THE HISTORICAL PLACES

IN BANGLADESH

By sajid Bin Rashid

LALBAGH KELLA Lalbagh Fort (also Fort Aurangabad) is an incomplete 17th century Mughal fort complex

that stands 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. 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.

AHSAN MANZIL Ahsan Manzil 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. 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

collected 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 the 20th century.

KANTAJEW TEMPLE

Kantanagar Temple, commonly known as Kantaji Temple or Kantajew Temple at Kantanagar , is

a late-medieval Hindu temple in Dinajpur, Bangladesh. The Kantajew Temple is one of the most

magnificent religious edifices belonging to the 18th century. The temple belongs to the popular

Hindu Kanta or Krishna and this is most popular with the Radha -Krishna cult (assemble of

memorable love) in Bengal. This beautiful temple is dedicated to Krishna and his wife Rukmini.

Built by Maharaja Pran Nath, its construction started in 1704 CE and ended in the reign of his

son Raja Ramnath 1722 CE, during the reign of his son Maharaja Ramnath.It boasts one of the

greatest examples on terracotta architecture in Bangladesh and once had nine spires, but all

were destroyed in an earthquake that took place in 1897. The temple was built in a navaratna

(nine- spired) style before the destruction caused by the earthquake of 1897. The characteristic

features of the erections are the four centered and wide multi-cusped arches, the plastered

surface of the walls having immense rectangular and square panelings, prominence of the

central archway and the central mihirab by making the slightly larger and setting in a projected

fronton in the outside directions, the use of ornamental turrets on the either side of the

fronons, the semi-octagonal mirirab apertures,the archway opening under half-domes, the

Persian muquarnas work in stucco inside the half-domes over the entrance arches and mihirab

niches,the bulbous outline of the domes with constructed necks, domes on octagonal drums

with lotus and kalasa finials as the crowning elements, the round pendentives to make up the

phase of transition for the domes and the multi-faced corner towers rising high above the

horizontal merloned parapets.

SOMAPURA MAHAVIHARA

Somapura Mahavihara 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 as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the year of

1985. It dates from a similar time period to the nearby Halud Vihara and to

the Sitakot Vihara in Nawabganj Upazila of Dinajpur District.

Somapura Mahavihara built by the second Pala king Dharmapala (circa

781–821) of Pāla Dynasty.

MAHASTHANGARH

Mahasthangarh 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.

MAINAMATI Mainamati 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 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.

IDRAKPUR FORT

Idrakpur Fort is a river fort situated in Munshiganj, Bangladesh. The fort was built

approximately in 1660 A.D. According to a number of historians, the river fort was

built by Mir Jumla II, a Subahdar of Bengal under the Mughal Empire, to establish

the control of Mughal Empire in Munsiganj, and to defend Dhaka and Narayanganj

from the pirates. The fort was a part of the triangular defense strategy for the

vulnerable river route, from where the pirates used to attack Dhaka. The strategy

was developed by Mir Jumla II with the help of the other two forts in Narayanganj -

the Hajiganj Fort and the Sonakanda Fort.

SIXTY DOME MOSQUE The Sixty Dome Mosque (more commonly known as Shait Gambuj Mosque or Saith

Gunbad Masjid),a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a mosque in Bangladesh, the

largest in that country from the Sultanate period. It has been described as "the most

impressive Muslim monuments in the whole of the Indian subcontinent."

In mid-15th century, a Muslim colony was founded in the unfriendly mangrove forest

of the Sundarbans near the coastline in the Bagerhat district by an obscure saint-

General, named Khan Jahan Ali. He preached in an affluent city during the reign of

Sultan Nasiruddin Mahmud Shah, then known as 'Khalifalabad'. Khan Jahan

adorned this city with more than a dozen mosques, the spectacular ruins of which

are focused around the most imposing and largest multidomed mosques in

Bangladesh, known as the Shait- Gumbad Masjid (160'×108'). The construction of

the mosque was started in 1442 and it was completed in 1459.The mosque was

used for prayer purposes. It was also used as a madrasha and assembly hall.

BARA KATRA

Bara Katra is a historical and architectural monument located in the city of Dhaka,

Bangladesh.‘Katra/ katara’ in Arabic and Persian means ‘Caravan (Karwan) Sarai’ or

simply a ‘Sarai’. It is a palatial building dating to the reign of the Mughal dynasty in

the Bengal region. It is situated to the south of Chowk Bazaar close to the north

bank of the river Buriganga.

Bara Katra was built between 1644 and 1646 CE to be the official residence of

Mughal prince Shah Shuja, the second son of emperor Shah Jahan. The prince

endowed it to his diwan and the builder of the serai, Abul Qasim. The word Katra

may have originated from Arabic word Katara which means colonnaded building.

CURZON HALL The Curzon Hall is a British Raj-era building and home of the Faculty of Science at

the University of Dhaka. The building was originally intended to be a town hall and is

named after Lord Curzon, the Viceroy of India who laid its foundation stone in 1904.

Upon the establishment of Dacca University in 1921, it became the base of the

university's science faculty. During the Bengali Language Movement, 1948–1956,

Curzon Hall was the location of various significant events. After the Partition of India

in 1947 that formed the country of Pakistan, Urdu was chosen to be the sole state

language. In 1948, the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan chose Urdu and English as

the only languages to be used to address the assembly, which was protested within

the assembly on the grounds that the majority of the people spoke Bangla and not

Urdu. Students of Dhaka University objected instantly to the actions of the

Constituent Assembly,[and it was in Curzon Hall that they declared their opposition to

the state language policy.

DHAKESHWARI TEMPLE

Dhakeshwari National Temple is a Hindu temple in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is state-

owned, giving it the distinction of being Bangladesh's 'National Temple'. The name

"Dhakeshwari" 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.

HUSSAINI DALAN

The Hussaini Dalan was originally built during the later half of the Mughal

rule (17th century) in Dhaka. It was built as the Imambara or house of the

imam (religious leader) of the Shia community. Hussaini Dalan was the

venue for majlis or gatherings held during the month of Muharram, tenth

day religious gathering commemorates the martyrdom of Hussein, the

grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.

NORTHBROOK HALL Northbrook Hall (also Lalkuthi; Red House because of its deep red color) was originally

built as a town hall during the British period. It is situated at Farashgonj road in Old Dhaka, Bangladesh on the north bank of the Buriganga River.

In 1874, Indian Governor Thomas George Baring, Lord Northbrook, the Viceroy of India between 1872 and 1876, came to visit Dhaka. In order to make his visit memorable, Raja Rai Bahadur, along with eminent Zamidars and affluent citizens of Dhaka, donated 10 thousand and 5 thousand taka each to build the Town Hall in 1879. Abhay Chandra Das was the committee secretary. In 1880, the Commissioner of Dhaka inaugurated it and the personal orchestra of Nawab Abdul Ghani was brought to entertain the commissioner and the guests on inauguration.On 8 February 1882, a public library was added on the south-east side of the Hall. It was named the Northbrook Public Library and became known for its literary collection. Many books were ruined during the 1971 Liberation War. To re-establish the library, the Maharaja of Tripura donated 1000 TK, the Zamidar of Baliati Brojendro Kumar Roy 1000 TK, Queen Shornomoi 700 TK, Kalikhrishno 500 TK and Bishaishori Devi donated 500 TK. In 1887, the library opened with 1000 books.A clubhouse was added to the south-side and called Johnson Hall. At Northbrook Hall, Nobel Laureate poet Rabindranath Tagore was honoured by Dhaka Municipality and the People's Association on 7 February 1926. In 1950, Northbrook Hall was used as a telegram office, and later as the Central Women’s College. The building is the property of Dhaka Municipality Corporation.

THE ROSE GARDEN PALACE

The Rose Garden Palace is a mansion and garden in Old Dhaka. Built in the late

19th century, it became birthplace of the Awami League in 1949, when East Bengali

liberal and social democrats converged in Dhaka to form an alternative political force

against the Muslim League in Pakistan.

The property is situated on K.M. Das Lane in Tikatully of Old Dhaka, near the modern

business district of Motijheel. The mansion was built by a landlord ( zaminder )

Hrikesh Das . He lived in the mansion for a decade . Later in 1927, He became

bankrupt and sold the mansion to the landlords of Nabinagar, Brahmanbaria . Due

to the unfortunate death of Zamidar Boshuruddin Sarkar of Nabinagar, the family

had to sell the mansion to a Businessman .