Saving the Archeological wonder in Bangladesh: Saving the history of Bengal -Shahida Aroby

Bangladesh has always been a rich in tradition country. The culture of this country is always overwhelming. Mainly, the culture of Bengal developed during the renaissance of Bengal in the 19th century and we can see the reflection of their culture in ancient historical monuments that represents the golden past of the country to the new generation as history. Every year thousands of tourists come from abroad to visit and our small country has been able to gain a reputation for some of the historical architectures. But on the contrary, due to lack of proper supervision, these valuable historic places have lost their old splendor.

Our country had a golden past .Some of our famous Archeological wonders of Bangladesh are Lalbagh Fort in Dhaka, Liberation War Museum, Sona Mosque in Chapai Nawabganj, Buddhist Vihara in Naogaon, Mahasthangarh in Bogra, the Sixty Dome Mosque in Bagerhat etc. There are also thousands of ancient architectures in different parts of the country which are not so popular. Such as Pratappur Zamindar Bari of Feni, Shrifaltali Zamindar Bari of Gazipur, Aoliapur Nilkuthi of Madaripur, Atkabar of Chuadhanga, Murapara Zamindar Bari of Narayanganj etc.
Though the number of such historical place in our country is not so small, the number of recognized monuments is still very low. As a result, due to carelessness and influential people, valuable resources of the country are being destroyed.

Each historical place introduces the way of life, social system, their tastes and culture of that time. As all historical installations didn’t build at the same time, each installation is indicative of a different reign. For example, the historical place ‘Sona Mosjid’ is an example of the architecture of Sultan Alauddin Shah or the Sultanati period, but the sixty-domed mosque of Bagerhat is an example of the reign of Khan Jahan Ali. The Buddhist Vihara at Paharpur, built in the late 8th century is a monument of Pala dynasty. However, since most of the monuments are one hundred or more years old, supervision of these are much needed due to various reasons including natural calamities like cyclone, hailstorms etc. Except these recognized places, most of the historical sights in the country have now become private property. Even in some cases, people are using this historic place as their settlement as there is no government’s restrictions. Sometimes these old historical sights are being used as places for various anti-social activities. For the reason, the beauty of the historical sight is fading day by day, at the same time, it is losing its appeal to the foreign tourists.

‘Jagati’ was the first station of East Bengal in British India. It is located at Kushtia. This station was established in 1962. The 150-year-old historic station is now almost abandoned due to lack of proper maintenance. ‘Kashimpur zamindar house’ situated in Raninagar upazila of Naogaon. Although it is called ‘Zamindar house’, now is being used as a barn for the locals. These sights are valuable assets of the country. Such a ruination of these can never be desirable. If steps are not taken to protect these structurere, we will loss our reputation very soon.

Our liberation war is the sign of our sacrifice and achievement. As a witness to that sacrifice, there are many slaughterhouses and memorial plaques of liberation war, in different parts of the country. However, due to lack of proper awareness, many of these are in a state of neglected. If the situation is unchanged, it is not too late to erase the history of the liberation war to the future generations.

However, three places in Bangladesh, the historic Mosque city of Bagerhat, the Buddhist Vihara at Paharpur and the Sundarbans have already been listed as ‘World Heritage sights ‘ by UNESCO. At last, according to Aarchaeologists, many historical sights in the country are still buried under the ground. Many of these sights may open the door of untouched history of the country. Proper steps are needed for such achievement. Preserving such historic sights requires the government guidance as well as personal awareness.

Finally, the Aarcheology department of the country has made a lot of progress to reform all historical sights. We hope all the historical sights of the country will come under their maintenance. Occupancy of the sights and the heinous act of smuggling valuables obtained from these places one day will be removed. These sights of the country are the bearers of our heritage. Let the history and heritage of the country survive through these historical sights

Shahida Aroby is currently studying at the Department of English and Modern language, North South University