Historical place Mahasthangarh #Bengali:মহাস্থানগড় Môhasthangôr is one of the earliest urbanarchaeological site so far discovered in Bangladesh. The village Mahasthan in Shibganjthana of Bogra Districtcontains the remains of an ancient city which was called Pundranagara or Paundravardhanapura in the territory of Pundravardhana. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] [ 3 ]A limestoneslab bearing six lines in Prakritin Brahmi script, discovered in 1931, dates Mahasthangarh to at least the 3rd century BC. [ 4 ]The fortified area was in use till the 18th century AD. [ 2 ] Together with the ancient and mediaeval ruins, the mazhar (holy tomb) of Shah Sultan Balkhi Mahisawarbuilt at site of a Hindu temple is located at Mahasthangarh. Hewas a dervish(holy person devoted to Islam) of royal lineage who came to the Mahasthangarh area, with the objective of spreading Islam among non-Muslims. He converted the people of the area to Islam and settled there. [ 5 ] [ 6 ]Mahasthanmeans a place that has excellent sanctity andgarhmeans fort. Mahasthan was first mentioned in a Sanskrittext of the 13th century entitledVallalcharita. It is also mentioned in an anonymous textKaratoya mahatmya,, circumstantially placed in 12th–13th century. The sametext also mentions two more names to mean the same place – Pundrakshetra, land of the Pundras, and Pundranagara, city of the Pundras. In 1685, an administrative decree mentioned the place as Mastangarh, a mixture of Sanskrit and Persianmeaningfortified place of an auspicious personage. Subsequent discoveries have confirmed that the earlier name was Pundranagara or Paundravardhanapura, and that the present name of Mahasthangarh is of later origin. [ 7 ] Geography[ edit] Mahasthangarh, the ancient capital of Pundravardhanais located 11 km (6.8 mi) north of Bograon the Bogra- Rangpurhighway, with a feeder road (running along the eastern side of the ramparts of the citadel for 1.5 km) leading to Jahajghataand site museum. [ 6 ]Buses are available for Bogra from Dhakaand take 4½ hours for the journey via Bangabandhu Jamuna Bridgeacross the Jamuna River. Buses are available from Bograto Mahasthangarh. Rickshaws are available for local movement. Hired transport is available at Dhaka/ Bogra. Accommodationis available at Bogra. [ 8 ]When travelling in a hired car, one can return to Dhaka the same day, unless somebody has a plan to visit Somapura Mahaviharaat Paharpur in the district of Naogaonand other places, or engage in a detailed study. It is believed that the locationfor the city in the area was decided upon because it is one of the highest areas in Bangladesh. The land in the region is almost 36 m above sea level, whereas Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, is around 6 m above sea level. Another reason for choosing this place was the position and size of the Karatoya, which seemed to be as wide as the sea. Mahasthangarh stands on the red soil of the Barind Tractwhich is slightly elevated within the largely alluvium area. The elevation of 15 to 25 metres above thesurrounding areas makes it arelatively flood free physiographic unit. [ 9 ] Discovery[ edit] Several personalities contributed to the discovery and identification of the ruinsat Mahasthangarh. F. Buchanan Hamilton was the first to locate and visit Mahasthangarh in 1808, C.J.O’Donnell, E.V.Westmacott,and Baveridge followed. Alexander Cunningham was the first to identify the place as the capital of Pundravardhana. He visited the site in 1889. [ 7 ]At present there are severalmounds and structural vestiges inside the fortifications. Of these a few of note are: Jiat Kunda (well possessing life giving power), Mankalir Dhap (place consecrated to Mankali), Parasuramer Basgriha (palace of a king named Parasuram), Bairagir Bhita (palace of a female anchorite), Khodar Pathar Bhita (place of stone bestowed by God), and Munir Ghon (a bastion). There are some gateways at different points: Kata Duar (in the north), Dorab Shah Toran (in the east), Burir Fatak (in the south), and Tamra Dawaza (in the west) [ 2 ]At the north-eastern corner there is a flight of steps (a later addition) that goes by the name of Jahajghata. A little beyond Jahajghata and on the banks of the Karatoya is Govinda Bhita (a temple dedicated to Govinda).
Posted on: Tue, 23 Jul 2013 16:56:25 +0000
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