Array
(
[0] => Array
(
[name] => Birulia
[post_id] => 10247
[post_link] => http://offroadbangladesh.com/places/birulia/
[thumb_link] => http://offroadbangladesh.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/1901405_754321604613217_2988723604433192253_n-300x200.jpg
[post_content] => Birulia is a very small village under Ashulia Thana of Savar Upazila. Legends say that Birulia was once a very rich residential area with a complex of Buildings belonging to the classical essence of architecture.
It is located on the banks of the Turag River, once was an important part of the Bhawal Estate. It has been said that Birulia was a center for Zamindars who were responsible to govern a broader area nearby Savar and parts of Kaliakoir, adjacent areas of Sripur, some other areas of Gazipur, and Mirpur and Gabtoli area, which are under Dhaka presently.
Besides Governing, it is well known that Birulia was later also chosen as a good residential & business area by several business magnates of the time, because of its close proximity to a few river, such as Turag, Bangshi and Dhaleswari.
Names found who were governing from Birulia estate:
- Kali Kumar Saha
- Tarak Chandra Saha
- Gopi Babu
- Nitai Babu
- Rajani Ghosh are some such names.
Some of their Palace like houses, Temple etc. were built over a century ago, evidences still remaining in Birulia. However, these complex of buildings are in a state of ruining.
In recent days, there are so many poor families living in these complex of building, who were probably homeless by river erosion. Some of them insist that they are the inheritor of traders family.
)
[1] => Array
(
[name] => Harirampur Upazila
[post_id] => 14909
[post_link] => http://offroadbangladesh.com/places/harirampur-upazila/
[thumb_link] => http://offroadbangladesh.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Harirampur-Upazila-1-300x187.jpg
[post_content] =>
Harirampur (হরিরামপুর) Upazila of Manikganj district belonging an area of 245.42 sq km, it is located in between 23°38' and 23°48' north latitudes and in between 89°50' and 90°03' east longitudes. It is bounded by Shivalaya, Ghior and Manikganj sadar upazilas on the north, Char bhadrasan and Faridpur sadar upazilas on the south, Nawabganj (Dhaka) and Dohar upazilas on the south-east. The population living in this Upazila is total 171274; where male 84994, female 86280; Muslim 150041, Hindu 21202, Buddhist 10 and others 21.
Water bodies or Main rivers: Padma and Ichamati, Bhatsala Beel, Gharilpur Beel and Mollabari Canal are notable.
Administrative Harirampur Thana was formed in 1845 and it was turned into an upazila in 1983.
Background History of Harirampur Upazila:
Harirampur Upazila is one of the seven upazilas in Manikganj district. It’s an old area of this district. Which could be possibly proved by British Survey Map and their report. It’s said that during the reign of Chandra dynasty it was one of the part of Chandra Kingdom. From Savar to Faridpur there was a big Sea like water body existed which was known as ‘Tol Sagor’. Chronologically, after the reign of Chandra dynasty, Barman dynasty came into being and King ‘Hari Barman’ ruled in this region.
It’s assumed that this Upazila is named after by that king. Firstly, it was familiar with the name ‘Hariramnagar’ and then ‘Harirampur’ came in being. The main building of upazila was being eroded by the river Padma and now the building is build at Dashkandi (দাশকান্দি) Village .
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[2] => Array
(
[name] => Sholakia
[post_id] => 11548
[post_link] => http://offroadbangladesh.com/places/sholakia/
[thumb_link] => http://offroadbangladesh.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Kishoregonj_Solakia-Eid-Jamat-11-300x168.jpg
[post_content] =>
Sholakia (Bengali: শোলাকিয়া) is a locality near Kishoreganj town in Bangladesh. It is famous for its Eidgah where the largest congregation of Eid prayer in Bangladesh is held on the occasion of Eid ul-Fitr, the day of celebration after the Ramadan, the month of fasting. 400,000 people join the prayer on every Eid. The Eidgah, on the bank of river Narosunda is reported to be 7 acres (28,000 m2) in size, accommodating 250 rows or about 150,000 of participants for every congregation. An equal number of participants take part in the prayer using the fields, roads and courtyards around the Eidgah.
A small number of elites make use of the two-storied mimbar (payer hall with towers for adhan) nearby, which can accommodate about 500 people. The prayer on the occasion of Eid ul-Adha, the festival of qurbani or sacrifice, is also comparably large. The regular population of Sholakia is 1,026, consisting 180 households.
Syed Ahmed, a saint (known as peer) and an Islamic leader of Kishoregonj lived in Sholakia, Shaheb bari, organized the first Eid congregation in 1828 in the fields of his own taluk. Syed Ibrahim, Father of Syed Ahmed came from what is now Saudi Arabia through Yemen and then he came to India. He preached Islam in 24 Porganas of India and protested against different Subversive activities of British against the locals. Then he migrated to Comilla and then at Mymensingh. After few years later Syed Ibrahim went to Mocca to observe Hazze. But His wife lived in Nikli of Kishoregonj. By this time Syed Ahmed took born. He educated at Azimpur, Dhaka and He participated in Fakir movement from Mymensingh.
Later, towards the end of the 18th century, he moved to Sholakia, Shaheb Bari to begin Islamic activities. In 1827 he founded the first Mosque of Kishoreganj at Sholakia, Shaheb Bari. He observed different islamic activities at the MAJAR of Bora Pir ( Hazrat Shah Monnoon, other opinion the name was Moyezuddin Moznu) of Kishoregonj at Sholakia, Shaheb Bari. The local myth says that 125,000 people turned out at that congregation, hence the name Sholakia (shoa meaning one and a quarter and lakh meaning a hundred thousand). During foundation of Eidgah, Zaminder of Jangalbari and Hybathnagor helped Syed Shaheb. Dewan Mannan Dand Khan of Hybathnagor, who was a descendant of Isa Khan, donated 4.35 acres (17,600 m2) of land to the Eidgah in 1950.
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[3] => Array
(
[name] => Sonargaon Upazila
[post_id] => 11067
[post_link] => http://offroadbangladesh.com/places/sonargaon-upazila/
[thumb_link] => http://offroadbangladesh.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/228845_223479344364115_3613101_n-300x225.jpg
[post_content] =>
Sonargaon ( সোনারগাঁও; meaning the City of Gold) was a historic administrative, commercial and maritime center in Bengal. Situated in the center of the Ganges delta, it was the seat of the medieval Muslim rulers and governors of eastern Bengal. Sonargaon was described by numerous historic travelers, including Ibn Battuta, Ma Huan, Niccolò de' Conti and Ralph Fitch as a thriving center of trade and commerce. It served as the capital of Sultan Fakhruddin Mubarak Shah, Isa Khan and the Baro-Bhuyan Confederacy.
The area is located near the modern industrial river port of Narayanganj in Bangladesh. Today, the name Sonargaon survives as the Sonargaon Upazila (Sonargaon Subregion) in the region.
Trade: By the 14th century Sonargaon became a commercial port. Trade activities were mentioned by travelers like Ibn Batuta, Ma Huan and Ralph Fitch. Maritime ships travelled between Sonargaon and southeast/west Asian countries. Muslin was produced in this region.
Pre-Muslim period: The name Sonargaon came as the Bangla version of the ancient name Suvarnagrama (সুবর্ণ গ্রাম) . Bauddha ruler Danujamadhava Dasharathadeva ( দনুজমর্দন দশ্রথদেব) shifted his capital to Suvarnagrama from Bikrampur sometime in the middle of the 13th century. In early 14th century, Buddhism ruling in this area ended when Shamsuddin Firoz Shah (reigned 1301–1322) of Lakhnauti occupied and annexed it to his kingdom.
Muslim period: Hong Bao and Ma Huan visited Sonargaon in 1432.Muslim settlers first arrive in Sonargaon region in around 1281. Sharfuddin Abu Tawwamah, a medieval Sufi saint and Islamic philosopher came and settled here sometime between 1282 and 1287. He then established his Khanqah and founded a Madrasa.Firoz Shah built a mint in Sonargaon from where a large number of coins were issued.When he died in 1322, his son, Ghiyasuddin Bahadur Shah, replaced him as the ruler. In 1324 Delhi Sultan, Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq, declared war against him and after the battle, Bahadur Shah was captured and Bengal, including Sonargaon, became a province of Delhi Sultanate. The same year, Sultan Muhammad bin Tughlaq, son and successor of Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq, released him and appointed him as the governor of Sonargaon province.
After 4 years of governorship, in 1328, Bahadur Shah declared independence of Bengal. Delhi Sultan Muhammad bin Tughlaq sent his general, Bahram Khan, to depose him. In the battle, Bahadur Shah was defeated and killed. Bahram Khan recaptured Sonargaon from the Delhi Sultanate and he was also appointed the governor of Sonargaon.
When Bahram Khan died in 1338, his armor-bearer, Fakhruddin Mubarak Shah, declared himself the independent Sultan of Sonargaon. Fakhruddin sponsored several construction projects, including a trunk road and raised embankments, along with mosques and tombs. 14th century Moroccan traveller, Ibn Batuta, after visiting the capital in 1346, described Fakhruddin as "a distinguished sovereign who loved strangers, particularly the fakirs and sufis. After the death of Fakhruddin in 1349, Ikhtiyaruddin Ghazi Shah became the next independent ruler of Sonargaon.
Ilyas Shah, the independent ruler of Lakhnauti, attacked Sonargaon in 1352. After defeating Ikhtiyaruddin Ghazi Shah, he became the sole ruler of whole Bengal for the first time in history and thus he became the founder of a sultanate of the unified Bengal.
Isa Khan's ruling: When Taj Khan Karrani was the independent Afghan ruler of Bengal, Isa Khan obtained an estate in Sonargaon and Maheswardi Pargana in 1564 as a vassal of the Karrani rulers. Isa Khan gradually increased his strength and in 1571 he was designated as the ruler of whole Bhati region. In 1575 he helped Daud Khan Karrani to fight with Mughal flotilla in the vicinity of Sonargaon.
Daud Khan Karrani died in the battle of Rajmahal against Mughals in 1576. Akbar then assigned Isa Khan as one of the Bara-Bhuiyans by making him the zamindar of Sonargaon. Since then he resisted Mughal's ruling in his area. With the help of allies, he stood defiant against Mughals in the battle against Subahdar Khan Jahan in 1578, Subahdar Shahbaz Khan in 1584 and Durjan Singh in 1597. Isa Khan died in September 1599. Then his son, Musa Khan, took control of Bhati region. But after the defeat of Musa Khan in 10 July 1610 by Islam Khan, the army general of Mughals, Sonargaon became one of the sarkars of Bengal subah. The capital of Bengal is then shifted to Jahangirnagar (later named Dhaka).
British period: Panam City was established in the late 19th century as a trading center of cotton fabrics during British rule. Hindu cloth merchants built their residential houses following colonial style with inspiration derived from European sources. Today this area is protected under the department of archaeology of Bangladesh. Panam city area was linked with the main city area by three brick bridges - Panam Bridge, Dalalpur Bridge and PanamNagar Bridge - during Mughal period. The bridges are still in use.Sonakanda Fort is a Mughal river-fort located on the bank of the Shitalakshya River at Bandar.
Bangladesh period: Lok Shilpa Jadughar (Folk Art and Craft Museum) of Sonargaon was established by Bangladeshi painter Joynul Abedin on March 12, 1975. The house, originally called Bara Sardar Bari, was built in 1901. On 15 February 1984, Narayanganj subdivision is upgraded to a district by the Government of Bangladesh. Hence Sonargaon became a subdistrict of Narayanganj District of Dhaka division. Due to the many threats to preservation (including flooding and vandalism), Sonargaon is placed in 2008 Watch List of the 100 Most Endangered Sites by World Monuments Fund.
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