The Division of Rajshahi
in the northwestern corner of Bangladesh is bordered on
the east by the mighty Jamuna River and the Padma/Ganges
River on the south, and shares a disputed border with
India to the north and west, making access to Gaud, one
of the most interesting archaeological sites in all of
Bengal, almost impossible. During Partition, thehe ancient
capital of Gaud was split through the middle and now part
of it lies in Bangladesh and part in India.
Rajshahi Division has an impressive collection of sites
which are spread over a wide area and are best reached
by a private vehicle. Rajshahi is a University town, the
center of the silk Industry, as well as being an important
cultural center. Formerly it was also quite famous as
a focal point for the Indigo trade with the Baro Kuthi
building witness to the countless atrocities comitted
by the Birtish related to this disreputable trade. The
Varendra Research Museum is an essential starting point
as it contains a massive collection of artifacts related
to the area. The building itself is a blend of Hindu and
Buddhist styles of the eighth and ninth centuries with
the prevailing British influence of the 1920s. Inside
is one of the finest collections of black stone sculptures
in the country.
Eighteen miles (29 km) east of Rajshahi town, in the village
of Puthia, is a fascinating but little-known group of
medieval Hindu temples. Besides the imposing Maharani's
Palace (Puthia was formerly a large estate) there is an
interesting variety of temples. At the entrance to the
village is a large white stucco temple dedicated to Shiva,
following a typical north Indian design and dating from
1823. To the left of the main facade of the palace is
the Govinda Temple, dedicated to the Hindu god Krishna,
which follows a typical Hindu temple shape prevalent in
Bengal at the time. It is decorated with delicate terra-cotta
panels depicting scenes from the Radha Krishna and other
Hindu epics. At the back of the palace is another delightful
Banglastyle miniature temple, which is in the shape of
a Bengali bamboo hut but built of brick and adorned with
some exquisite terra-cotta designs. Across a large tank
to the right of the palace are a further pair of temples
exhibiting a variation of styles. One, the Jagaddhatri
Temple dedicated to the Hindu goddess Durga, is a combination
of the Bangla style and the Chau-chala style, or hut-shaped
roof with four slopes. The other temple alongside is also
of the Chau-chala style. Both temples are liberally decorated
with terra-cotta designs.
To continue the tour of Rajshahi, it is best to drive
via Bogra to visit the Mahasthan and Paharpur sites. On
the way, you will witness some fascinating local fishing
methods - fish being the staple diet of the Bangladeshi-
whether by casting or laying a net, by spear, or by trapping
the unsuspecting fish in an upturned basket. You will
see large expanses of sugarcane or cotton, which are 'dry
crops' and of course an abundance of paddy fields as well
as jute, which is grown throughout Bangladesh. The archaeological
site of Mahasthan, dating from the third century B.C.,
which is about eight miles (13 km) north of Bogra, represents
the earliest city site in the whole of Bengal. It is an
impressive fortified city covering about 2.3 million square
feet (210,000 square meters), most of which is still buried
beneath farmiand. The citadel is encircled on three sides
by artificial moats and by the Karatoya River on the fourth.
Other ruins fan out within a semicircle radius of about
five miles (eight km), making it one of the most important
of all ancient sites in the region. It is worth walking
up onto the platform of the citadel, which stands above
the surrounding countryside, to see the extent of the
site and to take a closer look at some of the recently
exposed rampart walls. Outside and beyond the citadel
on the right of the road is another interesting site where
the remains of a brick Hindu temple, the Govinda Bhita,
have been exposed. They stand on the bend of the Karayatoya,
which was said to have been the widest river in Bengal;
today it is just a backwater. Opposite is the fine Mahasthan
Site Museum, filled with finds from local archaeological
excavations. About four miles (six km) west of Mahasthan
are the ruins of Vasu Bihar, an early Buddhist monastic
site recorded by the famous Chinese pilgrim Hiuen Tsang
in the seventh century. Recent excavations have shown
several changes during its 500 year history.
By far the most spectacular Buddhist site to be discovered
is the gigantic temple and monastery of Paharpur, dating
from the eighth century A.D. Paharpur is about 35 miles
(56 km) northwest of Mahasthan via the busy market town
of Jaipurhat. Access from Jaipurhat is along a rutted
cart track that is sometimes passable in an ordinary car.
Paharpur has been identified from a series of inscribed
clay seals as the Somapura Vihara from the great Pala
Dynasty. It is the biggest single vihara (image house)
south of the Himalayas, measuring approximately 900 feet
(273 meters) along each side and enclosed by an outer
wall with 177 monastic cells built into it. In the center
of the 22-acre (nine-hectare) courtyard are the ruins
of a mighty temple which rises to a height of 72 feet
(22 meters)- an unusual hillock giving the local village
of Pahurpur its name (pahar meaning 'hill'). The temple
is cruciform in plan, built in high quality brick with
thousands of terra-cotta plaques depicting the art form
of that period, whether it be religious or secular, human
or animal, mythological or purely an artist's whim .
Following the Buddhist creed and ritual, the monastery
was built in the wilderness - but not too far from a town
to enable the inmates to beg from the nearby town - alongside
a river which ran along the southern side. Today, the
remains of the bathing and toilet facilities beyond the
outside wall can also be seen in the southeastern corner.
The temple was planned with two circumambulatories, lined
with the terra-cotta plaques, which were enclosed walkways
enabling the faithful to circumambulate in a clockwise
direction and, at the upper level, within the cruciform
projections, pay homage to the main Buddhist divinities.
Inside the courtyard there are the remains of several
ancillary buildings and it is possible to make out the
refectory, a miniature version of the main temple and
a large well which the locals believe provides waters
with great healing powers.
During recent exploratory excavations, an important archaeological
find of a large bronze Buddha dating from the Gupta period
was accidentally discovered in one of the monks cells.
It is considered to be one of the most splendid specimens
of mature Pala art of the ninth century, cast using the
'wax loss' process.
Paharpur's laterhistory is uncertain but it seems to have
been abandoned in the 12th century A.D., probably due
to flooding. Today the site is under water during the
monsoon.
In 1979, the government joined forces with the United
Nations and UNESCO to prepare a conservation program to
safeguard this priceless site. There is a small site museum
close to the monastic complex containing, amongs other
finds, some interesting stone images/scenes which are
representative of over 55 in situ pieces hidden below
present ground level at the base of the temple.
A few hundred yards from the monastery, on the eastern
side, are the ruins of Satyapir Bhita, a Buddhist temple
complex apparently dedicated to Tara, the female consort
of the Dhyani Buddha.
A long day's trip to the north end of Bangladesh, about
12 miles ( 19 km) beyond Dinajpur, is the beautiful Hindu
temple of Kantanagar, which was built in 1752 by Maharaja
Pran Nath of Dinajpur. This temple, which is famed tor
its fine terracotta work, was originally a nine-tower
structure crowned with four richly ornamental towers at
two levels, with a central spire over the third. It was
badly damaged in an earthquake at the end of the 19th
century, but it is still possible to make out the bases
ot the towers. Nevertheless, the temple rightly claims
to be one of the best exampics of its type in brick and
terra-cotta built by Bengali artisans. Dedicated to the
Hindu divinity Krishna, the structure stands on a stone
plinth, in sharp contrast to the warm red of the terracotta,
which depicts in the spandrels over the archway scenes
trom the Ramayana and Mahabharata. |
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