Sonargaon Folk Art and Craft Museum
Type: অট্টালিকা
Contributed By:
Brief
There is a folk art and craft museum for the visitors & tourist travelling in Sonargaon. Sonargaon Folk Art and Craft Museum remains open from morning to afternoon (9 AM to 5 PM). Wednesday and the Thursday, this museum is closed for weekend. This is prosperous with several unique collection those you’ll never find at any other place. Some are lost from our country, and only those are remains. The main museum building is placed at the “Sardar Bari”. “Sardar Bari” was built by a Hindu Zamindar of Sonargaon in 1901. Alike the other Zamindar house of that period, this one also looks like Indian houses, but the shape of the house was looked like the European Palaces. The baroque decoration and the elaborated painting on the plaster of the building are really eye catching.
Lok Shilpa Jadughar (Folk Art and Craft Museum) of Sonargaon was established by Bangladeshi painter Joynul Abedin on March 12, 1975.
It will cost you 10 taka to enter the museum area. Its a vast area, and will take you lots of time to round the area. You’ll find a art gallery of “Zainul Abedin” inside the museum area. There are two Exhibition Galleries inside the museum. Both of them consist of some status showing the local life of Bangladeshi people, for example farming, woman working etc. Also you’ll find the miniature version of the several boats from my country, which are now a days vanished after competing with the mechanical vehicles.
How to go
This is about 15-20 taka rickshaw fare cost from the Mograpara Corssing at Sonargaon.
How To Reach: সোনারগাঁ উপজেলা
Frequent bus services to Sonargaon operate from Gulistan, Saidabad and other bus stands in Dhaka. Tickets may be bought on roadside counters. The price of the ticket from Gulistan bus stand is around 35 BDT, and the ride may take about 40 minutes, depending on the unpredictable traffic. Mention your destination as Mograpara. You can reach that place using bus from Dhaka (Gulistan). This will take you around 1 hour to reach at the place. You have to get down from the bus at Mograpara Crossing.From the crossing, you have to take a rickshaw, and have to tell the puller to drop you at Sonargaon. This will require 20 taka for the lift.
There are several Buses moving towards Sonargaon from Dhaka. Some of those are mentioned below-
1.Sonargaon Express
Departing from Gulistan
2.Borak Paribohon
Where to Stay
1. District Parishod Banglo
Sonargaon Upazila Parishad Complex
2.Gono Biddyalay
Ichapara,Sonargaon
Cell: 01712002304
3.Folk & Arts Foundation
Ichapara, Sonargaon
Cell: 027656331
Things to do
The Museum area has several lakes, and you can take a boat ride by spending very little amount of money. Also you can do a fishing at the lakes by paying a required amount of money. There is an area where the kid or the mature people can have some local rides, for example Nagor Dola. This is the most busiest place from the museum area according to my observation. There is a small local market, where you can by crafts, and other stuffs like Jamdani Sarees etc. We had found the shops were closed, but May be after 3:00 PM they are open for the visitors.
Eating Facilities
Referred to where to eat at Soanargaon, click here
The splendid building still stands tall along the bank of the Kumar River beckoning the people passing by it to have a look of its grandeur and magnificence. None can resist the temptation of taking a look at the captivating old structure when one passes by it.
In the absence of proper maintenance and renovation, weeds have grown in and around the house while the mossy bricks are crumbling down from the decaying structure. The house has lost much of its charm of terracotta due to the authorities’ negligence. Locals have already taken away many of the bricks, plaques, wooden doors and windows. The house has become a safe haven for drug addicts and gamblers due to lack of proper initiatives for its preservation and maintenance. Local people use the building as their cowshed and it has turned into the public toilet.
