Sat Masjid

Shoshi Lodge (শশী লজ) is located at the center of Mymensingh city which is also known as the Residential Palace of  Moharaja Shoshi Kanto Acharya (মহারাজা শশীকান্ত আচার্য). This palace is very close to the river Brahmaputra which is being used as Women Teachers Training College from the year 1952.

According to the history, most of the rulers from Zamindar family have adopted babies in different era and those adopted child ruled the area later. For example Gourikanta(গৌরীকান্ত) was adopted by Roghunondon(রঘুনন্দন). Son of Gourikanta was Shashikanta(শশীকান্ত) and his wife adopted Surjokanta (সূর্য্যকান্ত) as she was childless. Later, Surjokanto became the prominent Zamindar of Mymensingh district. People used to call him as Moharaja(মহারাজা).

Moharaja Surjokanto Acharya was the Zamindar in Mymensingh region for long 41 years. During the reign of his Zamindari he did so many work for social welfare and made a remarkable change in infrastructural development.

He started to build an unique two storied building on an area of nine acre at the end of nineteenth century. Childless Zamindar Surjokanto named after this building in the name of his adopted son Shoshi Kanto Acharya. After completion of construction this building was extensively damaged by a destructive earth quake on the year 1897. Zamindar Surjokanto was immensely worried at this great loss.

Later Zamindar Shoshi Kanto Acharya re-built this building with many additional features in the year 1905 and did more renovation work in 1911. This unique classical architecture and its surrounding will certainly attract a traveler to explore this place recurrently.

Jagaddal Vihara is located approximately 55km away from Noagaon Zilla sadar. It is a very ancient site. Locals call it as remnants of Bot Krishna Zamider Bari. Jagaddala Mahavihara was a Buddhist monastery founded by the later kings of the Pala dynasty, possibly Rampala (1077-1120), most likely at a site near the present village of Jagaddal in Dhamurhat Upazila in the north-west Bangladesh on the border of India, near Paharpur. Jagaddala Mahavihara (fl. late 11th century - mid-12th century) was a Buddhist monastery and seat of learning in Varendra, a geographical unit in present north Bengal. It was founded by the later kings of the Pāla dynasty, probably Ramapala (c. 1077-1120), most likely at a site near the present village of Jagdal in Dhamoirhat Upazila in the north-west Bangladesh on the border with India, near Paharapur. Some texts also spell the name Jaggadala.

A large number of monasteries or viharas were established in ancient Bengal and Magadha during the four centuries of Pala rule in North-eastern India (756-1174 AD).Dharmapala (781-821) is said to have founded 50 viharas himself, including Vikramashila, the premier university of the era. Jaggadala was founded toward the end of the Pāla dynasty, most likely by Rāmapāla (c. 1077-1120). According to Tibetan sources, five great Mahaviharas stood out: Vikramashila; Nalanda, past its prime but still illustrious, Somapura, Odantapurā, and Jagaddala. The five monasteries formed a network; "all of them were under state supervision" and their existed "a system of co-ordination among them ... it seems from the evidence that the different seats of Buddhist learning that functioned in eastern India under the Pāla were regarded together as forming a network, an interlinked group of institutions," and it was common for great scholars to move easily from position to position among them.

Jagaddala specialized in Vajrayana Buddhism. A large number of texts that would later appear in the Kanjur and Tengjur were known to have been composed or copied at Jagadala. It is likely that the earliest dated anthology of Sanskrit verse, the Subhāṣitaratnakoṣa, was compiled by Vidyākara at Jaggadala toward the end of the 11th century or the beginning of the 12th.

জগদ্দল বিহার নওগাঁ জেলা সদর থেকে প্রায় ৫৫ কিলোমিটার দূরে অবস্থিত একটি প্রাচীন স্থান। স্থানীয়রা এটিকে বটকৃষ্ণ জমিদার বাড়িও বলে থাকে এবং জায়গাটিকে জজ্ঞদল হিসেবেও বলা হয়ে থাকে। বর্তমান উত্তরবঙ্গের বরেন্দ্রতে (১১শ শতাব্দীর শেষ থেকে ১২শ শতাব্দীর মধ্যে) এটি ছিল একটি বৌদ্ধ বিহার এবং শিক্ষাদান কেন্দ্র। পাল রাজবংশের রাজা সম্ভবত রামপাল (১০৭৭-১১২০) পাল শাসনামলের শেষার্ধে এটি প্রতিষ্ঠা করেন উত্তরপশ্চিম বাংলাদেশে অবস্থিত ধামরিহাট উপজেলার জাগদাল গ্রামে যে জায়গাটি ভারত সীমান্তবর্তী এবং পাহাড়পুরের নিকটে অবস্থিত।

উত্তর-পূর্ব ভারতে পাল শাসনামলের চার শতকে (খ্রিস্টপূর্ব ৭৫৬-১১৭৪) প্রাচীন বাংলা এবং মাগাধাতে অনেক বিহার প্রতিষ্ঠা করা হয়। ধর্মপাল (৭৮১-৮২১) একাই ৫০টি বিহার প্রতিষ্ঠা করেন যার মধ্যে ছিল সে সময়ের প্রধান বিশ্ববিদ্যালয় বিক্রমশীলা। তিব্বতের সূত্র অনুযায়ী পাঁচটি শ্রেষ্ঠ মহাবিহার ছিলঃ বিক্রমশীলা ছিল সেই যুগের প্রধান বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়; নালান্দা; সোমপুর মহাবিহার; অদন্তপুর এবং জাজ্ঞাদলা। পাল আমলে পূর্ব ভারতে শিক্ষাদানকারী সবগুলো বৌদ্ধবিহার রাষ্ট্রের তত্ত্বাবধানে ছিল এবং বৌদ্ধবিহারগুলো একটি নেটওয়ার্ক তৈরি করেছিল এবং বিহারগুলোর মধ্যে সমন্বয় ছিল এতে করে মহান মনিষীদের জন্য বৌদ্ধবিহারগুলোর মধ্যে অবস্থান বদলানো সহজ হত।

বজ্রানা বৌদ্ধশাস্ত্রে বিশেষায়িত ছিল জগদ্দল। পরবর্তীকালে জানা যায় যে কানজুর এবং তেংজুরে উল্লেখিত প্রচুর অক্ষর এই জগদ্দলেই গঠন করা হয়েছিল। সম্ভবত সাংস্কত ভাষার প্রাচীনতম সংকলন সুভাসিতারত্নকোষ জগদ্দলেই ১১শ শতাব্দীর শেষের দিকে অথবা ১২শ শতাব্দীর শুরুতে গঠন করা হয়।

Mymensingh city is one of the old cities in Bangladesh. Historically & archaeologically it is very important from tourism point of views. Once a traveler wants to travel in this district, he/she will find several places to visit. Muktagacha Zamindar House (মুক্তাগাছা জমিদার বাড়ী) is one of those.

This old palace is located at the heart of the Muktagacha(মুক্তাগাছা) Upazila, 16km west to the Sadar Upazila. Previously the name of Muktagacha was Binodbari (বিনোদবাড়ী). It is believed that the Zamindars actually came from the Natore (নাটোর) or Bogra (বগুড়া) of our North Bengal. When the first ruler named Srikrishna Acharya (শ্রীকৃষ্ণ আচার্য) arrived here, a local inhabitant named Muktaram Kormokar (মুক্তারাম কর্মকার) welcomed them with a large lamp stand that was made from brass. In that portion of our country, people call a lamp stand as Gachha (গাছা)). This gratitude pleased the Zamindar and they have renamed the area as Muktagacha (মুক্তা গাছা) using that inhabitant's name and the lamp stand's local name.

Srikrishna Acharya (শ্রীকৃষ্ণ আচার্য) established the Zamindari at Muktagacha formerly known as Binodbari. Later, his four sons Ram Ram, Hore Ram (হরে রাম), Bishnu (বিষ্ণু), Shibram (শিবরাম)and their inheritor conducted the Zamindari. The Owner of the Muktagacha Rajabari was Jogot Kishor Acarya (জগত কিশোর আচার্য), the son of Hore Ram Acharya (হরে রাম আচার্য). His ancestors started to build that Palace in the year 1750-60 which signifies that the structure is almost 300 yrs old.

However, this old house from Muktagacha covers a vast area, though most of the structures are in very poor condition. Few things were stolen by the locals, and others are just dilapidated for not taking any care. We observed two storied iron & steel made house (though floors are all gone, only structure is standing there).

Most of the rulers from this family were cruel and hostile to the peasants. They have lot of allegations against them including raping, torturing, etc. It was considered as a crime whenever a peasant from that area use to cross the Zamindar House using any shoe or umbrella. Guards use to beat them whenever someone committed such crime.

It is an old house looks like a traditional Zamindar bari located in Munshiganj District. Its architectural characteristics is very similar to the other merchants house in Munshiganj region, which could be mentioned in name- Dao Bari, House of Tokani Pal, House of Choron Poddar, Old House of Makahati, House of Kamini Pal etc. It is being assumed that those palace like houses erected in contemporary time period. The owners of those palaces were mainly merchant.