Teota Zamindar Palace

The Betila (বেতিলা) House in Manikganj was built about a century ago by Jyoti Babu (জ্যোতি বাবু) and Satya Babu (সত্য বাবু), a couple of affluent merchants involved in the trade of Jute, the golden fibre of Bangladesh. This palatial house is located in a remote area named Betila which is within the parameters of the modern day Manikganj proper. Explorers/travelers searching for heritage sites in Manikganj over the internet may come across several links of the famous Baliati Zamindar’s Palace but never find any links on Betila. This is primarily because the Betila House was not a Zamindar’s (Land Owner) palace, and secondly since it is located in such a remote area, people hardly know about it. Rich people of those era are known to build such palatial houses in remote areas and live lavish lives, even though they were not 'Zamindars' or royalty.

For someone looking for heritage sites, the Betila Mitra Union of Manikganj would be a fabulous one to come across. It’s situated in semi rural setting (being not too distant from urban areas) and doesn't seem particularly unique on first impression but once you begin to explore it's culture and heritage, beautiful places like the Betila House amongst several others begin to surface. The seemingly tame Betila Canal runs across the area, connecting two major rivers Kaliganga (কালিগঙ্গা) and Dhaleshwari (ধলেশ্বরী) but like most waterways of Bangladesh, one can anticipate its ferocity in full monsoon season when rising water levels which is also evident in the way it has eroded both its banks, specially at the lone bridge that was constructed some time back.

On both the banks one will come across a series of heritage buildings, the pinnacle being on the eastern bank, the Betila Palatial house surrounded by rich foliage. It’s a combined structure of two separate buildings both of which are two-storied, standing almost intact, side by side and with an expansive open field before them.

Tengor Shahi Jame Mosque is a single-domed square shaped mosque and built entirely of brick.Through the analysis of An Arabic inscription, originally fixed over the central archway of eastern wall, can now be found fixed to an enclosure wall of a nearby newly built mosque, locally known as Pashchimpada masjid (mosque). According to the inscription, the Rikabi Bazar Mosque was built by one Malik Abdullah Miah, son of Amin Khan Fakir Miah, in 1569 AD during the reign of Sultan sulaiman karrani.

The walls of this mosque are about 2.13m thick.There were four corner-towers in the four exterior angles of the building, but these were removed at the time of renovation work. The mosque has five arched-doorways, three in the east and one each on the north and south sides. The north and south doors are now used as windows. All the arches are of the two-centered pointed variety. The central archway in the east is bigger than the flanking ones. Corresponding to the three eastern archways there are three renovated semi-circular mihrabs inside the qibla wall that are set within rectangular frames. Like the central doorway, the central mihrab is bigger than its flanking counterparts. The north and south walls have two alcoves on either side of the archway. The square prayer hall of the mosque is covered with a large brick shouldered dome, which rests on the four blocked arches over the central mihrab and the three axial doorways springing from the brick pilasters, two inside each wall, in combination with Bengali pendentives and half-domed squinches on the upper angles.

Architectural Features: Architectural features of this mosque include massive walls, a large dome, two-centered pointed archways and a dome supported by blocked arches springing from brick pilanters in combination with pendentive and half-domed squinches. These are very feature similar to the Goaldi Mosque in sonargaon and baba saleh’s mosque in Bandar, both in narayanganj district

An octagonal drum can be seen externally in the lower part of the dome. The parapets and the inner side of the dome is decorated with rows of blind merlons, and each rectangular frame of the three mihrabs is crowned by a frieze of blind merlons. These are not original ornamentations. The outer walls of the mosque were once ornamented with terracotta plaques, but now these are all missing. The mosque is at present covered with cement plaster.

Hazrat Sharfuddin Abu Tawama’s Tomb and Mazar is situated just eastward to the Mosque in mazar Complex, connected to the Mazar of Hazrat Ibrahim Danish Mand. Without any inscriptional evidences, local people believe that this Grave is belong to the Hazrat Sharfuddin Abu Tawama. There are six graves in a row and second one from the east is belong to Hazrat Sharfuddin. This Mazar is surrounded by a fence wall. In that brick wall there is a stone inscription had been found. On the inscription  a short description is written about the time period of a Mosque situated just west to the Mazar area.

Hazrat Sheik Sharfuddin Abu Tawama hails from Bhukhara. During the year 1274-1277, he came to then Sonargaon  along with his family via Delhi and Manere of Bhiar. From Maner,  a 17 years old pious boy Sheik Sharf-Uddin Yahia Manery took bayet in his hand and accompanied him to Sonargaon. Hazrat Sharf-Uddin Abu Tawama got the blessing of Hazrat Ibrahim Daneshmand (RA) who induldged him in establishing a Khankha to preach Islam in the area. He established Khanka to make the same one of the high standard educational institution with the help of his diciple Hazrat Sheik Sharf-Uddin Yahia Manery, who became the celebrated mentor and teacher of the Khanka.

Hazrat Sheik Sharfuddin Abu Tawama died in the year 1300 AD and buried within the premises of Darga Bari which is at the eastern side of Mograpara.

Unfotunitly the grave of Hazrat Sheik Sharfuddin Abu Tawama (RA) does not have any shed nor the place could be said very well maintained area.

There is a folk art and craft museum for the visitors & tourist travelling in Sonargaon. Sonargaon Folk Art and Craft Museum remains open from morning to afternoon (9 AM to 5 PM). Wednesday and the Thursday, this museum is closed for weekend. This is prosperous with several unique collection those you'll never find at any other place. Some are lost from our country, and only those are remains. The main museum building is placed at the "Sardar Bari". "Sardar Bari" was built by a Hindu Zamindar of Sonargaon in 1901. Alike the other Zamindar house of that period, this one also looks like Indian houses, but the shape of the house was looked like the European Palaces. The baroque decoration and the elaborated painting on the plaster of the building are really eye catching.

Lok Shilpa Jadughar (Folk Art and Craft Museum) of Sonargaon was established by Bangladeshi painter Joynul Abedin on March 12, 1975.

It will cost you 10 taka to enter the museum area. Its a vast area, and will take you lots of time to round the area. You'll find a art gallery of "Zainul Abedin" inside the museum area. There are two Exhibition Galleries inside the museum. Both of them consist of some status showing the local life of Bangladeshi people, for example farming, woman working etc. Also you'll find the miniature version of the several boats from my country, which are now a days vanished after competing with the mechanical vehicles.