Grave of National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam

MAG Osmani Museum is a museum in Sylhet, Bangladesh. The ancestors’ home of Bangabir General Muhammad Ataul Gani Osmani, the Commander-in-Chief of Bangladesh Forces (12 April 1971 - 7 April 1972) has been transformed into today’s famous “Osmani Museum”. It is situated at the heart (Dhopa Dighir Par) of the Sylhet City Corporation area in renowned Sylhet Division of Bangladesh.

It is about 12 km from the Sylhet Osmani International Airport and 3 km from the Sylhet Railway Station. Maintained and organized by the Bangladesh National Museum, this museum has been established to pay rich tribute to the great hero of Bangladesh for his outstanding accomplishments. This will surely act as a stimulus to the future generations. The foundation stone was laid on 16 February 1985 and it was inaugurated on 4 March 1987 by the then president of Bangladesh H M Ershad.

‘Nur Manzil’ is by and large a tin shade building having few rooms and other amenities including an exquisite piazza in the front. One has to cross few meters from the main gate to reach the Museum. A huge portrait of the General, placed in the center of the entrance hall greets the visitors. Receptionist welcomes the guests. One has to write name and address in the register placed in the reception. A befitting sitting place is also available in the lobby.

This historic museum comprises three galleries, where personal belongings of General Osmani and a good number of historical photographs are preserved befittingly. On both western and eastern side of the building there exist two small rooms, where Assistant Keeper and Care Taker’s office are situated.

Panam Nagar (পানাম নগর), ancient Painam, a locality now in Sonargaon upazila of Narayanganj district. It is about 2.5 kilometre to the north of Dhaka-Chittagong highway at Mograpara point. It is said to have been the site of Hindu capital city of Sonargaon emerging in the seventh decade of the thirteenth century. The Panam area formed part of the Muslim metropolis developed on the south of the old city, and perhaps constituted the place of residence of the early Muslim governors'. After the Mughal conquest of Sonargaon (1611) the Panam area was connected with the ruling metropolis by construction of highways and bridges. Panam still possesses three brick bridges belonging to the Mughal period: Panam Bridge, Dalalpur Bridge and Panamnagar Bridge.

The existence of these bridges, and the canals enclosing the site on three sides is indicative of its being a suburban area of the medieval city. The pucca road which leads from the Mograpara crossing on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway in the direction of Panam extending up to the Neel-Kuthi looks like a dividing line between medieval Sonargaon and the present Panamnagar, the only surviving relics of the Panam area. The Panam township stands on the east of this road opposite Aminpur, and a one-arched humped bridge leads from the same road over a narrow canal to the main street of Panamnagar.

In all probability the present Panamnagar grew as a by-product of the commercial activities of the english east india company and of the Permanent Settlement. The East India Company established their factory in Panam for the purchase of muslin and other cotton fabrics. The Company, for the purchase of muslin, used to distribute annually to the weavers from their factory in Panam as much as a lakh of rupees as dadni (dadni system advance), and it is estimated that there were then 1400 families of Hindu and Muslim weavers in and around Panam.

Sonargaon developed into a center of trade in cotton fabrics, chiefly English piece goods, during the colonial period, and thereby grew the new township of Panamnagar. A group of Hindu talukdars, who came into being from among the traders in the nineteenth century, chose this site for their residence. The existing brick buildings of Panamnagar, obviously the residence of the Hindu merchant-talukdars, can be dated back to early nineteenth, and the later ones to late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Panamnagar which developed in the nineteenth century, continued to flourish till the end of the Second World War.

Panamnagar, a unique township, stretched in a single street 5 meter wide on the average and 600 meter in length. All the buildings have the character of urban street front houses and are lined up on either side of this street which ends up at the Panam bazar. Fifty-two houses exist in dilapidated and disused condition having 31 in the north side of the street and 21 on the south. Panamnagar appears to be well protected by artificial canals all around. Two fairly wide canals run parallel to the street on its either side and joined by a narrow canal on the western side over which is the entrance bridge (Panamnagar Bridge). On the eastern side, the canal on the south swerves rightward and goes eastward crossing the north-south road that passes through the Panam bazar. The northern canal, the Pankhiraj Khal, runs eastward to meet the Meghna-Menikhali stream.

Nagarpur Zamindar Bari (নাগরপুর জমিদার বাড়ী) is located at the Nagarpur Upazila of Tangail district. This place is located in an interesting area. It has river Dhaleswari at the eastern side, and the River Jamuna at the western side. It is believed that there were a naval route between the Kolkata and Nagarpur that time. Now the Zamindari system has vanished and it took that route along with that.

The Zamindari of Nagarpur was established during the 19th century by the Jodunath Chowdhury. It's right now a massive complex which is known as Choudhury Bari as well. They are very helpful towards the people of their area. One of the decedent from the family named Suresh Chandra Ray Choudhury was the founder secretary of the famous club East Bengal from this Sub-continent.

Most of the buildings from the complex are in ruin, and few are in good condition. Using those good ones the government has established Nagarpur Mohila Degree College. If you enter inside the dilapidated section of the complex, you can find a hideout for the bats. There are probably thousands of bats rest and start flying away after people’s presence, which create a sharp wind flow from the flapping of the wings of the bats.

The Zamindari, the area for which the Zamindar was responsible, was 300-400 years ago. Sri Jukto Babu Ghono Sham Kundu was a big businessman during that time, he had a handicraft business. He used to come to this area for business purposes. But once, by cheating, he took over this Zamindari, and started the new Zamindari which followed the Hindu religion. If you turn 60 years back then you will find the last Zamindar in the history of this area. The Zamindari was ruled by two brothers, one was Sri Jukto Babu Narayan Rai Chowdhury, and the second one was Sri Jukto Babu Bishendro Narayan Rai Chowdhury. Their father was Sri Jukto Babu Rajoshri Jogendro Narayan Rai Chowdhury and their mother was Sham Mohini Chowdhurani.

When you visit this Zamindar Bari, you will find a lot of things which hold their grandeur still, but in a ruined condition. You can see the outstanding terracotta temple, design, famous architecture and all other stuff and attractive decoration. When you visit the palace you will find some pieces of glass which are still fixed in door and window. The grills which have a different shape and design.

দানকৃত সম্পত্তি এই হরিপুর জমিদারবাড়ি কেউ কেউ রাজবাড়ি হিসেবেও বলে থাকে। দেশের বিভিন্ন অংশ থেকে অনেকে এই জমিদারবাড়িটি দেখতে আসেন। হরিপুর গ্রামের পশ্চিমদিকে তিতাস নদীর পাড়ে অবস্থিত তিনতলা জমিদারবাড়িটিকে বাইরে থেকে দেখে আপনি কিছুই বুঝতে পারবেন না। একটি বিশাল বারান্দা অতিক্রম করে মূল ভবনটি আপনার চোখে পরবে। জমিদারবাড়িটির স্থাপত্যশৈলী যতটা না চমৎকার তার চাইতে নয়নাভিরাম জমিদারবাড়িটির দেয়ালের কারুকাজ। জমিদারবাড়ির প্রকৃত দরজাগুলো এখন আর নেই। বর্তমানে এখানে প্রায় ৩০টি পরিবার বাস করে। বলা হয়ে থাকে প্রায় ১৭৫ বছর পূর্বে ইংরেজ শাসনামলে জমিদার গৌরি প্রসাদ রায় চৌধুরী এবং কৃষ্ণ প্রসাদ রায় চৌধুরী এই জমিদারবাড়িটি নির্মাণ করেছিলেন। কৃষ্ণ প্রসাদ রায় চৌধুরীর মৃত্যুর পর হরিপদ রায় চৌধুরী এবং শান্তি রায় চৌধুরী এই জমিদারবাড়িটির উত্তরাধিকার প্রাপ্ত হন। অতঃপর তাঁদের কাছ থেকে জমিদার বাড়িটির উত্তরাধিকার চলে যায় উপেন্দ্র রায় চৌধুরী এবং হরেন্দ্র রায় চৌধুরীর কাছে। জমিদারবাড়িটি কখনোই মেরামত না করায় দিন দিন এটি তার জৌলুস ও আবেদন হারাচ্ছে।