Historical Place of Bangladesh: Pictures of Sonargaon

Sixty Dome Mosque in Bagerhat

Among the many surviving monuments of the Khan Jahan Ali style, undoubtedly the most magnificent and largest brick mosque in Bangladesh is the Shait Gombuj. It is situated in Bagerhat district. For outstanding architectural value. the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO inscribed Bagerhat in the World Heritage list and it got the status of the second World Heritage site in Bangladesh after Paharpur. As there were a great number of mosques, the Historian, a French monthly termed it a city of mosques. The earliest torchbearer of Islam in the south, Khan Jahan Ali came from Delhi to settle a Muslim colony in this swampland in the early-15th century AD. The natural beauty of the region had such an effect upon him that he spent the rest of his life there. History says that he constructed about 360 mosques and as many freshwater tanks, as well as palaces, mausoleums and other public buildings in a very short space of time.

Out of today's surviving mosques, the Shait Gombuj Mosque is the most magnificent and certainly the largest brick mosque surviving in Bangladesh. Its name, meaning '60 domes', is misleading as in reality, it is roofed over with 77 small domes supported by a forest of slender columns covering a large prayer hall and giving it the appearance of a medieval church crypt. At sunrise when the rays of the sun penetrate the eastern entrances, the interior comes to life. There is little adornment to this building other than the carved stone decoration to the central mihrab at the western end of the prayer hall. The exterior facades, with slightly 'battered' walls, have discernible curving cornices a concession to the local style.

Lalbag Fort in Old Dhaka City

Lalbagh Fort, an incomplete Mughal palace fortress in Dhaka stood on the banks of the river Buriganga in the southwestern part of the old city. The river has now moved further south and flows at Quite a distance from the fort. D’Oily’s painting (1809-1 I) shows that more than half of this east-west oblong fortress touched the water of the river on its southern and southwestern sides. The construction of the fort was commenced in 1678 AD by Prince Muhammad Azam during his I 5 month long vice-royalty of Bengal.

For a long time the fort was considered to be a combination of three buildings (the mosque, the tomb of Bibi Pari and the Diwan-i-Aam), two gateways and a portion of the partly damaged fortification wall. In the present fort area of 7.2 hectares, excavations have revealed the remains of structures. Of the three surviving gateways, the southern one is the most imposing. Seen from the front it is a three-storied structure with a fronton, bordered with slender minarets. From inside it gives the impression of a two-storied structure.

A water channel with fountains at regular intervals connects the three buildings from east to west and two similar channels run from south to north. The building in the middle, the tomb of Bibi Pari, is the most impressive of the surviving buildings of the fort. Eight rooms surround a central square room, containing the mortal remains of Bibi Pari, which is covered by a false dome. Octagonal in shape, and wrapped by brass plate. The entire inner wall of the central room was covered with white marble. While the four side central rooms had stone skirting up to a height of one meter. The wall in the four corner rooms was skirted with beautiful glazed floral tiles. The tiles have recently, been restored; two of the original tiles have been retained. The southeastern corner room contains a small grave, popularly known to be of Shamsad Begum, possibly a relative of Bibi Pari. The Lalbagh Fort Mosque is a three-domed mosque with a water tank.

Chotto Sona Mosque/Small Gold Mosque

One of the most graceful monuments of the Sultanate period is the Chhota Sona Masjid or Small Golden Mosque at Gaur in Rajshahi. Built by one Wali Muhammad during the reign of Sultan Alauddin Husain Shah (1493-1519), it was originally roofed over with 15 gilded domes including the 3 ChauchaIqa domes in the middle row, from which it derives its curious name.

Lord Curzon Hall of Dhaka University

Curzon Hall meant to be a town hall, was named after Lord Curzon, the Viceroy of India, who laid its foundation in 1904. A year later Bengal was partitioned and Dhaka became the capital of the newly created province of East Bengal and Assam. Following the annulment of partition in 1911 it was used as a premise of Dhaka College, and after the establishment of Dhaka University in 1921, became part of the university's science section and continues as such. Laid out in a spacious and carefully maintained garden, this double storeyed brick building has a large central hall, lateral wings on the east and west with several rooms, and a continuous verandah on all sides.

One of the best examples of Dhaka's architecture, it is a happy blend of European and Mughal elements, particularly noticeable in the projecting facade in the north which has both horse-shoe and cusped arches.

The style combined traditional art with modern technology and functions and favoured Mughal forms such as arches and domes, believed to have entered the Islamic world from the west. It marks the casting aside of veiled power after the sepoy revolt of 1857, and India's passing directly under the British Crown, seeking legitimacy by linkage to the Mughals. The red colour substituting for red sandstone, and the ornate brackets, deep eaves, and domed terrace pavilions (chhatris), specially of the middle section are strikingly reminiscent of the small but well-known Diwan-i-Khas in the palace fortress of Fatehpur Sikri, Emperor akbar's capital between 1570 and 1585. Not only were both cities new capitals, but the deliberate choice of the Fatehpur Sikri style may be explained by the fact that the British favoured Akbar as the wisest and most tolerant of all the Mughals, feeding into the ideal of their own role in India.

The Curzon Hall has attained a great significance in the history of the language movement. It was here, in 1948, the students of Dhaka University uttered their first refusal to accept Mohammed Ali Jinnah's declaration that Urdu alone would be the state language of the then Pakistan.

The Seat of Lost Dynasties

It is called the Seat of Lost Dynasties. About 8 km to the west of Comilla town, situated 114 km southeast of Dhaka, lies a range of low hills known as the Mainamati-Lalmai ridge, which was an extensive centre of Buddhist culture. On the slopes or these hills lie scattered a treasure of information about the early Buddhist civilization (7th-12th Century AD.). At Salban in the middle or the ridge, excavations have laid bare a large Buddhist Vihara (monastery) with an imposing central shrine. It has revealed valuable information about the rule of the Chandra and Deva dynasties which Flourished here from the 7th to the 12th century AD. The whole range of hillocks runs for about 18 km and is studded with more than 50 sites. A site museum houses the archaeological finds which include terra cotta plaques, bronze statues and caskets, coins, jewellery, utensils, pottery and votive stupas embossed with Buddhist inscriptions.

Mosque Baba Adam

A slightly later date the elegant 6-domed mosque (13m x 11m) sq meters of Baba Adam in Rampal near Dhaka was erected by your Malik Kafur during the reign of the last Ilyas Shahi Sultan, Jalauddin Fateh Shah in 1483 AD. It displays the same characteristic features of the period such as the faceted octagonal turrets at 4 corners, the curved cornice. The one facade and 3 mihrabs relieved richly with beautiful terracotta floral and hanging patterns.

Mahasthangarh

It is considered the oldest archaeological site of the county. It is located at a distance of 18 km north or Bogra town on the western bank of the Karatoa river. The spectacular site is an imposing landmark in the area. having a long fortified enclosure. Beyond the fortified area, other ancient ruins fan out within a semicircle of about 8 km radius. Several isolated mounds, the local names of which are Govinda Bhita Temple, Khodia Pathar Mound, Mankalir Kunda, Parsuramer Bedi, Jiyat Kunda etc. surround the fortified city. This 3rd century B.C. archaeological site is still held to be of great sanctity by the Hindus. Every year (mid-April) and once every 12 years (in December) thousands of Hindu devotees join the bathing ceremony on the bank of the Karatoa river.

Kuthibari of Nobel Laureate Poet Rabindranath Tagore

Shilaidaha Kuthibadi a historic place associated with RABINDRANATH TAGORE and a tourist spot. It stands on the south bank of the river Padma in Kumarkhali upazila in Kushtia district and is five miles north of the district headquarters across the Gadai and opposite to the Pabna town on farther north across the Padma. Shilaidaha is also famous for the kachhari (office) of the Birahimpur zamindari and the historic kuthibadi of the Tagore family of Jorasanko.

Shilaidaha is a relatively modern name; its old name was Khorshedpur. Before the Thakurs of Jorasanko acquired the village in the middle of the 19th century there stood an indigo-Kuthi reportedly built by a planter, named Shelly. A deep daha (whirlpool) was formed there at the confluence of the Gadai and the Padma, and hence the village came to be known as 'Shelly-daha', which ultimately took the form of 'Silaidaha'. DWARKANATH TAGORE, grandfather of Rabindranath Tagore, became the owner of this zamindari in 1807 by means of a will executed in his favour by Ramlochan Tagore. Rabindranath assumed the responsibility of looking after the zamindari and came to Shilaidaha for the first time in November 1889.

Rabindranath Tagore in his adolescence and even later occasionally stayed there during his periodic inspection of the zamindari estate. But later the Padma began to devour its banks during high flood close to the old Kuthibadi. Alarmed at the devastating erosion it was dismantled and its building materials were used for the erection of the new Kuthibadi. There the poet lived for more than a decade at irregular intervals between 1891 and 1901. During his stay there, eminent scientists, litterateurs and intelligentsia of Bengal such as Sir JAGADISH CHANDRA BOSE, DWIJENDRALAL ROY, PRAMATHA CHOWDHURY, MOHITLAL MAJUMDER, Lokendranath Palit visited him on various occasions. Sitting at his desk in the Kuthibadi or on a boat on the Padma, Rabindranath wrote a number of masterpieces: Sonar Tari, Chitra, Chaitali, Katha O Kahini, Ksanika, most of the poems of Naibedya and Kheya, and the songs of GITANJALI and Gitimalya. It was here, in 1912, that the poet started his translation of Gitanjali into English, which earned him the Nobel Prize in 1913. Rabindranath had a deep attachment for Shilaidaha and the Padma, which is evident in his Chhinna Patrabali. The poet once wrote in a letter, 'The holy place of my literary pursuits during my youth and middle age was the village of Shilaidaha kissed by the waves of the Padma'.

Kuthibadi is a picturesque three-storied terraced bungalow, constructed with brick, timber, corrugated tin sheets and Raniganj tiles. Silaidaha Kuthibadi is nestled within about eleven acres of beautiful orchards of mango, jackfruit and other evergreen trees, a flower garden and two ponds. Silaidaha has an enchanting natural beauty and rural landscape. The Villa, enclosed within a boundary wall, is entered through a simple but attractive gateway on the south. It accommodates about 15 apartments of various sizes with a large central hall on the ground and the first floors. Each of the open terraces on the ground and the first floors is partly covered with a sloping roof of Raniganj tiles, while the central part over the ground floor has a pitched roof with gable ends. A short pyramidal crest farther variegates the roof over the second storey. Silaidaha Kuthibadi is now a protected national monument where a Thakur Memorial Museum has been established by the government.

Rabindranath started his experimental work with village development and modern methods of cultivation at Shilaidaha, which he later undertook at PATISAR. He established a primary school there in the name of Pratima Devi, his daughter-in-law.

The birth and death anniversaries of the poet are observed at Silaidaha on a national level on 25 Baishakh and 22 Shraban respectively. Many scholars from home and abroad attend these celebrations and take part in discussions on the life and works of Rabindranath. Cultural functions follow, during which prominent artistes present TAGORE SONGS

Star Mosque in Dhaka

Star mosque, a 19th century establishment, is a very beautiful mosque of the city situated at Armanitola, in the old part of Dhaka City. In faultless Mughal style architecture, it is a five­-dome mosque with hundreds of big and small twinkling stars as surface decorations. The stars have been created by setting pieces or chinaware on white cement. Seen from the front and from far it looks as if it were shining above the surface of the earth. The inside or the mosque is even more beautiful than the outside, with a lovely mosaic floor and excellent tiles with many floral patterns set on the walls, all in complete harmony.

Baitul Mukarram-the National Mosque of Bangladesh

It is the National Mosque of Bangladesh. Its construction began on 1960, and has been going on in phases. Architect T Abdul Hussain Thariani was commissioned to design the mosque complex. The plan included shops, offices, libraries and parking areas within the complex. The design of the mosque reflects the architecture of the period as can be seen from the use of a white and almost cube-form for the main building. A Mosque without a dome over the roof of its main prayer hall must have been a unique experiment. The main building is eight storied and 33 meters high from the ground level. The area of the main prayer hall is 2464 SQ meters with a mezzanine floor of 171 SQ metres at the eastern side. Verandas surround the hall on three of its four sides. The mihrab of the hall is rectangular instead of semi-circular. Excessive ornamentation is avoided throughout the mosque, since minimizing ornamentation is typical of modern architecture. The Baitul Mukarram mosque is modern in its architectural style. It has found its place in the hearts of the Muslims because of the resemblance of its form to the Holy Kaaba at Makkah.

Central Shahid Minar in Jahangir Nagar University

Inside a green picturesque surrounding of Jahangir Nagar University, the sprawling acres of land holds this beautiful monument dedicated to the language martyrs of 1952.

Kantaji Temple

Lots of colourful and ornamental pagoLots of colourful and ornamental pagodas and temples located in different areas of the country attract tourists from home and abroad. Among the temples Kalinarayana Temple (Joydevpur), Kantaji temple (Dinajpur), Dhakeshwari temple (Dhaka), Joy Kali Mandir (Dhaka). Adinath temple (Moheshkhali) and so on are noteworthy.
In the western part of the country there are several 3 to 4 centuries old temples. Jessoreswari of Khulna is the most famous among them. In addition there are Raghunath mandir and Gopinath mandir of Abhoynagar, Ganesh mandir of Jhenaidaha, Krishna and Durga mandirs of Mohammadpur, Shiv mandir of Magura, Kodala Moth of Khulna, Lakhsminarayan and Jorhbangla mandirs of Jessore, Pancha-Rotno mandir or Noldanga, In Kushtia, Shilaidaha, which is associated with Rabindranath, Lalon's tomb and Mosharaf Hossain's homestead are a must-see for all.
There are several temples and ashrams in Coastal Bengal/ Jal Bangla. The names of the Kali temple. Sugandha pith in Barisal are noteworthy. A few miles north is the 400-year-old Maha-Bishnu temple at the Lakhsman kathi village, east of Batajore, In Madaripur one will find the Pronob Mott, the former headquarters or the Bharat Sevasram Sangha at Bajitpur village, founded by the nationalist and reformer saint, Swami Pranavananda Maharaj.
In Southeast Bengal there are at least 50 famous temples and viharas in Chittagong city alone. Some of the well-known ones are: Rajrajeswari Kalibari, Chatteswari Kalibari, Panchanan dham, Nandan-kanan Buddhist Mandir, Brahmo mandir, Koibalya-dham, Jagatpur ashram, Sitakunda, Pancha-batika of Swami Vivekananda fame, etc. In and around Comilla there are Abhoy Ashram. Iswar Pathshala. Gandhi Ashram of Noakhali, the half-a-millennium old Chandi-mura temple, the 10th century Maynamati Vihara and many more.
Sylhet has hundreds of famous temples dedicated to Lords Kali, Shiv and Sri Krishna. Bagala Matar Mandir of Habiganj and Kalibari of Jaintiapur are known throughout the subcontinent.

In North Bengal kings and zamindars (landed gentry) have built many temples, Mosques, palaces and ashrams. One of the most famous temples is the terra cotta Kantaji Mandir of Dinajpur. In addition, Bogra's Karatoa Tott tirtha, the Bardhan-Kuthi Mandir of Rangpur, the Shiv and Gobindo mandirs of Putia deserve special mention.
Besides Paharpur and Mahasthangarh, other noteworthy Buddhist religious establishments include Bhasu Vihar, Halud Vihar, and Sitakot. There are many khyang or pagodas in Ramu upazila of Cox's Bazar and Chittagong.
das and temples located in different areas of the country attract tourists from home and abroad. Among the temples Kalinarayana Temple (Joydevpur), Kantaji temple (Dinajpur), Dhakeshwari temple (Dhaka), Joy Kali Mandir (Dhaka). Adinath temple (Moheshkhali) and so on are noteworthy.
In the western part of the country there are several 3 to 4 centuries old temples. Jessoreswari of Khulna is the most famous among them. In addition there are Raghunath mandir and Gopinath mandir of Abhoynagar, Ganesh mandir of Jhenaidaha, Krishna and Durga mandirs of Mohammadpur, Shiv mandir of Magura, Kodala Moth of Khulna, Lakhsminarayan and Jorhbangla mandirs of Jessore, Pancha-Rotno mandir or Noldanga, In Kushtia, Shilaidaha, which is associated with Rabindranath, Lalon's tomb and Mosharaf Hossain's homestead are a must-see for all.
There are several temples and ashrams in Coastal Bengal/ Jal Bangla. The names of the Kali temple. Sugandha pith in Barisal are noteworthy. A few miles north is the 400-year-old Maha-Bishnu temple at the Lakhsman kathi village, east of Batajore, In Madaripur one will find the Pronob Mott, the former headquarters or the Bharat Sevasram Sangha at Bajitpur village, founded by the nationalist and reformer saint, Swami Pranavananda Maharaj.
In Southeast Bengal there are at least 50 famous temples and viharas in Chittagong city alone. Some of the well-known ones are: Rajrajeswari Kalibari, Chatteswari Kalibari, Panchanan dham, Nandan-kanan Buddhist Mandir, Brahmo mandir, Koibalya-dham, Jagatpur ashram, Sitakunda, Pancha-batika of Swami Vivekananda fame, etc. In and around Comilla there are Abhoy Ashram. Iswar Pathshala. Gandhi Ashram of Noakhali, the half-a-millennium old Chandi-mura temple, the 10th century Maynamati Vihara and many more.
Sylhet has hundreds of famous temples dedicated to Lords Kali, Shiv and Sri Krishna. Bagala Matar Mandir of Habiganj and Kalibari of Jaintiapur are known throughout the subcontinent.

In North Bengal kings and zamindars (landed gentry) have built many temples, Mosques, palaces and ashrams. One of the most famous temples is the terra cotta Kantaji Mandir of Dinajpur. In addition, Bogra's Karatoa Tott tirtha, the Bardhan-Kuthi Mandir of Rangpur, the Shiv and Gobindo mandirs of Putia deserve special mention.
Besides Paharpur and Mahasthangarh, other noteworthy Buddhist religious establishments include Bhasu Vihar, Halud Vihar, and Sitakot. There are many khyang or pagodas in Ramu upazila of Cox's Bazar and Chittagong.