BACKGOUND OF SITES AND MONUMENTS
Bangladesh covers 143,998 k.m area in between the Himalayan ranges and the Bay of Bengal. The G.P.S. is Lat, 26 46N and long 92 41 to 88 02 E. The major part of this vast terrain is formed of river – born new alluvial deposits which are flat in contour while the rest represents smaller sporadic belts formed of older alluvium with a little elevation above the general height of the country. However, at different corners of its length a vast number of archaeological sites and monuments, mostly belonging to the medieval period, are lying at random.
To date only 397 sites and monument have declared protected on priority basis under the provisions of the Antiquities Act (XIV of 1968). There are also two world heritage sites in Bangladesh:
World Cultural Heritage Sites
For more details on these please click here.
There are many places of historical interest in Bangladesh.
Major Sites
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SHORT DESCRIPIONS OF MAJOR SITES AND MONUMENTS
Somapura Mahavihara, Paharpur
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Situated in village paharpur under Bangladesh Thana of Naogaon district, the site contains the structural ruins of a single unit of Buddhist monastery which being considered as the second largest of its kind on the south of the Himalayas. It is said to have been built by Dharmapala, the second of the Pala kings of Verendra (Barind), during his reigning period (781-82-AD). Facing south, the monastery accommodates a rectangular (280.5 m x 280m) open courtyard with a lofty pyramidal temple to a little west of its central point and a line of monastic cells in each of its four wings. The main entrance on the north is outcropping beyond its perimeter and is open though two pillared halls with a group of cells on both sides. The central temple stands on a cruciform base wherein it contains 63 stone sculptural pieces in a line of niches. Moreover, each cornice of its each stage is decorated with carved bricks depicting lozenge, chain, chess-board pyramidal representation and so on. Below these cornices there are friezes of terracotta plaques depicting several views from the folk life of the 8th -9th century AD. About 2,800 plaques have been recorded so far. |
Khalifatabad, Bagerhat
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The site occupies at least 9sq. km area on the west of Bagerhat town and has been enlisted in the category of World Cultural Heritage under the title ‘Historic Mosque City of Bagerhat’ The city was founded by a saint-warrior, Khan-e Jajan Uligh Khan by title, in the 15th century AD. At present it is dotted with several mound, mosque, reservoirs and tombs. Of them the most illustrious one is Saitgumbad Masjid, being the biggest older multi-domed mosque of Bangladesh. There has a museum and a rest house in the Saitgumbad compound. |
Pundrangara, Mahastngarh
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Situated in village Mahasthan of Bogra district, the extensive site represents the wreckage of an ancient city (cir 4th cent. BC to 14th AD) called pundranagara. It is roughly oblong (1.523 km by 1.37) in shape encircled by high rampart with thick wall core at places and is entrenched on all sides save the east where the river karatoya were flowing in ancient time. Inside the fort, however, still lie the remnants of temples, stupas, mosques, tombs and residential complexes at random. Moreover, a good volume of coins, silver coated copper cast coins barring inscription, rouletted ware. NBPW, black slipped ware, black and red ware, beads of semiprecious, terracotta plaques and toys, sculptures, objects of daily use and so on. But by far the most important one is a Brahmi Inscriptional slab datable to the 3rd cent. BC. Around the fort for about 8km excepting the each suburb, there are many older mounds and reservoirs. There is a small site museum and a rest-house near its northeast corner. A mission of French Experts has been working in the site 1993 in order to reveal its whole unknown past as per an agreement with Government of Bangladesh. |
Devaparvata-Lohitagiri,Mainamati,Lalmai
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It is a hilly terrain with an average height of 15m in the district of Comilla. It stands in a north south alignment with its length extending over 17 km and average breadth 2.5km. at different points of its slope there lie number of older structural ruins pertaining to temple, Stupa and Vihara. Along with these ruins tools made of fossilized wood (could be daily per-historic origin?) both Hindu and Buddhist sculptures, metallic coins, objects daily use, terracotta plaques, carved bricks, ornaments, potteries, metallic utensils, seals and the circa 7th -13th century AD. Scholars are of opinion that lie the ruins of a southeastern Bengali capital, ‘Devaparvata’ by name, in a corner of the hill range. |
There was another capital called ‘Jaykarmantavasaka’ in an adjoining corner of the Mainamati- Lalmai Hill Range. There has an archaeological museum and a rest house in salvana village which occupies the mid-most point of Mainamati-Lalmai Hill Range.
Bharat Rajar Deul, Bharat Bhayana
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The site is known after the name of its village Bhayana which is in the thane of Kesabpur under Jessor district. The village and its surroundings are dotted with some mounds and sparsely lying architectural pieces. Of them, only one, Bharat Rajar Deul, has yielded the substantial ruins of a brick-built curious structure. It shows starkly plain wall surface save some recording offsets at the base level only. The present height of the roofless structure is about 10m at its highest point which appear to have been much more in its original form. The site has also yielded some busts of princely male figures, potteries of early medieval origin etc. On stylistic ground they may be dated in the circa 5th-6th century AD. |
Harischandra Rajar Prasada Mound
Situated on the northeast corner of Savar town (18km north of Dhaka metropolitan city), the mound has yielded the substantial ruins of a smaller Buddhist monastery entirely built of brick. On its close north bronze sculptural pieces belonging to Buddhist pantheon carved bricks, potteries and a silver coin of Pattikera-Harikela origin. It is further to be mentioned here that a number of Imitation Gupta Coins have earlier been reported from the surroundings of Harischandra Rajar Prasada Mound time and again. Moreover, there exist the remains of a mud fort. Kotbari by name, on the northwest of a monastery. It is also to be remembered that remains of a group of votive stupas were also discovered a few years back in a place called Rajasan which is only 150m on the east of the site. Among other promising structural ruins of the neighbouring area mention may also be made of Harischndra Rajar Buruj’ which appears to have been a brick-built stupa. On stylistic ground they are datable to the circa 6th -8th century AD.
Sitar Vanavasa, Sitakot Vihara
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Situated in village Fatehpur Maras under Nowabgonj thana of Dinajpur district, the site has yielded the impoverished remains of a brick-built Buddhist monastery. It is medium in size, roughly 65.5m each side, and has yielded a number of movable antiquities, i.e. bronze sculptural pieces of Mahayana origin, iron dagger, terracotta net-sinker, terracotta cone, carved brick, potteries of early medieval origin etc. on ground of style they are datable to the circa 7th- 8th century AD. |
Bhatbhita
It is a medium size mound situated at village Tila of Magura district. Recent excavation (2003-4) has revealed here the impoverished remain of a curious structure entirely built of brick and clay. But it appears to have been much more extended on the east. Among its surface findings, semiprecious stone beads four pieces of potteries bearing rouletted characteristics and some NBPW shreds are worth noted. Hence the antiquity of the site may tentatively be pushed back to at least the 2nd-1st century BC. The ruins appear to be the western half of an eastwest long lost cellular structure.
Laksmanavati , Gour
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The site sprawls over roughly 5sq.km area in the Sibgonj thana of C’nowabgonj district and in the bordering areas with Maldaha district of India. It accommodates some sparse medieval monuments and demonstrates the place where the suburd of the first capital of the Sultans of Bengal, Gauda by name, was eatablished in the 13th century AD. However, the capital continued its effluent, excepting some short interludes, till the downfall of the Sultans in 1538 AD. During the reigning period of Humayun, the second of the Mughals, it assumed the title ‘Jannatabad’. To understand the grandeur of the bygone town there one can still visit the Chotasona Mosque (1493-1518 AD), Darasbari Madrasa (1504-AD), Darasbari Mosque (1479 AD), Khanja Dighi Mosque (15thcent. AD), Dhunichak Mosque (15thcent. AD), Shah Suja’s Turkish bath (17thcent. AD) and Shah Niamatullah Walli’s Tomb-Mosque complex (17thcent. AD). |
Suvarnagram, Sonarhakagaon
Situated near the eastern peripheral land of Dhaka, at about 24km distance the zero point, the site represents the substantial remains of an early medieval bygone city called Suvarnagrm>Sonasgaon. It now accommodates a mosque called Gowaldi Masjid built in stone-brick masonry (1519 AD), a tomb built entirely of carved stone called Sultan Giasuddin Azam Shan Mazar, a bridge (17th cent AD) a tomg complex and some sparse structutural vestiges. There also a folk museum at one corner of the site. Another attraction of the site is an early modern settlement called ‘Panam Sahar’ it lies on the close vicinity of Sonargaon
Sara Muhammadaba, Barabazar
It lies in Barabazar of kaligonj thana under Jhinaidaha district and historically known as Sahar Muhammadabad (the town of the Muhammedans). It sprawls 8sp.km are with scattered remains of mosques, tombs, reservoirs and mounds. They have been dated in circa 15th century AD.
Kella Aurangabad, Lalbagh Fort
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Situated in the southwestern corner of Dhaka metropolitan city, the site may be considered as the symbol of grandeur that Dhaka had during the time of the Mughal hegemony in Bengal as it is embellished with high protective wall, princely gateways, majestic Turkish bath, illustrated mosque, serine tomb, luminous garden and enchanting reservoir, all being built in the, 17th century AD. |
Kantaji Mandir
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It is a Hindu temple, entirely built of brick, located about 18 km to the north of Dinajpur town. It rises in three diminishing stages and originally showed a navaralna (nine- towered) disposition. Most of the rahnas however, are now lost. The wall surface of the entire temple is lavishly decorated with terracotta plaques depicting Hindu mythological scenery. It was built in 1772 AD by the local land owner aristocrat family. |
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