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Impressive entrance Gate of
Moharaja's Palace at Natore |
About
40 km. from Rajshahi by roads is Natore, an old seat of Maharajas with
a beautiful palace now serving as the Uttara Ganabhaban (President's Official
residence of the northern region). It was residence of the Dighapatiya
Raj. It is situated amid well-kept grounds, surrounded by a fine moat.
The buildings are modern. They include a well-equipped guest-house, an
imposing gateway and a fine garden decorated with statues of white marble.
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Paharpur |
Paharpur
:
Paharpur is a small village 5 km. west of Jamalganj
in the greater Rajshahi district where the remains of the most important
and the largest known monastery south of the Himalayas has been excavated.
This 7th century archaeological find covers approximately an area of 27acres
of land. The entire establishment, occupying a quadrangular court, measuring
more than 900 ft. externally on each side, has high enclosure- walls about
16 ft. in thickness and from 12 ft. to 15 ft. height. With elaborate gateway
complex on the north, there are 45 cells on the north and 44 in each of
the other three sides with a total number of 177 rooms. The architecture
of the pyramidal cruciform temple is profoundly influenced by those of
South-East Asia, especially Myanmar and Java. A small site-Museum built
in 1956-57 houses the representative collection of objects recovered from
the area.The excavated findings have also been preserved at theVarendra
Research Museum at Rajshahi.The antiquities of the museum include terracotta
plaques, images of different gods and goddesses, potteries, coins, inscriptions,
ornamental bricks and other minor clay objects. |
Varendra Research Museum |
Chhota
Sona Mosque :
One of the most graceful monument of the Sultanate
period is the Chhota Sona Masjid or Small Golden Mosque at Gaur in Rajshahi
Built by one Wali Muhammad during the reign of Sultan Alauddin Husain
Shah (1493-1519). Originally it was roofed over with 15 gold-gilded domes
including the 3 Chauchala domes in the middle row, from which it derives
its curious name. Varendra Research Museum : Situated at Rajshahi, this
museum has a rich collection of objects of Mohenjodaro and also of 16th
to 19th century A.D. This is devoted to the study of ancient history and
culture. Its rich collections contain interesting objects of past Hindu,
Buddhist and Muslim heritage. It is located at the heart of Rajshahi town
and maintarned by Rajshahi University authority. The year of its formal
establishment is 1910 A.D. Admission is free. |
Ruins at puthia |
Puthia
:
Puthia has the largest number of historically important
Hindu structures in Bangladesh. The most amazing of the village''s monuments
is the Govinda Temple, which was erected between 1823 and 1895 by one
of the maharanis of the Puthia estate. It''s a large square structure
crowned by a set of miniature ornamental towers. It''s covered by incredibly
intricate designs in terracotta depicting scenes from Hindu epics, which
give it the appearance of having been draped by a huge red oriental carpet.
The ornate Siva Temple is an imposing and excellent example of the five-spire
Hindu style of temple architecture common in northern India. The ornate
temple has three tapering tiers topped by four spires. It''s decorated
with stone carvings and sculptural works which unfortunately were disfigured
during the War of Liberation. The village''s 16-century Jagannath Temple
is one of the finest examples of a hut-shaped temple: measuring only 5m
(16ft) on each side, it features a single tapering tower which rises to
a height of 10m (33ft). Its western facade is adorned with terracotta
panels of geometric design. Puthia is 23km (14mi) east of Rajshahi and
16km (10mi) west of Natore. Catch a bus from either town. Puthia is 1km
(6mi) south of the highway.
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Kantangar |
The Bagha
Mosque is located at Bagha, 25 miles southeast of Rajshahi in Bangladesh.
It was established in 1523 by Nashrat Shah, an independent Sultan of Bengal.
The mosque is depicted at the 50 Taka note of Bangladesh. The mosque was
built of brick on the bank of a tank and is surrounded by a brick wall.
It is fairly well preserved and is now protected. The mosque is known
for its beautiful terracotta ornamentation.[1] The natural surrounding
of the Bagha Mosque, with thousands of migratory birds visiting the adjacent
dighi (pond) can be another attraction for tourists. There is the shrine
of Auliah Hazrat Danishmand and his disciples at Bagha Mosque complex
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