Array
(
[0] => Array
(
[name] => {:en}Paharpur Buddhist Monastery{:}{:bn}পাহাড়পুর বৌদ্ধ বিহার{:}
[post_id] => 3673
[post_link] => http://offroadbangladesh.com/places/paharpur-buddhist-monastery/
[thumb_link] => http://offroadbangladesh.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Paharpur-Buddhist-Monastery-9-300x169.jpg
[post_content] => {:en}
Paharpur Buddhist Monastery, also known as Somopura Mahavihara is one of the most important ancient sites in our country. It was declared as a World Heritage site in 1985. There were monasteries which were built in Pala period in Bengal and in Magadha. Dharampala Vikramsila was the pioneer in building this monastery. He was the king of Varendi Magadha. It is a large square rectangle which is approximately 920 feet. The entrance is from the north side. The outer walls of monastery point towards the sanctuary area which is designed with rows of walls. The total number of cells are 177. The central sanctuary has a solid ground plan which ascents in 3 terraces above ground level to a peak of 70 feet.
Somapura Mahavihara (Bengali: সোমপুর মহাবিহার Shompur Môhabihar) in Paharpur, Badalgachhi Upazila, Naogaon District,Bangladesh (25°1'51.83"N, 88°58'37.15"E) is among the best known Buddhist viharas in the Indian Subcontinent and is one of the most important archeological sites in the country. It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985.
A number of monasteries grew up during the Pāla period in ancient Bengal and Magadha. According to Tibetan sources, five great Mahaviharas stood out: Vikramashila, the premier university of the era; Nalanda, past its prime but still illustrious; Somapura Mahavihara; Odantapurā; and Jaggadala. The monasteries formed a network; "all of them were under state supervision" and there 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.
The excavation at Paharpur, and the finding of seals bearing the inscription Shri-Somapure-Shri-Dharmapaladeva-Mahavihariyarya-bhiksu-sangghasya, has identified the Somapura Mahavihara as built by the second Pala king Dharmapala (circa 781–821) of Pāla Dynasty. Tibetan sources, including Tibetan translations of Dharma Kayavidhi and Madhyamaka Ratnapradipa, Taranatha's history and Pag-Sam-Jon-Zang, mention that Dharmapala's successor Devapala (circa 810–850) built it after his conquest of Varendra. The Paharpur pillar inscription bears the mention of 5th regnal year of Devapala's successor Mahendrapala (circa 850–854) along with the name of Bhiksu Ajayagarbha. Taranatha's Pag Sam Jon Zang records that the monastery was repaired during the reign of Mahipala (circa 995–1043 AD).
The Nalanda inscription of Vipulashrimitra records that the monastery was destroyed by fire, which also killed Vipulashrimitra's ancestor Karunashrimitra, during a conquest by the Vanga army in the 11th century, assumed to be an army of the Varman rulers. About a century later Vipulashrimitra renovated the vihara and added a temple of Tara.
Over time Atish's spiritual preceptor, Ratnakara Shanti, served as a sthavira of the vihara, Mahapanditacharya Bodhibhadra served as a resident monk, and other scholars spent part of their lives at the monastery, including Kalamahapada, Viryendra and Karunashrimitra. Many Tibetan monks visited the Somapura between the 9th and 12th centuries.
During the rule of the Sena dynasty, known as Karnatadeshatagata Brahmaksatriya, in the second half of the 12th century the vihara started to decline for the last time. One scholar writes, "The ruins of the temple and monasteries at Pāhāpur do not bear any evident marks of large-scale destruction. The downfall of the establishment, by desertion or destruction, must have been sometime in the midst of the widespread unrest and displacement of population consequent on the Muslim invasion.
{:}{:bn}
পাহাড়পুর বৌদ্ধ বিহার বা সোমপুর মহাবিহার আমাদের দেশের অন্যতম গুরুত্বপূর্ণ প্রাচীন নিদর্শন যেটিকে ১৯৮৫ সালে বিশ্ব ঐতিহ্য হিসেবে ঘোষণা করা হয়। এখানে ছিল বাংলা এবং মাগাধায় পাল আমলে নির্মিত বৌদ্ধবিহার। বরেন্দি মাগাধার রাজা বিক্রমশিলা এই বৌদ্ধবিহার নির্মাণে অগ্রণী ভুমিকা পালন করেন। এটি একটি ৯২০ ফিট দীর্ঘ বিশাল চারকোণা স্থাপনা যেখানে মোট ১৭৭ টি কক্ষ আছে এবং যেখানে প্রবেশের পথ উত্তর দিকে অবস্থিত। বৌদ্ধ বিহার থেকে পুণ্যস্থান পর্যন্ত পথে দেয়ালের সারি আছে এবং মাঝের পুণ্যস্থানটি ৩ টি স্তরে মাটি থেকে ৭০ ফুট উচ্চতায় অবস্থিত।
{:}
)
[1] => Array
(
[name] => Mosque of Kartalab Khan
[post_id] => 7301
[post_link] => http://offroadbangladesh.com/places/mosque-of-kartalab-khan/
[thumb_link] => http://offroadbangladesh.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Mosque-of-Kartalab-Khan1-300x225.jpg
[post_content] =>
Kartalab Khan Mashjid or Mosque of Kartalab Khan (কর্তালাব খান মসজিদ) is located at the Begum Bazar of Old Dhaka. It was built by the Dewan Murshid Quli Khan, also known as Kartalab Khan during 1701-1704, and the mosque named after him. For its location, people used to call this as Begum Bazar Mosque. Hardly very few people know this mosque as Kartalab Khan's Mosque now a days. The Google Map coordinate of the mosque is (23°43'2.03"N, 90°23'54.59"E), near to the Dhaka Central Jail.
Like any other mosques of that period, this one was built over a plinth like high vault. This mosque has five domes at the top of it, and an extended do-chala (দো চালা) like room at northern side. Though it was built around 300 years back, but now a days none of its antiquities are available.
Old Dhaka is already a congested area and there is hardly any space around the mosque for you to observe. Busy trading is going on around the mosque area. In fact it will be hard for you to stand beside the road and watch the top of the mosque.
There are buildings around the mosque those are using as market. So you can easily use any of those. This mosque could have been used as a token of our glorious past if it were handled with great care.
)
[2] => Array
(
[name] => Fegnasar Shiva Temple
[post_id] => 9298
[post_link] => http://offroadbangladesh.com/places/fegnasar-shiva-temple/
[thumb_link] => http://offroadbangladesh.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Fegnasar-shib-1-169x300.jpg
[post_content] =>
Fegnasar Shiva Temple (ফেগুনসার শিব মন্দির) was built in the reign (1159-1185 AD) of great King Bollal Shena. Another conception said, it might be built between 1725-1758 AD during the reign of King Raj Bollov. In course of time, it was on the way to destruction. Then, Moharaja Raj Bollov took some initiative to reconstruct that. It can not be assured who particularly built that temple. King Ballav was a great devotee of Shiva.
This temple is in rectangular shape at base,measuring 15 feet length,10 feet width and about 25 feet high from the ground. Very common constructing material like bricks, cement and limes being used to build that temple. At the last day of full moon night in every Bengali month of Falgun, there is a large festival of worshiping being held here.
There are so many stories being populated among common people about the builder of that Temple. Inside the temple, there is a large "Shiva Lingha" (শিব লিঙ্গ) (Phallus) placed. According to the local people, this is the largest phallus brought from South India (not true at all,because largest one is located at Faridpur District). Just about 100 meter away, there is a branch of Dhaleswari river flowing.
This place is sometimes locally mentioned as Raypura Mondir
)
[3] => Array
(
[name] => {:en}Zinda Pir Mosque{:}{:bn}জিন্দা পীরের মসজিদ{:}
[post_id] => 6753
[post_link] => http://offroadbangladesh.com/places/zinda-pir-mosque/
[thumb_link] => http://offroadbangladesh.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Bagerhat-Jinda-Pir-Mosque-011-300x225.jpg
[post_content] => {:en}
Zinda Pir Mosque (জিন্দা পীরের মসজিদ) is very near from the Khan Jahan Ali Mazar. This is a small square shaped mosque having a dimension 6x6 (in meter). It has a single dome at the top. The Eastern side of the wall has three doors and other twos (not Western) are having a single door. This mosque was in ruin and restored during 2002.
During that restoration process the mosque has lost its most of the antiquities. They believe the guy who built this mosque was a holy man. He was reciting the Holy Quran one day and disappeared. That's why the believe that the guy is not dead yet. And hence they call him Zinda Pir (জিন্দা পীর), and call the mosque as Zinda Pir Mosque (জিন্দা পীরের মসজিদ). In English, the word Zinda Pir (জিন্দা পীর) means an alive holy man. This story doesn't have any authentic source to believe. It is simply the way they believe this. This mosque premise has a lot of old graves around. Those are not having any naming and that's why it is unsure about the graves. Also it has a Mazar (মাজার) near the mosque and lot of people pray on there.
{:}{:bn}খান জাহান আলী মাজারের খুব কাছেই জিন্দা পীরের মসজিদ অবস্থিত। ছোট বর্গক্ষেত্রাকার এই মসজিদের ব্যাপ্তি ৬মিটারx৬ মিটার। একগম্বুজ বিশিষ্ট এই মসজিদের পূর্ব দিকের দেয়ালে তিনটি দরজা আছে এবং পশ্চিমদিক ব্যাতিত বাকি দুই দিকের দেয়ালে একটি করে দরজা আছে। ২০০২ সালে ধ্বংসপ্রাপ্ত এই মসজিদটিকে মেরামত করা হয়। তবে, মেরামতের সময় মসজিদটি এটির প্রাচীনতা অনেকাংশেই হারিয়েছে। স্থানীয়রা মনে করেন একজন বুজুর্গ ব্যাক্তি এই মসজিদটি নির্মাণ করেছিলেন যিনি কোরআন শরীফ তেলাওয়াত করা অবস্থায় একদিন অদৃশ্য হয়ে যান। একারণে মনে করা হয়ে থাকে যে ঐ ব্যাক্তি এখনও জীবিত আছেন আর তাই তাঁকে জিন্দা পীর বলা হয় এবং মসজিদটিকে বলা হয় জিন্দা পীরের মসজিদ। ইংরেজিতে জিন্দা পীরের অর্থ জীবন্ত পবিত্র ব্যাক্তি। এই গল্পটির কোন বিশ্বাসযোগ্য সূত্র নেই তবে স্থানীয়রা এমনটাই বিশ্বাস করে থাকে। মসজিদের প্রাঙ্গনে বেশকিছু পুরাতন কবর রয়েছে তবে কোন নামফলক না থাকায় এসব কবর সম্পর্কে নিশ্চিত হয়ে কিছু জানা যায়নি। মসজিদের কাছে একটি মাজারও আছে যেখানে প্রচুর মানুষ প্রার্থনা করে থাকে।{:}
)
)
