Array
(
[0] => Array
(
[name] => Bhai Girish Chandra Sen's Old House
[post_id] => 23726
[post_link] => http://offroadbangladesh.com/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.
)
[1] => Array
(
[name] => {:en}Baba Adam Shahid Mosque{:}{:bn}বাবা আদমের মসজিদ এবং দরগা {:}
[post_id] => 7979
[post_link] => http://offroadbangladesh.com/places/baba-adam-shahi-mosque/
[thumb_link] => http://offroadbangladesh.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/baba-adam-300x169.jpg
[post_content] => {:en}
Baba Adam Shahid Mosque (বাবা আদম শহীদ মসজিদ) is an archaeologically significant mosque situated in Munshiganj District.
Baba Adam's Mosque shows all the decorative and architectural characteristics of the sultanate architecture of Bengal. This mosque, in fact, bears the mature form of the sultanate mosque style of this region (Bangladesh).
It is a six-domed mosque. An inscription, fixed above the central doorway in the east, records 888 AH/1483 AD as the date of construction of the mosque. Malik Kafur built it during the reign of Sultan Fateh Shah. Baba Adam's Mosque is now protected monument under the Department of Archaeology, Bangladesh. It has been renovated and is in a comparatively good state of preservation. Besides the mosque there is a tomb known as Baba Adam's Mazar, where, according to a legend, baba adam shahid, who died in a holy war, was buried. It is difficult to ascertain the historicity of this tomb due to lack of authentic sources. There is a newly built small tomb structure situated on the south-east side of the courtyard of the mosque. Previously, there was no roof over the tomb.
The present tomb is square in plan (7.62m a side) and is undated and without any inscription tablet. The simple grave has no feature of architectural importance and the Department of Archaeology is not responsible for preserving it.
{:}{:bn}
বাবা আদমের মসজিদ এবং দরগা মুন্সীগঞ্জ জেলার রামপাল থানার রিকাবিবাজার ইউনিয়নের কাজী কসবা গ্রামে অবস্থিত। বহুগম্বুজবিশিষ্ট আয়াতক্ষেত্রাকার এই মসজিদটির ভেতরের অংশের আয়তন ১০.৩৫ মিটার গুণিতক ৬.৭৫ মিটার এবং বাইরের অংশের আয়তন ১৪.৩০ মিটার গুণিতক ১১.৪৫ মিটার। মসজিদটির দেয়ালের পুরুত্ব প্রায় ২ মিটার। বাবা আদম মসজিদের তিনটি সারিতে প্রবেশের জন্য মোট দুটি পথ রয়েছে। এই মসজিদের পশ্চিম দিকের দেয়ালের পেছনের অংশের তিনটি স্তর রয়েছে এবং মাঝখানের স্তরে নকশাকরা বহুখাঁজবিশিষ্ট খিলানের প্যানেল রয়েছে। মসজিদের ছাদে দুই সারিতে তিনটি করে মোট ছয়টি একই ধরনের গোলাকার গম্বুজ রয়েছে। বাবা আদম মসজিদে দুটি সরু স্তম্ভ রয়েছে যেগুলো কালো অগ্নিয়গিরিজাত শিলা দিয়ে নির্মিত। এই স্তম্ভগুলোর গোড়া অষ্টভুজাকার, ষোল পার্শ্বযুক্ত এবং শিকল ও ঘণ্টার আদলে নকশাকৃত। বাবা আদম মসজিদের মুসলিম আমল পূর্ববর্তী পাথরের পিলারগুলোর উপর মসজিদের সরু প্রজাতির খিলানগুলো দাড়িয়ে আছে যেখান থেকে ছয়টি গম্বুজের উদয় হয়েছে। মসজিদটি ইটের তৈরি হলেও এটির পিলার এবং আয়তাকার স্তম্ভগুলো পাথরের তৈরি।
সুলতানি আমলের বেশীরভাগ স্থাপনার মত এই মসজিদের কার্নিশ এবং ছাদ বক্ররেখা বেষ্টিত। মসজিদের পশ্চিম দিকের দেয়ালের মিহরাবের সাথে সমান্তরালভাবে পূর্বদিকে তিনটি চমৎকার বক্রাকার ফটক রয়েছে।
বাবা আদম মসজিদের খিলান ও ছাদের মধ্যকার স্থানে গোলাপের নকশা রয়েছে এবং ছাঁচের নকশায় প্রস্তুতকৃত কুলুঙ্গির সারি রয়েছে। মসজিদে সবকটি ফটক এবং মিহরাবে আয়াতক্ষেত্রাকার নকশা খোদাই করা আছে এবং উত্তর ও দক্ষিন দিকের দেয়ালে আয়াতক্ষেত্রাকার কুলুঙ্গি রয়েছে। মসজিদটিতে কোন মিনার নেই এবং মাঝখানের ফটকের দুই পাশেই বহু খাঁজবিশিষ্ট দুটি আয়াতক্ষেত্রাকার প্যানেল রয়েছে। ছোট পিলারসমূহের উপরে বাবা আদম মসজিদের খিলানগুলো দাড়িয়ে আছে যেগুলোতে টেরাকোটার চমৎকার ঝুলে থাকা ফুলের নকশা করা আছে। বাবা আদম মসজিদের বহিরাংশের মত নকশা সিরাজগঞ্জের শাহজাদপুর মসজিদের বহিরাংশেও দেখা যায়।
বাবা আদমের মসজিদের নকশা এবং স্থাপত্যশৈলীতে সেসময় বাংলায় সুলতানি আমলের স্থাপত্যশৈলীর চরিত্র দেখতে পাওয়া যায়। এই অঞ্চলের (বাংলাদেশের) মসজিদগুলোতে সুলতানি স্থাপত্যশৈলীর পূর্ণ রুপের মসজিদ ছাড়াও এখানে একটি দরগা রয়েছে যেটি বাবা আদমের মাজার নামে পরিচিত। লোককথায় আছে যে বাবা আদম শহিদ একটি ধর্মযুদ্ধে নিহত হবার পর তাঁকে এখানে দাফন করা হয়। নির্ভরযোগ্য সূত্রের অভাবে এই দরগার ইতিহাস সঠিকভাবে জানা যায়নি। মসজিদের উঠানের দক্ষিন-পূর্বদিকে একটি নবনির্মিত ছোট দরগা রয়েছে। পূর্বে দরগার উপর কোন ছাদ ছিল না। বর্তমানে অবস্থিত দরগাটি বর্গাকার (যার প্রতিটি বাহু ৭.৬২ মিটার এবং এটিতে কোন শিলালিপি নেই তাই কবে এটি নির্মিত হয়েছিল তারও কোন তারিখের উল্ল্যেখ নেই। দরগার পাশে অবস্থিত কবরটি অতি সাধারণ তাই এটির কোন স্থাপত্যশৈলীর দিক দিয়ে কবরটির কোন গুরুত্ব নেই আর তাই প্রত্নতাত্ত্বিক অধিদফতর কবরটি সংরক্ষণও করছে না।
{:}
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[2] => Array
(
[name] => Chilla kotha
[post_id] => 11310
[post_link] => http://offroadbangladesh.com/places/chilla-kotha/
[thumb_link] => http://offroadbangladesh.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/IMG_63031-300x225.jpg
[post_content] =>
Chilla kotha is a one storeyed rectangular shaped building which is locally known as Andhar kotha. There are three rooms existing inside the whole building. These rooms are almost same in dimension. The interesting thing is there is a secret room in the underground level, which is connected with a staircase to way out at the south-east corner of this building. The underground room is so dark as there is no ventilation system or window inside of it. There are some rectangular shaped panel outside the building.
The specific time period of this architecture is not known. Historians could dig the history as far as possible and from their review we got to know that the time period of Crori City of Panam Nogor and Chillakatha is the same.
Myth: Local people believes that it was being used as a meditation and praying place for different Muslim Saint & Sadhus. Specially, there is a belief among the local people that when some saints do their praying & meditation inside the Under ground room of this building then it was enlightened with a picture of Mekka Sharif. Some people also said that it was being used as a torcher cell for punishing people commited crime went against the rituals of Islam. In every year from the 25th of January a very local festival named ‘Oros sharif’ has been celebrated annually. Many people from different direction come to join this event.
Recently this building is almost being abandoned. The outer front side has been demolished and being decaying day by day. Necessary steps should be taken to conserve and preserve it for future generation.
)
[3] => Array
(
[name] => Sonarong Jora Moth
[post_id] => 8450
[post_link] => http://offroadbangladesh.com/places/sonarong-jora-moth/
[thumb_link] => http://offroadbangladesh.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/SJM-1-300x240.jpg
[post_content] =>
Sonarong (means golden color) is a lovely village at Tongibari Upazila of Munshiganj district. This village belong a beautiful "Moth(মঠ)"(a place for praying by Hindu religious people) which is known as "Sonarong Jora Moth" (সোনারং জোড়া মঠ) ("twin moth"). It is used to call twin moth/temple, because it has two towers side by side. It may be around 150 feet high from the ground. There is a large pond just in front of the Moth. This moth is not functioning now a days. Interviewing local people we came to know that, there are no praying activities take place in this moth. Every side of the moth is covered with trees and that gave a lovely golden and green color's illusional view of the moth.
The larger moth was made for "Shiva"(Hindu God), and made during 1843, and the smaller one for "Kali"(Hindu Goddess), and made during 1886. It was built by a Hindu merchant named "Rupchand" (রূপচাঁদ) From stone inscriptions fixed over the temple’s entrance.
The two towers of the moth are not equal sized. One is much larger than another one. The larger tower has hundreds of holes at the top of it, and each hole is occupied by parrots. Visitors may observe hundreds of parrots from the place, and they are making sweet sound together all the day long. During the breeding season, the top of the moth become green for the numerous numbers of parrots. Both the towers of the moth are ornamented nicely with different types of leafs motif and blind alcoves.
Architectural Features:
Two temples stand side by side on a single masonry platform surrounded by a moat on three sides and an access path on the eastern side.The western temple, loftier than the eastern one, is about 15m high over the square sanctum, and measures 5.35m x 5.35m and has a 1.90m wide veranda. A low hemispherical dome covers the square sanctuary, over which rises an octagonal sikhara(শিখর) crowned by the usual pinnacle with kalasa (কলস) finials. This terminates in a trident fixed with an iron rod. The outer surface of the sikhara is decorated with a semi-circular arched pattern in plaster, which is repeated on all sides. The entire sikhara is dotted with three pigeonholes under each arch pattern. The main sanctuary has two archways, one each on the south and west sides, flanked by arched panels on both sides,and a pattern of three arches on the other two sides. The western entrance consists of a two-centered arch. The top of the archway is decorated with a frieze of blind merlons. In front of the sanctum, the veranda is covered with a flat roof supported on columns, It has three arched openings on the south, one each on its east and west side.
It is one of the important historical & archaeological places in Munshiganj District. Very recently,renovation work is on go,undoubtedly a good initiative to protect this site from further destruction.
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