Rupban Mura

The year was 1888. Viceroy Lord Dufferin of India was scheduled to visit these parts on an official tour during the then British Raj. A grand Ballroom Dancing program was organized by the English in honor of the Viceroy. And thus began a search for a suitable venue which was not only beautiful enough to be fitting of such an occasion but was also equipped with all appropriate amenities and facilities. In line with this requirement, three houses were short listed: Ahsan Manzil, the current Banga Bhaban (President’s Residence) & the Ruplal House. Finally, due to modernity of all the facilities available, its incomparable beauty and it’s grand architectural style the Ruplal House was chosen as the site for this grand program.

Ruplal House (Rooplal House) is located at Farashganj, just beside the bank of the Buriganga River. It was built by two prominent merchant brothers from Dhaka, Ruplal and Raghunath Das. It cannot exactly be determined how old the building actually is, but according to the locals there it may be around 150-200 years old.

Apart from Ruplal House, there is another adjoining buildings both of which have almost similar architectural styles, but the Ruplal House is the most beautiful one among the others. Nowadays Ruplal House is known as Zakir House, and the other one is known as Noorjahan House. However, nowadays inside both the buildings you'll find a vibrant spice and vegetable market.

The house has more than 50 rooms including a Hall Room, all of which are large and spacious consistent with the architecture of those time. The building has large cylindrical columns in line with the architectural styles of Ancient Greek buildings. Also top of the building, especially the ledges are also decorated with intricate designs reminiscent of Greek Architure as well as the Victorian Castles of England. But now a days, mostly due to the lack of maintenance, trees and unbridled weeds have grown up the wall of the building.

No one is available there to clean the premises &/or maintain it and also inside the building you'll find unauthorized people living. Recently Bangladesh government has announced this as archaeological property, but as of yet no action taken to preserve it.

Govinda Vita at Mahasthangarh is another archaeological spot from the great Mahasthangarh of Bogra. This is also at Shibganj, and just opposite of the Mahastangarh Museum. This one is also close at Sunday, and open for other days from 9:00 to 5:00. During summer time, the closing time extends for one hour.

This is situated just beside the famous river Korotoa of Bogra. Once upon a time it was a giant river, but day by day it’s becoming so narrow that you may feel it’s a canal.

From the excavation, some important antiquities discovered at Govinda Bhita that includes cast copper coins, silver coins, NBP wares, terracotta female figurines with sunga affinities, terracotta seal bearing Brahmi script and semi-precious stone beads.

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The evidence says about Armenian community in the region during 17th to 18th century and their existence. Armenian Church was build in 1781 on Armenian Street in Armanitola. The site was an American graveyard before before the church built. Agaminus Catachik, an Armenian, gave away the land to build the church. Michel Cerkess, Okotavata Setoor Sevorg, Aga Amnius, and Merkers Poges helped build the church.

Mother Teresa stayed in this church during a visit to Dhaka.

In the old graveyard, among the 350 people buried there, a statue stands at the grave of Catachik Avatik Thomas, portraying his wife. The statue was bought from Kolkata and the grave is inscribed with the words "Best of Husband." Following the domination of their homeland by Persian powers of the time, Armenians were sent by their new rulers to the Bengal region for both political and economic reasons. Although the Armenian presence in South Asia is now insignificant, their presence in Dhaka dates back to the 17th century. Armenians came to Dhaka for business, and have been acknowledged for displaying a passion for trade comparable to that of the Bengalis of the time. In Dhaka, Armenian merchants traded in jute and leather, and profitability in these businesses convinced some to move permanently to Bangladesh. The area where they lived became known as Armanitola.

In 1781 the now famous Armenian Church was built on Armenian Street in Armanitola, then a thriving business district. The site was an Armenian graveyard before the church was built, and the tombstones that have survived serve as a chronicle of Armenian life in the area. Agaminus Catachik, an Armenian, gave away the land to build the church. Michel Cerkess, Okotavata Setoor Sevorg, Aga Amnius, and Merkers Poges helped build the church.

In the fifty years following the church's construction, a clock tower was erected on its western side. Allegedly, the clock could be heard four miles away, and people synchronized their watches with the sound of the tower's bell. The clock stopped in 1880, and an earthquake destroyed the tower in 1897. The Armenian played a prominent part in the jute trade in Dhaka and are reputed to be the pioneers of that trade in the second half of the 19th century. Today, the last Armenian that takes cares of the church is Mikhail Hopcef Martirossian (Micheal Joseph Martin). He was also one of the Armenian who was in the jute trade.

Mahisantosh an important center of administration and learning in the medieval period. Present Mahiganj and Santosh under Patnitala in Naogaon district were known as Mahisantosh. There is a legend that a darvesh (saint) came to the place on the back of a fish and hence the name. There is also a tradition that the place was named after mahipala I (c 995-1043 AD). The general plan of the site and the discovery of some military weapons, particularly a gun and some swords, now on display at the varendra research museum, indicate that it was a fortified military outpost with ditches and ramparts and sprang up long before the coming of the Muslims. The discovery of an inscription in a mihrab with the inscribed images of Visnu and Surya on the reverse testify that Mahisantosh existed as an important centre before it was made the headquarters of a Sarkar by the Muslims.

The place emerged, in the mid thirteenth century, as a seat of learning. Shaikh Yahiya Maneri is reported to have received his education there under the guidance of the celebrated Shaikh Taqiuddin. Persian sources tend to suggest that this place became a repository for the saints of the Suhrawardi Order. It became a mint town in 1459 during the reign of Ruknuddin Barbak shah (1459-1474) and was renamed Barbakabad after the sultan. The construction of a good number of mosques during the Sultanate indicates that the town had been flourishing with a considerable number of Muslim populations. It continued to be a mint town up to 1521. Barbakabad occurs as a Sarkar and a city in the Ain-I-Akbari. As an urban centre it might have lost its importance towards the close of the sixteenth century. From the seventeenth century it ceases to be mentioned as a place of note.

The extensive area, now in ruins, is covered with thick jungle. There are 4 or 5 mosques, a tomb of Muhammad Shiran Khalji and two tombs of saints, all in ruins. The tomb of Shiran, mentioned in Tabaqat-I-Nasiri, is now unrecognizable in the scattered ruins of some brick structures, compounds, a tank, and a walled garh.

Written by: Md Akhtaruzzaman

মহীসন্তোষ নওগাঁ জেলা সদর থেকে প্রায় ৬২ কিলোমিটার দূরে অবস্থিত। রুকুনউদ্দিন বাবর শাহর শাসনকালে এটি প্রধান শহর ছিল। এখানে একটি প্রাচীন মসজিদ আছে এবং রাজিপুরের অবশিষ্ট এখানে দৃশ্যমান।