Star Mosque

Star mosque, a 19th century establishment.It 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.I think it's a wonderful mosque in Dhaka.

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 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. 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. It's also a wonderful mosque in Bangladesh.

Martyr's Intellectual Memorial

Located in capital Dhaka, it pays tribute to the martyrdom of the intellectuals and professional Bengalis killed by the Pakistani force and their cohorts in Bangladesh's liberation war.

The Martyr's Intellectual Memorial is located at Rayer Bazar in Dhaka. It is a nice place.

National Memorial of Bangladesh

Jatiyo Smriti Soudho (Bengali: Jatio Sriti Shoudho) or National Martyrs' Memorial is a monument in Bangladesh. It is the symbol of the valour and the sacrifice of the martyrs of the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971, which brought the independence of Bangladesh from Pakistani rule. The monument is located in Savar, about 35 Kilometres north-west of the capital, Dhaka.

Plans for the monument were initiated right after the independence, in 1972. Following the site selection, road and land development, a nation-wide design competition was held in June, 1978. Following evaluation of the 57 submissions, Syed Mainul Hossain's design was chosen. The main structure and the artificial lake and other facilities were completed in 1982.
The monument is composed of 7 isosceles triangular pyramid shaped structures, with the middle one being the tallest. The highest point of the monument is 150 feet. There is an artificial lake, and several mass graves in front of the main monument.It is a very beautiful place. I like this place very much.

Language Martyr's Monument of Bangladesh

The Shaheed Minar (Bengali: Shohid Minar) is a national monument in Dhaka, Bangladesh, established to commemorate the martyrs of the Language Movement of 1952.

On February 21, 1952, dozens of students and political activists were killed when the Pakistani police force opened fire on Bengali protesters who were demanding equal status to their native tongue, Bangla. The massacre occurred near Dhaka Medical College and Ramna Park in Dhaka.

The Language Movement gained momentum and after a long struggle, Bangla was given equal status as Urdu. To commemorate the martyrs, the Shaheed Minar was designed and built by Hamidur Rahman, a Bangladeshi sculptor. The monument stood until the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971, when it was demolished completely during Operation Searchlight. After Bangladesh gained independence, it was rebuilt.

Today, the Shaheed Minar is the centre of cultural activities in Dhaka. Every year, the Language Movement is remembered at the monument. I think Bangladesh feels proudly for it.

Paharpur

It is treated as the Largest Buddhist Seat of Learning of South Asia. It is a small village, 5 km west of Jamalganj in the greater Rajshahi district. Where the remains of the most important and the largest known monastery south of the Himalayas has been excavated. This 7th century AD archaeological find covers an area of approximately 11 hectare.

The entire establishment, occupying a Quadrangular court, measures more than 300 meters and varies from 3.5 to 4.5 meters in height with an elaborate gateway complex on the north, there are 45 cells on the north and 44 in each of the other three sides, with a total number of 177 rooms.

It had taken its name from a high mound, which looked like a Pahar or hillock. A site museum built recently houses a representative collection of objects recovered from the area.The antiquities in the museum include terracotta plaques, images of different gods and goddesses, pottery, coin inscription, ornamental bricks and other minor clay.I think it's included as world heritage site in Bangladesh.

Kuthibari

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 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.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'. 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, 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.

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's looking out side is very wonderful.

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.

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.

Kantaji Temple

There are lots of colourful and ornamental pagodas and temples located in different areas of the country attract tourists from home and abroad. .
In the western part of the country there are several 3 to 4 centuries old temples. Jessoreswari of There are several temples and ashrams in Coastal Bengal/ Jal Bangla. The names of the Kali temple.
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.

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.I think it's a wonderful and cheerful temple.

World War II Cemetery in Comilla

There are 755 graves in this graveyard of the great warriors who died d in world war from1939 to 1945 in Chittagong and Comilla areas. In this well-preserved cemetery at a quiet and picturesque place within the city lie buried in eternal peace over 700 soldiers from British, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, India, Myanmar, East and West Africa, The Netherlands and Japan who laid down their lives on the Myanmar front during the World War II. Every year a number of tourists come here to visit this Cemetery.It's very peaceful area. I like it.

Rajan Bihara Pagoda

I think colourful and ornamental pagodas and temples located in different areas of the country attract tourists from home and abroad.

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, 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 . 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 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.

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.i think Rajan Bihara Pagoda is most attractive Pagoda.

Sonargaon

Sonargaon's importance in the pre-Muslim period is borne out by its ancient name of Suvarnagrama (the golden village), from which it is obvious how the Muslim version of the name is derived, as well as by the existence of Langalbandh and Panchamighat, the two traditional holy bathing places of the Hindus, in this tract of land on the west bank of the old Brahmaputra. Sonargaon rose to be the seat of an independent ruler under Ghiyasuddin Bahadur Shah, and after his fall it was the headquarters of the eastern province of Bengal under the Tughlaqs till 1338. Sonargaon emerged as the capital of an independent Sultanate under Fakhruddin Mubarak Shah (1338-1349). In the late nineteenth and early twentieth century Panam Nagar was developed in a part of medieval Sonargaon.

By the second Quarter of the fourteenth century AD Sonargaon had developed into a commercial metropolis; seafaring boats could easily reach Sonargaon from west Asian and southeast Asian countries. Ibn Batuta describes Sonargaon as an important port city, which had direct commercial relations with countries like China, Indonesia and the Maldives. Sonargaon developed into a seat of Islamic learning under the versatile scholar Maulana Sharfuddin Abu Tawwamah of Bokhara who came to Sonargaon sometime between 1282 and 1287 and established a Khanqah and madrasa.I visit this area few days ago. I'm really enjoy this area.

Mainamati

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.I think ti's a most wonderful place in Bangladesh.

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Mahasthangarh

Mahasthangarh 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 Koratoa river.

A visit to the Mahasthangarh site museum will acquaint tourists with wide variety or antiquities, ranging form terracotta objects to gold ornaments and coins recovered from the site. Also noteworthy are the shrine or Shah Sultan Bulki Mahisawaiy and Gokul Medh in the neighbourhood of Mahasthangarh.It's also a old city. I think it's a nice place of Bangladesh.

Lord Curzon Hall

The Curzon Hall is a beautiful building in Bangladesh.It 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. I think it's a nice building of Bangladesh.

Sonargaon- the oldest capital of Bengal

A few days ago, I am visiting Sonargaon.It's importance in the pre-Muslim period is borne out by its ancient name of Suvarnagrama (the golden village), from which it is obvious how the Muslim version of the name is derived, as well as by the existence of Langalbandh and Panchamighat, the two traditional holy bathing places of the Hindus, in this tract of land on the west bank of the old Brahmaputra. Sonargaon rose to be the seat of an independent ruler under Ghiyasuddin Bahadur Shah, and after his fall it was the headquarters of the eastern province of Bengal under the Tughlaqs till 1338. Sonargaon emerged as the capital of an independent Sultanate under Fakhruddin Mubarak Shah (1338-1349). In the late nineteenth and early twentieth century Panam Nagar was developed in a part of medieval Sonargaon.

By the second Quarter of the fourteenth century AD Sonargaon had developed into a commercial metropolis; seafaring boats could easily reach Sonargaon from west Asian and southeast Asian countries. Ibn Batuta describes Sonargaon as an important port city, which had direct commercial relations with countries like China, Indonesia and the Maldives. Muslin produced in Sonargaon, especially its finest variety called khasa, had a worldwide reputation. With the loss of political status in the second decade of the seventeenth century AD Sonargaon gradually lost its commercial importance as well. It again rose to some eminence in the nineteenth century AD when Panam Nagar was established as a trading centre in cotton fabrics, chiefly English piece goods. Sonargaon developed into a seat of Islamic learning under the versatile scholar Maulana Sharfuddin Abu Tawwamah of Bokhara who came to Sonargaon sometime between 1282 and 1287 and established a Khanqah and madrasa wherein all branches of Islamic learning as well as secular sciences were taught and studied. I think Sonargaon as an important port city in Bangladesh. I really enjoy it.

The Ahsan Manjil

I am visiting the Ahsan Manjil. It is situated at Kumartoli in old Dhaka on the bank of the river Buriganga. It was the residential palace and the kachari of the nawabs of Dhaka. It has recently been turned into a museum. The construction of the palace was begun in 1859 and completed in 1872. Nawab Abdul Ghani named it Ahsan Manzil after his son Khwaja Ahsanullah.

Ahsan Manzil is one of the significant architectural monuments of the country. 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 that of the first floor 5.8 meters. There are porticos of the height of the ground floor, both on the northern and southern sides of the palace. A spacious open stairway has come down from the southern portico, extending up to the bank of the river through the front garden.

Internally, the palace is divided into two symmetrical halves on either side of the dome. There is a large drawing room in the east wing of the first floor. On its northern side there is a library and a card room, and in the eastern corner there are four square rooms. On the western wing of the first floor there is a spacious jalsaghar with a Hindustani room on the northern side and four square rooms in the western corner. The floors of these two rooms are made of wooden planks. On the ground floor there is a big dining hall and six square rooms in the eastern part. There are attractive wooden stairs in the room that is attached to the north of the domed room. The wooden ceiling of the room, decorated with geometric designs, is very elegant. It is a very beautiful place of Bangladesh. I'm really enjoy it.

Lalbag Fort

Last year, I am visiting Lalbagh Fort.It's 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.

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. I think it a beautiful fort in Bangladesh. I am really enjot it.