshippers and onlookers (including Muslims) stream through the premises where they are offered prasad(food - usually rice and lentils). A Bijaya Sammelani (cultural program following Durga Puja) takes place in the adjoining parade ground a few days after Durga Puja is complete, and is also a major cultural event in the Dhaka calendar.

Present condition :-

These are not seen any more at Dhakeswari. It was severely damaged during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, and over half of the temple's buildings were destroyed. The main worship hall was taken over by the Pakistan Army and used as an ammunitions storage area. Several of the temple custodians were tortured and killed by the Army though most, including the Head Priest, fled to their ancestral villages and to India and therefore escaped death. After that everything was destroyed of Dhakeswari temple at the time of riot on rule of Ershad president of Bangladesh at 1990 except the outer slough.

Bangladesh National Mosque Baitul Mukarram

noreply@blogger.com (smeasin) — Sat, 14 Mar 2015 21:12:00 +0000

Documentary of Historical Places in Bangladesh

Bangladesh National Mosque Baitul Mukarram, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Baitul Mukarram :- Baitul Mukarram, also spelled as Baytul Mukarrom (Arabic: بيت المكرّم‎; Bengali: বায়তুল মোকাররম; The Holy House) is the national mosque of Bangladesh. Located at the center of Dhaka, capital of Bangladesh, the mosque was completed in 1968.[1] The mosque has a capacity of 30,000, giving it the respectable position of being the 10th biggest mosque in the world. However the mosque is constantly getting overcrowded. This especially occurs during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, which has resulted in the Bangladeshi government having to add extensions to the mosque, thus increasing the capacity to at least 40,000.

Architecture :-

The mosque has several modern architectural features whilst at the same time it preserves the traditional principles of Mughal architecture which has for some time been dominant in the Indian sub-continant. Baitul Mukarram's large cube shape was modeled to that of the Ka'abah at Mecca making it a noticeable structure being unlike any other mosque in Bangladesh.

Exterior Design :-

The mosque is on a very high platform. The Baitul Mukarram Mosque’s building is eight storied and 99 feet high from the ground level. According to the original plan, the main entrance of the mosque was to be on the eastern side. The 'shaan' on the east is 29,000 square feet with ablution space on its south and north sides. Ablution or Wu’du Place cached an important part when the Baitul Mukarram was begun. The absence of a dome on the main building is compensated by the two superficial domed entrance porticoes, one on the south, and the other on the north. The height of these porticoes consists of three rabbit's foot shaped arches, the middle of which is bigger than the rest.

Interior design :-

Two patios (roofless inner courtyard) ensure that enough light and air enter the prayer hall of Baitul Mukarram Mosque. The mehrab of the hall is rectangular instead of semi-circular. Excessive ornamentation is avoided throughout the mosque, since minimizing ornamentation is typical of modern architecture.

Garden :-

The garden is laid out in a style borrowed heavily from Mughal gardens, however unlike the traditional Mughal gardens which represent the Islamic Heaven, the garden does not have the Char-Bagh system most likely due to not having enough room for such a garden. The future of this garden is unknown, if the Bangladeshi government extends the mosque, it will most likely have to remove the garden.

History :-

The mosque complex was designed by architect, T Abdul Hussain Thariani. In 1959, owner of then Bawany Jute Mills, Haji Abdul Latif Bawany proposed to Major General Omrao Khan, then military administrator of East Pakistan, of building a grande mosque in Dhaka. Omrao Khan agreed to help on building such mosque. Same year, 'Baitul Mukarram mosque committee' had been established and 8.30 acre of land between new Dhaka and old Dhaka had been chosen. At that time, there was a large pond in present mosque's location. It was known as 'Paltan pond. The pond was filled up and in 27 January 1960 then president of Pakistan Ayub Khan commenced the work. Pray for first time took place on Friday, 25th January, 1963.

The plan included shops, offices, libraries and parking areas within the complex. Though there has been a tradition of dome mosque for Muslim, this building did not maintain the rule of traditional mosque in that time. A Mosque without a dome over the roof of its main prayer hall must have been a unique experiment. The mosque was built when the country was the Part of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

Ahsan Manzil, Buriganga River, Kumartoli, Dhaka, Bangladesh

noreply@blogger.com (smeasin) — Sat, 14 Mar 2015 08:16:00 +0000

Documentary of Historical Places in Bangladesh

Ahsan Manzil, Buriganga River, Kumartoli, Dhaka

Ahsan Manzil :-

Ahsan Manzil (Bengali: আহসান মঞ্জিল, Ahsan Monjil) was the official residential palace and seat of the Dhaka Nawab Family. This magnificent building is situated at Kumartoli along the banks of the Buriganga River in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The construction of this palace was started in 1859 and was completed in 1872. It was constructed in the Indo-Saracenic Revival architecture. It has been designated as a national museum.

History :-

In Mughal era, there was a garden house of Sheikh Enayet Ullah, the landlord of Jamalpur porgona (district), in this place. Sheikh Enayet Ullah was a very charming person. He acquired a very big area in Kumortuli (Kumartuli) and included it in his garden house. Here he built a beautiful palace and named it “Rongmohol” (Rangmahal). He used to enjoy here keeping beautiful girls collecting from the country and abroad, dressing them with gorgeous dresses and expensive ornaments. There is a saying that, the foujdar of Dhaka (representative of mughal emperor) in that time was attracted to one of the beautiful girls among them. He invited Sheikh Enayet Ullah in a party one night and killed him in a conspiracy when he was returning home. That girl also committed suicide in anger and sorrow. There was a grave of Sheikh Enayet Ullah in the north-east corner of the palace yard which was ruined in the beginning of 20th century.

Probably in the period of Nawab Alibardi Khan around 1740 century, Sheikh Moti Ullah, the son of Sheikh Enayet Ullah, sold the property to the French traders. There was a French trading house beside this property. The trading house became wealthier after purchasing this property. In that time, French traders could do business here without paying any taxes by a decree from the emperor Awrangajeb.

In that time, the French became very wealthy by doing business here in competition with the English and other European companies. They made a big palace and dug a pond for sweet water in the newly purchased property. The pond still exists in the compound of Ahsan Manjil which was called “Les Jalla” in that time. In the English-French war, French got defeated and all their properties were captured by the English. In the 22nd June of 1757, the French left the trading house with a fleet of 35 boats from the river station of Buriganga in front of Kumartuli.

In 1785, the French transferred the property to a French tradesman named Mr. Champigni, and retaken it at 1801. According to Paris agreement of 1814, the French claimed all their left properties at Dhaka, and in 1827 the property was again returned to the French. For the increasing power of the English, the French was forced to left subcontinent. They decided to sell all their properties in Dhaka. So in 1830, the trading house of Kumartuli was purchased by the established landlord of Dhaka Khwaja Alimullah.

After some renovation work, the trading house became the residence of Khwaja Alimullah. In his time, a stable and a family mosque was added in the compound. After his death, his son Khwaja Abdul Gani made a great flourish to the property, and named it “Ahsan Manjil” on his son Ahsan Ullah. In the east side of the old building, he made a new building with a different design, and also done great renovation work to the old building. Since then, the old building was called “Ondor Mohol” and the new building was called “Rong mohol”.

In the evening of 7 April 1888, a devastating tornado hit Dhaka city causing great damage. Ahsan Manjil was severely damaged and abandoned. An English engineer from Kolkata arrived here to examine the palace. He gave opinion that except the “Rangmahal”, all other parts of the palace have to reconstruct. So Khwaja Abdul Gani and his son Ahsanullah turned their full attention to rebuild the palace. Both of the building was reconstructed during that time with a new design and supervised by the local engineer Gobinda Chandra Roy.

The old French building was reconstructed to a two storied building keeping similarity to the Rangmahal. A gangway was made with wood connecting the first floor of two building. The most beautiful thing made in this time was the dome, which made the palace so beautiful.

After the death of Khwaja Ahsanullah in 1901, the glory of Ahsan Manjil was ended. His successors couldn’t continue the glory because of the internal family quarrel. They rented different parts of the palace to tenants, who actually made it a slum. In 1952, govt. acquired the property and left in supervision of the Dhaka Nawab court. In 1985, Dhaka National Museum acquired the property and made it a museum.

Description and construction :-

Ahsan Manzil is one of the most significant architectural monuments of Bangladesh. The building structure was established on a raised platform of 1 meter, the two-storied palace measures 125.4m by 28.75m. The height of the ground floor is 5 meters and the height of the first floor is 5.8 meters. The thickness of the walls of the palace is about 0.78 meters. There are porticos of 5 meters height on the northern and southern sides of the palace. The building has a broad front-facing the Buriganga River. On the river side, an open spacious stairway leads right up to the second portal and on their stands the grand triple- arched portals. There was once a fountain in the garden in front of the stairs which does not exist today. All along the north and the south side of the building run spacious verandahs with an open terrace projected in the middle.

The palace Ahsan Manzil is divided into two parts: the eastern side and the western side. The eastern building with the dome is called the Rangmahal and the western side with the living rooms is called Andarmahal. The high octagonal dome is placed on the central round room. There is a large drawing room, card room, library, state room and two other guest rooms are located on the east side of the palace. The ballroom, the Hindustani room and few residential rooms are situated on the western side. A beautiful vaulted artificial ceiling, made of wood, decorates the drawing room and the Jalsaghar. A splendid dining hall and few smaller rooms are placed on the west part. The floors of the dining and Darbar Halls are decorated with white, green and yellow colored ceramic tiles. The famous store room, where the valuables of the Nawabs used to be stored, was in the middle of the five rooms located in the western half of the ground floor. Along with those rooms a Darbar Hall or assembly hall and a chest room is also place there.

There are attractive wooden stairs in the room that is attached to the north of the domed room. The balusters were ornamented with vine leaves made of iron along the railing of the stairs. The wooden ceiling of the room, decorated with geometric designs, is very elegant. The verandas and rooms are covered with marble. The doorways are placed within semicircular arches. The inner doors had multi-colored glasses. Wooden beams supported the roof of these rooms. The architecture and the decoration is one of a kind in whole Bangladesh.

The construction of the famous dome of the Ahsan Mazil, which is at the center of the palace, took a lot tedious planning. The square room on the ground floor was built with a round shape and brickworks were done around the corners. To give the room an octagonal shape, squinches were given around the roof corners. The eight corners of the octagon was slanted gradually to make the dome look like the bud of a lotus ( kumud kali). The peak of this dome is 27.13 m above the ground. Ahsan Manzil was severely damaged during the tornado that occurred on 7 April 1888.the western block of Andermahal was completely demolished and later it was entirely rebuilt. The present day dome, which is situated on the top, was built during the time of reconstruction. This place was also damaged during the earthquake of 1897 but Nawab Khwaja Ahsanullah repaired the whole place again.

Glory days :-

In 1874, Lord Northbrook, Governor General of India attended an evening function in the palace when he came to lay the foundation of a water works installed by Nawab Abdul Ghani. In 1888, Lord Dufferin also accepted the hospitality offered at Ahsan Manzil. In 1904 Lord Curzon, on a visit to East Bengal, stayed in this palace on 18 and 19 February to win public support for the proposed Partition of Bengal.

Ahsan Manzil, an architectural treasure, is a witness to many historical events of Bangladesh. From the last part of the 19th century to the initial years of Pakistan, the Muslim leadership of East Bengal emerged from this palace. The nawabs of Dhaka used to conduct their court affairs here as chief of the panchayet (village council) everyday. Many anti-Congress meetings were held here under the patronization of Nawab Ahsanullah, a staunch believer in Muslim identity. Almost all the Viceroys, Governors and Lieutenant Governors of British India who visited Dhaka spent some time at the Ahsan Manzil. Almost all political activities of Nawab Khwaja Salimullah centred round this palace. Ahsan Manzil was the cradle of the All India Muslim League. With the decline of the Nawabs of Dhaka, Ahsan Manzil also started to decline.

Decline :-

In 1952, the Dhaka Nawab State was acquired under the East Bengal Estate Acquisition Act; it became impossible for the successors of the Nawabs to maintain the palace due to financial constraints. Nawab Khwaja Habibullah started living at Paribag Green House soon after the acquisition of the zamindari. The palace was soon on the verge of collapse as successors rented out rooms without considering its dignity. Over the years illegal occupants turned the place into a filthy slum. After the independence of Bangladesh, most of the nawab family went to abroad in search of a better livelihood and work. On 1974, the owners of the palace decided to give it up on auction.

Structure :-

Picturesquely situated on the edge of a river, the Sat Gambuj Mosque in its exterior is the most innovative of all the Dhaka Mughal-period monuments. The north and south ends of this three-domed rectangular mosque are each marked by two enormous double-storied corner pavilions; when viewed from the east these give the impression that the mosque has five exterior bays. On the east are three cusped entrances arches flanked by shallow niches. Slender engaged columns with bulbous bases demarcate the central bay. As seen as the Lalbagh Fort Mosque, although this mosques's colonettes are more prominent. Its interior compares favourably with that of others dating to the second half of the seventeenth century. The central mihrab has two rows of cusping, and its surface is embellished with moulded plaster relief, recalling the ornateness of the mihrab in the mosque of Haji Khwaja Shahbaz.

'It used forms of different shapes- octagon, square, rectangle and circle all beautifully juxtaposed. Besides the typical three domes on the main prayer hall, there are four hollow double-storey domed corner towers that gave rise to its name (Seven-Domed Mosque). The corner turret provided structural stability and visual balance to the 38'×27' building on a river bank, and was probably used as viewing galleries for enjoying the river. The upper level of the octagonal turrets starts from around half the height of the main prayer hall. Both the levels have arched panels and windows, surmounted by cornice and capped by domes with kalasha (pitcher) finials planted on lotus base.

Otherwise with a bigger dome in the middle flanked by two smaller ones, the mosque bears all the characteristic features of Shaista Khani style. However, though the qibla facades of most such buildings remain unadorned, that of the Sat Gambuj Mosque is decorated with recessions within moulded panels, the middle portion delineated by two slender pilasters slightly protruding. These are much bigger than those usually seen at the front. The three central panels have an arch-shape on the lower part.

The mosque has three cusped entrance arches, the middle one being taller and edged with multi-foil arch a late- Mughal refinement, flanked by shallow niches and rectangular panels and echoed by mihrabs on the qibla wall, slender engaged pilasters with bulbous base demarcating the central bay, mihrab surface embellished with moulded plaster relief, corner turret stretched above merlon parapet with pinnacles, single, openings on side walls, etc. The side entrances have mere decoration applied to their external faces some of which may not be original. All these elements emphasize the symmetrical and axial arrangement along with the central dome and the mihrab. The style is very common among most of the surviving historic mosques of Dhaka. Built on a spacious and solid podium, it has many elements resembling those in Khwaja Shahbaz Mosque, Khan Muhammad Mirdha's Mosque, and the mosque inside the Lalbagh Fort.

The heights of the entrances and other openings have, however, been distorted or dwarfed by elevation of the plinth level as the ground around was constantly elevated to remain free above flood level. However, the two slender pinnacles rising on both sides of the panel provide some kind of vertically to this otherwise horizontal and little stout structure. This element achieved a level of perfection and hence elegance in the Mridha's Mosque built quarter of a century later. There are eight small panels on each side of the door, all of which are enclosing arched niches. The transition from the square to the circle of the dome base is made by pendentives. However, the domes as conventional, rest on octagonal drum shoulder, embellished with blind merlons. The brick lime walls of the naturally cool structures are 4' deep.

There is a graveyard in front of the mosque used as late as the 1950s originally inside a wider garden that was gradual eroded by river and encroached by buildings. A distinct gateway in front of the sahn that was now subsided because of gradual rise in the surrounding levels can be climbed over for azan (prayer call). The river Turag on which the picturesque structure was standing even few decades back, has now moved nearly a kilometer away from it due to silt, encroachment by filling up, and change of course. The surrounding reclaimed lands for many years were used by small scale manufacturers, semi-permanent houses and slums. But now heavier and more intensive uses can be seen.

Present condition :-

Nawab Khwaja Ahsanullah had the abandoned structure re-embellished as it was later listed in 1913 by the ASI. Due to its uninterrupted use and some care and maintenance since then the mosque did not require any renovation. However, in the past, the DOA have made several unacceptable modifications while carrying out periodic repairs that show the poverty of its mind. For example, the use of terrazzo on the floor of the main prayer hall and the courtyard is contrary to normal conservation practices that would have avoided using most modern materials to maintain an authenticity. Some recent renovation jobs, for example applying the thick white plaster, have also drawn criticism from the experts.

Like in and around many other heritage structures all over the country, the premises of Sat Gambuj Mosque is occupied by religious groups building illegal structures and extensions to the listed building, ignoring its heritage value that they abuse, building codes and rules, fiercely protecting their possessions.[5] Unfortunately, few travelers see Sat Gambuj Mosque because of its somewhat remote location.

Renovation :-

Recognizing the historical and architectural importance of the Ahsan Manzil, the government of Bangladesh took the initiative to renovate it. In 1985, Ahsan Manzil and its surroundings were acquired. After the completion of the renovation work in 1992 under the supervision of the Directorate of Public Works and Architecture, it was brought under the control of Bangladesh National Museum (20 September 1992). A museum has been established there.

Considering the historical importance and architectural significance of Ahsan Manzil palace, the government was trying to conserve it since the later part of the Pakistani rule. The father of nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman canceled its auction proposal option. On November 2, 1974, he ordered to establish a museum and tourist center after its proper conservation.

After the implementation of the work on the museum started, most of the nawab's house area along with the half of the portion of the Andarmahal remained beyond acquisition. The total area of acquired land was 5.65 acres. Out of that 0.68 acres from northern side was given to Dhaka City Corporation to establish a super market and 4.96 acres of land with the palace buildings remained for museum purpose. In 1986, the work began according to the above order keeping the original structure undisturbed and reconstructing the old environment as far as possible. After the completion of the renovation work in 1992, under the supervision of the Directorate of Public Works and Architecture, it was brought under the control of Bangladesh National Museum (20 September 1992). A museum has been established there.

Sat Gombuj Moshjid, Seven Dome Mosque Mohammadpur, Dhaka Bangladesh

noreply@blogger.com (smeasin) — Wed, 11 Mar 2015 21:13:00 +0000

Documentary of Historical Places in Bangladesh

Sat Gombuj Moshjid, Seven Dome Mosque Mohammadpur, Dhaka

Sat Gombuj Moshjid, Seven Dome Mosque Mohammadpur, Dhaka

Sat Gambuj Mosque :-

Sat Gambuj Mosque (Bengali: সাত গম্বুজ মসজিদ; Sat Gombuj Mosque or Seven Domed Mosque) is located near the north-western outskirts of Dhaka in the Jafarbad area is the Sat Gambuj Mosque which illustrates a fine example of the provincial mughal style introduced in Bangladesh in the 17th Century. The mosque's most notable features are its seven bulbous domes crowning the roof and covering the main prayer hall. Probably erected by Governor Shaista Khan, the monument stands in a romantic setting on a buttressed 15'-0" high bank overlooking an extensive flood plain.

History :-

A few kilometers to the north of Peelkhana, for long the end of Mughal Dhaka, was the Jafarbad or Katasur area, originally part of mouza Sarai Begumpur; many of the mouzas or revenue circles were delineated during the reign of Shershah and later by Kartalab Khan. A small urban settlement on record on a route along the river, this was an alternative to reach Brahmaputra or Garh Jaripa without having to go through the hostile areas along the main stream of Sitalakhya and Brahmaputra on the east. This is evident from its geographic and strategic location, origin of the names of the locality and the remnants around it. The place where the seven-domed mosque is was variously known as Sarai Jafarbad or Katasur, under Sarai Begumpur. There was a small agricultural community in between Pilkhana and Jafarbad where the Sat Gambuj Mosque was built. The area in course of time became like a jungle due to disuse, dereliction and desertion mainly during the British period. However, in last 55 years it has become Dhanmondi- one of the planned and most expensive residential enclaves of Dhaka. The Sat Masjid Road is the major peripheral road of the district to its west, and believed to have been built roughly along where the old Bank river Turag was.

Structure :-

Present condition :-

Like in and around many other heritage structures all over the country, the premises of Sat Gambuj Mosque is occupied by religious groups building illegal structures and extensions to the listed building, ignoring its heritage value that they abuse, building codes and rules, fiercely protecting their possessions. Unfortunately, few travelers see Sat Gambuj Mosque because of its somewhat remote location.

Next Release in Blogs Dome

What Wikipedia Can't Tell You About Natural Resources in Bangladesh?

Shiva Temple in Puthia, Rajshahi, Bangladesh

Historical Places in Bangladesh

Shiva Temple in Puthia, Rajshahi, Bangladesh

Jagannath Temple

Mainamati Comilla, Bangladesh

Mahasthangarh, Bogra, Bangladesh

Sonargaon Ancient Kingdom of Bangla

Paharput Buddha Bihar, Naogaon, Bangladesh

Bandarban Golden Temple Bandarban, Bangladesh

Hardinge Bridge, The Steel Railway Bridge Bangladesh

Tara Masjid, Star Mosque Armanitola, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Documentary of Historical Places in BangladeshTara Masjid, Star Mosque Armanitola, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Prince Shah Shuja Tahkhana and Shah Nimatullah Mosque Chapai Nawabganj, Rajshahi, Bangladesh

Satkhira Zamindar Mansion Satkhira, Khulna, Bangladesh

Singair Mosque Bagerhat, Khulna, Bangladesh

Nine Domed Mosque Bagerhat, Khulna, Bangladesh

Two Ruined Mandirs Satkhira, Khulna, Bangladesh

Pancha Mandir Satkhira, Khulna, Bangladesh

Tetulia Jami Mosque Satkhira, Khulna, Bangladesh

Khania Dighi Mosque, Chapai Nawabganj, Bangladesh

Choto Shona Mosque Chapai Nawabganj, Bangladesh

Khawaja Shahbaz Khan Mosque Shahabag, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Lalbagh Fort, Lalbagh Kella Dhaka, Bangladesh

Thomas Church, Johnson Road, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Dhakeshwari National Temple, Dhakeshwari Mandir, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Bangladesh National Mosque Baitul Mukarram

Ahsan Manzil, Buriganga River, Kumartoli, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Sat Gombuj Moshjid, Seven Dome Mosque Mohammadpur, Dhaka Bangladesh

Documentary of Historical Places in Bangladesh
Tara Masjid, Star Mosque Armanitola, Dhaka, Bangladesh