Array
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[0] => Array
(
[name] => Bhai Girish Chandra Sen's Old House
[post_id] => 23726
[post_link] => http://offroadbangladesh.com/bn/places/bhai-girish-chandra-sens-old-house/
[thumb_link] => http://offroadbangladesh.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Old-House-of-Bhai-Girish-Chandra-Sen-9-200x300.jpg
[post_content] => Girish Chandra Sen also known as Bhai Girish Chandra Sen ( ভাই গিরিশ চন্দ্র সেন), a Brahmo Samaj missionary, was the first person to complete the translation of the Qur'an into Bengali in 1886. It was his finest contribution to Bengali literature. Born in the village of Panchdona of Narsingdi in 1835 in the famed Dewan Baidya clan, he learnt Persian and Sanskrit in early life and started working as a copywriter in the court of the deputy magistrate in Mymensingh. He also taught for a short while at the Mymensingh Zilla School before engaging wholeheartedly in journalism and literary activities. He was attracted to the Brahmo Samaj under the influence of Keshub Chunder Sen and Bijoy Krishna Goswami and joined it as a missionary in 1871. He traveled through India and Burma to propagate his new faith.
The plasters on the walls of this two floor house have almost completely fallen off, baring the brick work, which is covered in a thick moss. The ceilings on both the floors have entirely caved in. Trees have grown all over the walls, thereby creating large cracks. The wood work from doors and windows is completely stolen. To overcome those destruction and deterioration of this old House owned by this famous Scholar, Government has taken necessary steps to renovate the building immediately.
In the year of 1869, Keshub Sen chose four persons amongst his missionaries and ordained them as professors of four old religions of the world. Girish Chandra was selected to study Islam. The others selected to study different religions were Gour Govinda Ray for Hinduism, Protap Chandra Mazoomdar for Christianity, and Aghore Nath Gupta for Buddhism.
This was a time, when even translating religious scripts from Islam was considered as desecration of the sanctity of the scripts. The Holy Qur’an was considered too sacred for translation, as such most of the Muslim scholars refrained from even trying.
A firm believer in the basic unity of all religions, Girish immersed himself in his studies and later went to Lucknow in 1876 to study Arabic, Islamic literature and the Islamic religious texts. He was involved in intense studies for about five years. His keen interest in different religions and his liberal outlook earned him the respect of followers of other religions.
On completion of his studies, he returned to Kolkata and engaged in translation of Islamic scriptures. After hard labor of six years from 1881-1886, he produced an annotated Bengali version of the Qur’an via Persian.
Girish Chandra wrote and published a total of 42 books in Bengali. His books were greatly appreciated by the Muslim community which referred to him as 'Bhai Girish Chandra'. The Muslim society, in his days, respected him enormously and gave him the title of a Maulavi.
Girish Chandra Sen spoke fluently in Bengali, Urdu & Persian. A simple soft-spoken person, he endeared himself to all those who came in contact with him. His autobiography, 'Atmajivani' (আত্মজীবনী), was published in 1906. He passed away in 1910.
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[1] => Array
(
[name] => {:en}Mahisantosh{:}{:bn}মহীসন্তোষ{:}
[post_id] => 5807
[post_link] => http://offroadbangladesh.com/bn/places/mahisantosh/
[thumb_link] => http://offroadbangladesh.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/offroadbangladeshlogo2-300x178.png
[post_content] => {:en}
Mahisantosh an important center of administration and learning in the medieval period. Present Mahiganj and Santosh under Patnitala in Naogaon district were known as Mahisantosh. There is a legend that a darvesh (saint) came to the place on the back of a fish and hence the name. There is also a tradition that the place was named after mahipala I (c 995-1043 AD). The general plan of the site and the discovery of some military weapons, particularly a gun and some swords, now on display at the varendra research museum, indicate that it was a fortified military outpost with ditches and ramparts and sprang up long before the coming of the Muslims. The discovery of an inscription in a mihrab with the inscribed images of Visnu and Surya on the reverse testify that Mahisantosh existed as an important centre before it was made the headquarters of a Sarkar by the Muslims.
The place emerged, in the mid thirteenth century, as a seat of learning. Shaikh Yahiya Maneri is reported to have received his education there under the guidance of the celebrated Shaikh Taqiuddin. Persian sources tend to suggest that this place became a repository for the saints of the Suhrawardi Order. It became a mint town in 1459 during the reign of Ruknuddin Barbak shah (1459-1474) and was renamed Barbakabad after the sultan. The construction of a good number of mosques during the Sultanate indicates that the town had been flourishing with a considerable number of Muslim populations. It continued to be a mint town up to 1521. Barbakabad occurs as a Sarkar and a city in the Ain-I-Akbari. As an urban centre it might have lost its importance towards the close of the sixteenth century. From the seventeenth century it ceases to be mentioned as a place of note.
The extensive area, now in ruins, is covered with thick jungle. There are 4 or 5 mosques, a tomb of Muhammad Shiran Khalji and two tombs of saints, all in ruins. The tomb of Shiran, mentioned in Tabaqat-I-Nasiri, is now unrecognizable in the scattered ruins of some brick structures, compounds, a tank, and a walled garh.
Written by: Md Akhtaruzzaman
{:}{:bn}
মহীসন্তোষ নওগাঁ জেলা সদর থেকে প্রায় ৬২ কিলোমিটার দূরে অবস্থিত। রুকুনউদ্দিন বাবর শাহর শাসনকালে এটি প্রধান শহর ছিল। এখানে একটি প্রাচীন মসজিদ আছে এবং রাজিপুরের অবশিষ্ট এখানে দৃশ্যমান।
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[2] => Array
(
[name] => Ruplal House: The Magnificent Past of Farashganj
[post_id] => 7443
[post_link] => http://offroadbangladesh.com/bn/places/ruplal-house-farashganj/
[thumb_link] => http://offroadbangladesh.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Ruplal-house-Farashganj1-300x240.jpg
[post_content] =>
The year was 1888. Viceroy Lord Dufferin of India was scheduled to visit these parts on an official tour during the then British Raj. A grand Ballroom Dancing program was organized by the English in honor of the Viceroy. And thus began a search for a suitable venue which was not only beautiful enough to be fitting of such an occasion but was also equipped with all appropriate amenities and facilities. In line with this requirement, three houses were short listed: Ahsan Manzil, the current Banga Bhaban (President’s Residence) & the Ruplal House. Finally, due to modernity of all the facilities available, its incomparable beauty and it’s grand architectural style the Ruplal House was chosen as the site for this grand program.
Ruplal House (Rooplal House) is located at Farashganj, just beside the bank of the Buriganga River. It was built by two prominent merchant brothers from Dhaka, Ruplal and Raghunath Das. It cannot exactly be determined how old the building actually is, but according to the locals there it may be around 150-200 years old.
Apart from Ruplal House, there is another adjoining buildings both of which have almost similar architectural styles, but the Ruplal House is the most beautiful one among the others. Nowadays Ruplal House is known as Zakir House, and the other one is known as Noorjahan House. However, nowadays inside both the buildings you'll find a vibrant spice and vegetable market.
The house has more than 50 rooms including a Hall Room, all of which are large and spacious consistent with the architecture of those time. The building has large cylindrical columns in line with the architectural styles of Ancient Greek buildings. Also top of the building, especially the ledges are also decorated with intricate designs reminiscent of Greek Architure as well as the Victorian Castles of England. But now a days, mostly due to the lack of maintenance, trees and unbridled weeds have grown up the wall of the building.
No one is available there to clean the premises &/or maintain it and also inside the building you'll find unauthorized people living. Recently Bangladesh government has announced this as archaeological property, but as of yet no action taken to preserve it.
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[3] => Array
(
[name] => Itakhola Mura
[post_id] => 5524
[post_link] => http://offroadbangladesh.com/bn/places/itakhola-mura/
[thumb_link] => http://offroadbangladesh.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Itakhola-Mura31-300x240.jpg
[post_content] =>
Itakhola Mura is an archaeological site in Mainamati. This site is one of the most impressive ruins. It lies in three terraces on adjacent hillocks just opposite the Rupban Mura site across the Kotbari road in Comilla. Excavations have revealed here a grand stupa complex with an attached monastery, located 42m to its north. The cultural phases of the site are stated (or overstated) to be five; the earlier three being still buried underneath the later remains.
The Stupa Complex was originally built as a solid stupa in the traditional style on a 13.1 meter square basement. However, it has one peculiarity; a small sanctum (2.4 m x 2.1 m) built in the center of its eastern or front side.
Subsequently, the shrine was enlarged and elaborated by additions and alterations, especially by adding three long narrow chapels in the eastern side after blocking the old sanctum; thus giving the structure an oblong shape (41.4 m x 24m). In this particular feature, it is strikingly similar to the Rupban Mura shrine. The side chapels were ultimately blocked up, leaving space for a few cubicles for installing cult images, as in other parts of the shrine. This establishment is surrounded by a 2.6 m wide circumlocutory passage and is enclosed by a 1.2 m thick boundary wall.
This holy precinct is again enclosed within a much larger, well-defined, and better preserved boundary wall (79 m x 56 m), in the slightly lower second terrace. It contains three interesting subsidiary shrines, two in two corners of the eastern side, and the other, a slightly larger one, at the back in the west. An elaborate entrance with 22 broad steps at the Center of the eastern side leads to the much lower third terrace. The outer face of its damaged boundary wall in this front side is excellently decorated with offsets, sunken panels, and ornamental designs.
Five votive stupas lie at the base of the long staircase, three of them in a north south row within a well-defined enclosure, all semi-cruciform in shape, like that of the larger subsidiary shrines in the western side of the second terrace. They certainly represent an experimental early stage in the development of the cruciform style in Buddhist architecture that we see in mature form at shalvan vihara, paharpur, Vikramashila and many other sites. These structures may reasonably be dated as belonging to 7th-8th centuries AD.
The Monastery This medium sized monastery of the usual square shape with 19 cells and one entrance hall was built around an open courtyard, 16.2m. Square, on a separate mound. Its monumental gateway complex, 17.6m x 8.5m, projecting outwards, lies at the Centre of the eastern wing. Some of the cells have brick-built bedsteads. This structure was badly damaged by brick-hunters in 1944-45.
Mentionable antiquities from the site, besides the stucco image, are three round pellets of solid gold, (19 tolas), and a copperplate inscription, discovered during clearance work after the excavations. The copperplate has not yet been deciphered.
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