Showing posts with label Culture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Culture. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 3, 2016

Some Picture Of Goaldi Mosque In Sonargaon

Architectural Description Of Goaldi Mosque

Goaldi Mosque one of the very few surviving medieval monuments in the city of sonargaon. About six km northwest of the little township of Panam, near Sonargaon in Narayanganj district, there are two such precariously surviving old single-domed mosques in the sequestered hamlet of Goaldi, virtually hidden behind thick bamboo brakes and clusters of mango and jackfruit tree groves.
Goaldi Mosque, Sonargaon
One of the mosques was built in 1116 AH / 1705 AD by a certain Abdul Hamid, during the reign of Mughal Emperor aurangzeb.
This elegant little pre-Mughal mosque - the oldest in the area - was in utter ruins when declared ‘protected’ by the Department of archaeology, but subsequently the monument was carefully restored in 1975 AD. Provided with three arched entrances to the edifice on the east and one each on the north and the south (now bricked up) the base of the dome rests on squinch arches at the four corners which support the dome on pendentives.
There are some ornamental black stone pillars inside the prayer hall for the support of the roof. Corresponding to the three arched doorways on the east there are three richly decorated mihrabs on the west wall, of which the central one is bigger and beautifully embellished with curved floral and arabesque relief on dark black stone, but the flanking side mihrabs are ornamented with delicate terracotta floral and geometric patterns. The central stone mihrab is framed within an arched panel with an expanded sunflower motif in the centre. Below that the spandrels of the multi-cusped arch of the mihrab are decorated within a rectangular frame. The engrailed arched recess is carried on stunted octagonal pillars faceted at stages. Four round-banded turrets at the outer corners rise up to the curvilinear cornice.

Look Below For Panam City


Panam City is located in a 10 minutes walking distance from the foundation gate. This once residence of the rich businessmen of Sonargaon has no boundary wall surrounding it. So you can dwell around the old buildings any time you like. 
Fishing on the lake:
You can do fishing by hook on the lake. Price is 1,500 tk. for a whole day. You have to bring your own hook.
Picnic spot hiring:
There is place inside the foundation premises to organize picnic. Contact the foundation for price details.
Shooting of film:
For shooting inside the foundation premises, the charge is 5,000 tk. for a whole day.

Visiting For Sonargaon Folk Arts Museum

Sonargaon – The once capital of Bengal, is a place where you can see the country’s heritage. The main place to visit here is the Folk Arts and Crafts museum located inside the Folk Arts and Crafts Foundation premises, the nearby old city from colonial period – Panam, and the beautiful Goaldi Mosque from the sultanate period.
Ticket Price:
Ticket price for entering the foundation premises is 20 tk. for locals and 100 tk. for the foreigners. You do not need any separate ticket to enter the museum.
Parking:
Adjacent to the foundation is the newly renovated car parking area. The area is big enough to park lots of cars and buses. The charge for parking is as follows (no time limit):
  • Cars, SUVs, Vans (NOAH/HIACE): 50 tk.
  • Coaster: 75 tk.
  • Palace at Sonargaon
    Horse at Sonargaon
  • Bus: 120 tk.
  • Baby Taxi: 20 tk.
  • Motor Byke: 15 tk.
  • Bicycle: 5 tk.
Boat Riding at Lake:
There is arrangement of riding in boats on the lake inside the foundation premises. Ticket price for boat riding is 20 tk. per person for 30 minutes.
Fishing on the lake:
You can do fishing by hook on the lake. Price is 1,500 tk. for a whole day. You have to bring your own hook.
Picnic spot hiring:
There is place inside the foundation premises to organize picnic. Contact the foundation for price details.
Shooting of film:
For shooting inside the foundation premises, the charge is 5,000 tk. for a whole day.

Visiting Hours of Sonargaon Museum

  • Friday – Tuesday: Foundation premises is open from 9.00 am – 5.00 pm, and the museum is open from 9.30 am – 4.30 pm. Museum galleries are closed at 12.30 pm – 2.30 pm at Friday only for the Jum’a prayer.
  • Wednesday & Thursday: Closed.
  • Government holidays: Closed.

Bangladesh's Fake Taj Mahal Video Documentary


Sonargaon Tour By Motorcycle Travelers Bangladesh


Full Documentary About Panam City Sonargaon


Traditional Place Video Of Sonargaon In Bangladesh


Sunday, May 1, 2016

Administrative News Of Narayanganj Dist Town

Narayanganj district (Dhaka division) with an area of 759.57 sq km, is bounded by Gazipur and Narsingdi districts on the north, Brahmanbaria and Comilla districts on the east, Munshiganj district on the south, and Dhaka district on the west. Geologically, the area lies on the edge of the Madhupur tract and the Holocene floodplain deposits form the aquifer. The total area of the district is 759.57 sq km., of which 48.56 sq km. is reverine and 0.60 sq km. is under forest. The district lies between 23°33´and 23°57´north latitude and between 90°26´ and 90°45´ east longitude. Average maximum temperature 36°C, minimum 12.7°C; annual total rainfall 2376 mm. Physically the zila is characterised by alluvial formations caused by several rivers such as, Shitalakshya, Meghna, Old Brahmaputra, Buriganga, Balu and Dhaleshwari.

Narayanganj a former sub-divisional town of dhaka district upgraded to a district headquarter in February 1984. Narayanganj, the oldest and the most prominent river port of Bangladesh, grew into a place of trade and commerce and therefore, became known as a ganj. Vicon Lal Pandey (also known as Benur Thakur or Lakhsmi Narayan Thakur), a Hindu religious leader, acquired the ownership of this region from the East India Company in 1766. He declared the markets located on the bank of the river Shitalakshya as endowed property by a will to meet the expenses of the worship of Narayan and consequently, the place got the name Narayanganj.

Narayanganj subdivision was established in 1882 and was turned into a district in 1984. The district consists of five upazilas, 49 union parishads, 881 mouzas, 1374 villages, 2 municipalities, 12 wards and 115 mahallas. The upazilas are Araihazar, Bandar, Narayanganj sadar, Rupganj, and Sonargaon.

Narayanganj (Town) a municipal town (estd. in 1876), consists of 8 wards and 76 mahallas. The area of the town is 18.7 sq km. It has a population of 230294; male 53.51%, female 46.49%. The density of population is 12315 per sq km. The literacy rate among the town people 60.2%.

Narayanganj is connected to Dhaka by three metalled roads and a metre gauge rail line as well as by waterways through the rivers Buriganga and Shitalakshya. Steamer services from Narayanganj started in 1862. At that time, steamer and rail routes via Goalanda and Narayanganj connected Dhaka with calcutta. Narayanganj was then known more as the port of Dhaka. Narayanganj grew in importance after the arrival of the Portuguese and the English traders during the early parts of the 17th and 18th centuries respectively. Though the west bank of Shitalakshya was an important commercial centre since the rule of Mir Jumla in the early years of the second half of the 17th century. One of the important places of Narayanganj is Sonargaon, which had the distinction of being described by Ralph Fitch in 1583 as the place "where there is the best and finest cloth made of cotton that is in all India". Sonargaon is historically famous for manufacturing a species of very fine muslin. Narayanganj at times was known as the 'Dandy of the East.' National warehouse (silo-type), largest jute mill, cotton mills and a number of industrial units are located at Narayanganj. A major establishment of the Bangladesh Engineering and Ship Building Corporation established in 1925 at Sonakanda.

Archaeological heritage: Tomb of Sultan Giasuddin Azam Shah (1389-1411 AD), Baba Saleh Mosque (1481 AD), Goaldi Mosque (1519 AD), three domed mosque of Sultan Jalaluddin Fateh Shah (1484 AD), Hajiganj Fort, Sunakanda Fort, Pagla Bridge, Kadam Rasul Dargah, Bandar Shahi Mosque.

Historical events: Sonargaon of the district was an important historical place from the ancient time. It was the capital of Bengal during the reign of Isa khan.(see Sonargaon upazila HQ)

As of the 1991 Bangladesh census, Population 2138492; male 52.60% and female 47.40%; Muslim 92.59%, Hindu 6.43%, others 1.07%.

Religious institutions: Mosque 2006, temple 82, church 4, sacred place 4 and monastery 1.

Literacy rate and educational institutions: Average literacy 39.84%; male 46.23% and female 32.24%. Educational institutions: art college 1, physical education institute 1, marine technology centre 1. government. high school 2, non-government high school 127, madrasa 76, government. primary school 376, non-government primary school 47, kindergarten school 12, satellite school 24, community school 65, NGO operated school 285. The noted educational institutions are Narayanganj High School (1885), Tolaram College (1937) and Sonargaon J R institute (1900).

Cultural organisations Club 125, museum 1, public library 15, theatre group 15, literacy organisation 12, theatre spot 2, cinema hall 32, dakbungalow 6, shilpakala academy 1, shishu academy 1, community centre 8, Islamic foundation 1, mohila sangstha 2. Most reputed cultural institutions are the Folk Arts and Crafts Foundation at Sonargaon and Narayanganj Rifle Club.

Main occupations Agriculture 13.37%, agricultural labourer 8.61%, wage labourer 4.07%, commerce 19.9%, service 23.36%, weaving 5.49%, transport 4.09%, fishing 1.21%, industries 2.74%, construction 1.48%, others 15.68%.
Main crops Paddy, jute, wheat, mustard seed, vegetables

Fisheries, poultries and dairies Dairy 636, poultry 860, hatchery 4, nursery 31.

Communication facilities Roads: pucca 225.98 km, mud road 748 km; railway 18 km; waterways 111 nautical mile.

Manufactories: Adamjee Jute Mills (closed in 2002), Chittaranjan Cotton Mills, Lakshmi Narayan Cotton Mills, Dhakeshwari Mills, Star Particle Board Mills, Dhaka Vegetable Oil Mills, Husain Paper Mills, Moula Textile, RM Steel Mill, Haripur Electricity Centre, Hosiery Industries, Dying Mill, Aluminum Factory. Besides, Kachpur has become as an industrial town.

Cottage industries: Weaving is traditionally the most important cottage industry. Rupashi and Kazipara are famous for Jamdani sari production. Narayanganj is also famous for hosiery products.

Main exports: Fruits and fruit products, jute and jute products, jamdani saris and hosiery products.

NGO activities: brac, grameen bank, asa, proshika, SIDA.

Health centres: Hospital 4, upazila health complex 7, family welfare centre 34, union health centre 19, satellite health centre 4, clinic 12.
Nearby cities: Dhaka CityComilla District TownAgartala
Coordinates:   23°37'23"N   90°30'25"E

Descendants Of Isa Khan

Grave of Musa Khan, the son Isa Khan in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Khan's son, Musa Khan, took control of Sonargaon after his death. On 10 July 1610 Musa was dethroned by Mughal General Islam Khan Chisti. After that, the descendants of Isa transferred from Sonargaon and settled in Jangalbari Fort. Masum Khan was the eldest son of Musa Khan. Masum served as the Mughal army General during the Hughly invasion in 1632. His eldest son was Monwar Khan. Monwar acted as the chief of the Bengal Zamindars' flotilla on the conquest of Chittagong in 1666. A village called Monwarbagh, in Bandar Upazila of Narayanganj District, was named after him. Haybat Khan, another grandson of Musa, established Haybatnagar (in present-day Kishoreganj district) and made it the center of his land-lordship of seven parganas.

James Wise (d. 1886), a civil surgeon in Dhaka for 10 years, published a report on Baro-Bhuyans in Journal of Asiatic Society of Bengal, Volume 43 in 1874. He found information from the account of his meeting with the descendants of Isa in Jangalbari and Haybatnagar. He addressed Isa as the Zamindar of Khizirpur. The Haybatnagar family had possessed sanads sent by Shah Shuja in 1649 and another one from Shaista Khan in 1667. Subhan Dad Khan had been the head of the family in Jangalbari in 1874. The other descendant of Haybatnagar family, Ilah Nawaz Khan, had died in Calcutta in 1872. Other branches of the family had settled in Jafrabad and Baghalpur in Mymensingh, Harishpur in Tripura and Katrabo in Dhaka.

As of 2005, Dewan Amin Dau Khan, the 14th descendant of Isa has been living in Jangalbari Fort in Egarasindur village. The fort seemed to have a circular front and had 40 rooms. The fort was mostly destroyed during an earthquake in 1893.
Popular culture

On 15 September 1992, Bangladesh Government issued a commemorative stamp in honor of Isa.

A jatra, named Isa Khan, depicting the life of Isa, written by Bhoironnath Gangopadhyay and directed by Mridul Kanti Dey, was staged on the premises of Bangladesh Lok O Karu Shilpa Foundation on October 18, 2012.

Early life and background Of Isa Khan



Area of Bais Rajputclan in South Asia
Bhagirath, grandfather of Isa Khan, belonged to the Kshatriya Rajput community. He came to Bengal from Ayodhya and took the job of Dewan under the Sultan of Bengal Ghiyasuddin Mahmud Shah (reigned 1533–1538). His son Kalidas Gazdani inherited the post after his death. Later, Kalidas converted to Islam and took the Muslim name Sulaiman Khan. Sulaiman married Sultan's daughter Syeda Momena Khatun and got the Zamindari of Sarail (present-day Sarail Upazila, Brahmanbaria, Bangladesh) in Bhati region. Their son, Isa Khan, was born in Sarail.
Following the death of Sultan Ghiyasuddin, Sulaiman declared himself as the legal successor and revolted against the newly established Afghan rule. Later he was killed in a battle.
According to Abul Fazl, a 16th-century historian and the author of Akbarnama:
Isa Khan's father was born in Bais Rajput clan. He revolted and was later killed in a battle against Islam Shah Suri. Isa and his brother Ismail were sold as slaves. After the death of Islam Shah Suri, Taj Khan Karrani came to rule Bengal. Qutubuddin, the paternal uncle of Isa Khan, consolidated his position under Taj Khan. Qutubuddin then brought the two brothers from Turan region. Isa Khan gradually solidified his position under the Karrani rulers.
Rise to power
With the help of Taj Khan, a Karrani ruler during 1564-1566, Isa obtained an estate in Sonargaon and Maheswardi Pargana in 1564 as a vassal of Karrani dynasty of Bengal. He gradually increased his power. In 1573 he helped Daud Khan Karrani in his expedition to Chittagong against Udaya Manikya, the king of Tripura. He also helped Kala Pahar, Daud Khan's General, in driving out the Mughal's Navy from the vicinity of Sonargaon in 1575. Is
Death and legacy
Khan died of natural causes in September 1599.
On 12 February 1909, a farmer unearthed seven cannons in Monwarbagh. The cannons were partly made of brass. They had labels "Isa Khan" and "1002" (Hijri 1002 year is 1593 CE in Gregorian Calendar). These cannons were made from the era of Sher Shah Suri who ruled Bengal before the Bara Bhuiyans while at least three cannons which carved with Isa Khan labels were made during Bara Bhuiyans independent era from Mughals.
Bangladesh Navy has named a base, BNS Issa Khan in his honor. The base, BNS Isa Khan, was the first Bangladesh Navy base to receive the national standard in 1974.

Once Upon A Time Military Campaigns Of Isa Khan


The ruling of Karrani dynasty ended when Daud Khan was defeated in the Battle of Rajmahal in 1576. Isa started playing a leading role in the local resistance. In the end he successfully conquered Dhaka, Rangpur, Pabna, Tripura, parts of Mymensingh and Bogra. In 1577, Isa established Egarasindhur (in present-day Pakundia Upazila,Kishoreganj) as the political and trading center. forming a petty kingdom that remained independent. He declared himself as the ruler of the Bhati region in 1581-82. From Sarail, he shifted his administrative centre to Sonargaon. He built fortresses at Katrabo, Kalagachhia and Khizrpur near Sonargaon.

Battle against Khan Jahan

In 1578 Mughal Subahdar of Bengal, Subahdar Khan Jahan led an expedition towards the Bhati region and set camp in Bhawal. Ibrahim Naral, Karimdad and Shah Bardi submitted their allegiance to the Mughal force. Isa faced the Mughal force led by Shah Bardi and Muhammad Quli on the Sarail-Juan Shahi border in Kastul on the bank ofMeghna river. According to Rajmala, Isa then quickly retreated to Tripura and sought assistance from the Tripura king, Amar Manikya. With the good grace of the queen Amrabati, the king granted an army of 52,000 to help Isa face the Mughals.
But before Isa returned to Sarail, two zamindars - Majlis Pratap and Majlis Dilawar already attacked and defeated the Mughal forces under Khan Jahan. Muhammad Quli was captured but Shah Bardi fled to Bhawal camp. With the remaining army, Khan Jahan retreated to Srihatpur city of Tandah. Few months later, Khan Jahan died of health issues on 19 December 1578.
According to descriptions by Rajmala, Khan, who became the Zamindar of Sarail, sent one thousand laborers for Amar Manikya along with other Zamindars of Bengal in response to the request made by Manikya to excavate the Amar Sagar Dighi at around 1580 AD. Besides, as the naval commander of Manikya, Khan fought against the Zamindar Taraf Fateh Khan in 1581 .

Battle against Shahbaz Khan

In 1583 Mughal General Shahbaz Khan destroyed Isa's palace in Baktiarpur. In September 1584, the then-subahdar Shahbaz crossed Ganges near Khizirpur and attacked Sonargaon, Katrabo and Egarasindhur. and pursued the defeated Pathan forces under Masum Kabuli up to Bikrampur in Dhaka, the cunning Isa then deluded negotiation of surrender and delayed the attack of Mughal general in several months. But in 1584 Isa and Masum Khan Kabuli deploying a muskets and gunpowder artilleries launched counterattack which finally defeat Shahbaz Khan in the naval and land battles of Egarasindur and Bhawal, and even killing one of Mughal general, then Shahbaz Khan retreated to Tandah.

Battle against Laksmana Singh Hajra

In 1585, he attacked two Koch rulers, Ram Hazra and Lakshman Hazra, and occupied their Jangalbari Fort (in present-day Karimganj Upazila, Kishoreganj ).
Another source from local tradition was recorded that this happened in 1586 after Man Singh had defeated him in the battle of Egarasindhur. In the same year, Mughal Subahdar Shahbaz Khan again sent his forces against Isa to the south.

Second battle against Shahbaz Khan

With the help of reinforcements by Emperor Akbar, Shahbaz Khan led another military expedition towards Bhati in 1586. Isa attacked him at Bhawal (north of Dhaka) but forces of Shahbaz Khan were well fortified near Brahmaputra. Isa then choose to give allegiance towards Akbar and prevented an imminent invasion of Bengal by the Mughals.
He even promised the Mughals he would dispatch Ma'sum Khan Kabuli, the renegade to a compulsory Pilgrimage to Mecca, something that viewed as an act of banishment. and although in the end he didn't do it, he did manage to restrain the rebel.
In late 1586 Ralph Fitch, an English traveler and merchant, came to Sonargaon, Bengal’s eastern districts and stated,
They be all hereabout Rebels against the King Zebaldin Echebar [ Jalaluddin Akbar ]: for here are so many Rivers and Ilands, that they flee from one to another, whereby his Horsemen cannot prevaile against them. The chief King of all these Countries is called Isacan [Isa Khan], and he is chief of all the other Kings, and is a great friend to all Christians.
Later on in 1588 he was involved in conflicts against Chand Rai and Kedar Rai

Battle against Raghudev

Isa continued his campaign against the Koch Kingdom. this time he fight and defeat Raghudev the king of Koch Hajo who ruled from Sankosh river in the west to the Bhareli riverin the east on the north bank of the Brahmaputra river and rival to Koch Bihar kingdom which gained prominence after the latter's annexation by Mughal empire. Isa successfully captured portions of Raghudev's territory as far as Rangamati and Goalpara. However, later Isa Khan and Raghudev formed an alliance against the threat of Mughal invasion

Battle against Durjan Singh

On 17 March 1594 Man Singh was appointed the Subahdar of Bengal by Emperor Akbar. After establishing Rajmahal as the capital of Bengal, Man Singh sent his own son, Durjan Singh, to Isa's Bhati region with a vast army on 7 December 1595. Isa was emboldened to resist the Mughals after he successfully sought alliance with Raghudev, his former enemy and Kedar Rai, Zamindar of Bhusna in Faridpur. In the clash that took in August 1597 and Isa engaged in a battle against Mughal naval forces with the assistance of Masum Khan Kabuli, an ex-Mughal defector. At first Isa faced defeat with the Mughals attacking Katrabo, one of Isa's pargana and city. However, on 5 September Durjan Singh was killed and Mughal was defeated. Both the army and navy of the Mughal-Koch Bihar alliance were either routed or captured.
It is recorded that in this clash Isa personally fought Man Sing in a duel. However the duel ended inconclusively when Isa Khan stopped fighting after Man Singh’s sword broke. The noble gesture touched Man Singh and both men was found respect for each other which developed into a friendship. Man Singh respect to his rival was even further that later when Isa sought to submit to the Mughal as the latter thought its wiser not to incite a full invasion, Man Singh accompany him to the Mughal court.

Exhibition Place Within Sonargaon Upazila Of Bangladesh

Sonargaon (Bengali: সোনারগাঁও; also transcribed as Sunārgāon, meaning 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.
See also
  • Isa Khan
  • Fakhruddin Mubarak Shah
  • Sonargaon Upazila
  • Further reading
    • Kazi Azizul Islam and Tania Sharmeen (July 5, 2005). "Panam Among World’s 100 Endangered Historic Sites". News from Bangladesh.
    • Roy, Pinaki (July 9, 2004). "Panam Nagar's Fate in Limbo". The Daily Star.
    • Ali, Tawfique (April 26, 2007). "Unscientific Restoration Defacing Heritage". The Daily Star, Vol 5 num 1031.

History Of Sonargaon Subregion

History
Part of a series on the
History of Bangladesh
History of India
Pre-Muslim period
The name Sonargaon came as the Bangla version of the ancient name Suvarnagrama. Buddhist ruler Danujamadhava Dasharathadeva shifted his capital to Suvarnagrama from Bikrampur sometime in the middle of the 13th century. In early 14th century, Bauddha ruling in this area ended when Shamsuddin Firoz Shah (reigned 1301–1322) of Lakhnauti occupied and annexed it to his kingdom.
Muslim period
The 7th voyage of Zheng He's fleet map based on analysis byEdward L. Dreyer shows that 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 for 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.
A squadron of the Chinese fleet of Zheng He, commanded by the eunuch Hong Bao, visited Sonargaon in 1432. The information about that expedition comes from the book of one of its participants, the Muslim translator Ma Huan. In 1451 Huan wrote his experience in details in his book Yingyai Shenglan (The Overall Survey of the Ocean's Shores).
Sonargaon is the eastern terminus of the Grand Trunk Road, which was built by the Pashtun emperor Sher Shah Suri and extended approximately 2500 kilometres from Bangladesh across northern India and Pakistanto Kabul in Afghanistan.

Isa Khan's rule

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 the whole Bhati region. In 1575 he helped Daud Khan Karrani fight the Mughal flotilla in the vicinity of Sonargaon.
Daud Khan Karrani died in the Battle of Raj Mahal against Mughals in 1576. Akbar then made Isa Khan the zamindar of Sonargaon, making him one of the Baro-Bhuiyans. However, he continued resisting Mughal rule. With the help of his allies, he stood defiant against Mughals in battle against Subahdar Khan Jahan in 1578, Subahdar Shahbaz Khan in 1584 and Durjan Singh in 1597. Isa Khan died in September 1599. His son, Musa Khan, then took control of the Bhati region. But after the defeat of Musa Khan on 10 July 1610 by Islam Khan, the army general of Mughals, Sonargaon became one of the sarkars of Bengal subah. The capital of Bengal was then shifted to Jahangirnagar(later named Dhaka).
British period
Panam City
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. The city was linked with the main city area by three brick bridges - Panam BridgeDalalpur Bridge and PanamNagar Bridge - during the 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 Arts Museum) in Sonargaon.
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 was 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 was placed in 2008 Watch List of the 100 Most Endangered Sites by the World Monuments Fund.

Sunday, April 24, 2016

Sectors The War Of Liberation

War of Liberation, The began on 26 March 1971 and ended with the liberation of Bangladesh on 16 December 1971. The armed struggle was the culmination of a series of events, situations and issues contributing to the progressively deteriorating relations between East and West Pakistan. The questions of land reforms, state language, inter-wing economic and administrative disparities, provincial autonomy, the defense of East Pakistan and many other consequential questions had been straining the relations between the two wings of Pakistan ever since independence of the country from Britain in 1947.
The general elections of 1970 had made Bangabandhu sheikh mujibur rahman, chief of awami league which bagged 167 seats out of 169, the sole spokesman of the people of East Pakistan and majority leader in the Pakistan National Assembly. But the Pakistan civil and military ruling clique had refused to transfer power to the majority leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his party. Sheikh Mujib also refused to yield to the pressure put on him for undue accommodation. Sheikh Mujib's historic address on 7 March 1971 made this point quite clear to the Pakistani military junta. Then began the civil disobedience movement. Meanwhile talks started between Sheikh Mujib and President Yahya Khan to resolve the outstanding issues.
While holding talks, the Pakistani military junta was bringing more troops to Bangladesh, and at the same time wantonly killing innocent civilians all over the country. This clearly showed that they were totally insincere about handing over power to the elected representatives of East Pakistan. No sooner the talks failed, the genocide began with the Pakistan army's crackdown on the people of East Pakistan on the midnight of 25 March 1971. The Bangali soldiers serving in the then Pakistan Armed Forces and para militia forces declared instantly their solidarity with the people's liberation war.
Genocide, 1971
The Pakistan Army was ordered to launch operation on Bangali people at midnight of 25 March. According to the plan for operation Search Light two headquarters were established. Major General Rao Farman Ali with 57 Brigade under Brigedier Arbab was responsible for operation in Dhaka city and its suburbs while Major General Khadim Raja was given the responsibility of the rest of the province. Lieutenant General Tikka Khan assumed the overall charge of the operation.
Sector 2 comprised of the districts of Dhaka, Comilla, and Faridpur, and part of Noakhali district. This sector was raised from the nucleus of 4 East Bengal and the EPR troops of Comilla and Noakhali. The sector was located at Melaghar about 20 miles south of Agartala. The sector commander was Major Khaled Mosharraf, later replaced by Major ATM Haider. About thirty five thousand guerilla fighters fought in this sector. Nearly six thousand of them were members of regular armed forces. The six sub-sectors of this sector (and their commanders) were: Gangasagar, Akhaura and Kasba (Mahbub, later replaced by Lieutenant Farooq, and Lieutenant Humayun Kabir); Mandabhav (Captain Gaffar); Shalda-nadi (Abdus Saleq Chowdhury); Matinagar (Lieutenant Didarul Alam); Nirbhoypur (Captain Akbar, later replaced by Lieutant Mahbub); and Rajnagar (Captain Jafar Imam, later replaced by Captain Shahid, and Lieutenant Imamuzzaman). Due to the operations of this sector the Dhaka-Chittagong highway in between Comilla and Feni was denied to the Pakistanis throughout the nine months of war of liberation. One of the most successful operations of this sector was the defence of the Belonia Bulge. The entries Belonia Bulge was kept liberated by the combined forces of 1 and 2 sectors till 21 June. In this sector, a number of regular companies operated deep inside Bangladesh. These were the Noakhali Company under subeder Lutfar Rahman operating around Begumganj, the Chandpur Company under subeder Zahirul Alam Khan operating in Chandpur Matlab area, a large force under Captain Abdul Halim Chowdhury operating in Manikganj-Munshiganj area in Dhaka and a force under Captain Shawkat at Faridpur. The urban guerrillas carried out a number of successful operations in Dhaka city itself.