The Liberation War Museum (Bengali: মুক্তিযুদ্ধ যাদুঘর Muktijuddho Jadughôr)

The Liberation War Museum (Bengali: মুক্তিযুদ্ধ যাদুঘর Muktijuddho Jadughôr) is a museum in Segun Bagicha, Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, which commemorates the Bangladesh Liberation War that led to the independence of Bangladesh from Pakistan.

A museum opened on 22 March 1996, and has more than 21,000 artifacts and exhibits on display in the museum or stored in its archives.It is currently being rebuilt, with the new facilities expected to open in March 2017.

This is a place to visit when you want to know about the struggle of the mother nation and her children to get independence from foreign military rule or ‘Mukti Judho’. Though it is built in 1971, it has got reorganization by many National and international archaeological surveys.

This museum is a two stories building with six galleries in its credit. More than 10,000 objects are displayed here, which include rare photographs, media coverage of that time, documents, and materials used by the martyrs of the liberation war. But, the major object that they have kept and preserved so far is the human remains of the liberation war, in one of such war death place.

A highly recommended place to visit and see the artifact that narrates the true story of the toil which Bangladesh had to face during the liberation war with Pakistan.

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Somapura Mahavihara

A number of monasteries grew up during the Pāla period in ancient Bengal and Magadha. According to Tibetan sources, five great Mahaviharas stood out: Vikramashila, the premier university of the era; Nalanda, past its prime but still illustrious; Somapura Mahavihara; Odantapurā; and Jaggadala. The monasteries formed a network; "all of them were under state supervision" and there existed "a system of co-ordination among them ... it seems from the evidence that the different seats of Buddhist learning that functioned in eastern India under the Pāla were regarded together as forming a network, an interlinked group of institutions," and it was common for great scholars to move easily from position to position among them.

The excavation at Paharpur, and the finding of seals bearing the inscription Shri-Somapure-Shri-Dharmapaladeva-Mahavihariyarya-bhiksu-sangghasya, has identified the Somapura Mahavihara as built by the second Pala king Dharmapala (circa 781–821) of Pāla Dynasty. Tibetan sources, including Tibetan translations of Dharmakayavidhi and Madhyamaka Ratnapradipa, Taranatha's history and Pag-Sam-Jon-Zang, mention that Dharmapala's successor Devapala (circa 810–850) built it after his conquest of Varendra. The Paharpur pillar inscription bears the mention of 5th regnal year of Devapala's successor Mahendrapala (circa 850–854) along with the name of Bhiksu Ajayagarbha. Taranatha's Pag Sam Jon Zang records that the monastery was repaired during the reign of Mahipala(circa 995–1043 AD).

The Nalanda inscription of Vipulashrimitra records that the monastery was destroyed by fire, which also killed Vipulashrimitra's ancestor Karunashrimitra, during a conquest by the Vanga army in the 11th century.

Over time Atish's spiritual preceptor, Ratnakara Shanti, served as a sthavira of the vihara, Mahapanditacharya Bodhibhadra served as a resident monk, and other scholars spent part of their lives at the monastery, including Kalamahapada, Viryendra and Karunashrimitra. Many Tibetan monks visited the Somapura between the 9th and 12th centuries.

During the rule of the Sena dynasty, known as Karnatadeshatagata Brahmaksatriya, in the second half of the 12th century the vihara started to decline for the last time. One scholar writes, "The ruins of the temple and monasteries at Pāhāpur do not bear any evident marks of large-scale destruction. The downfall of the establishment, by desertion or destruction, must have been sometime in the midst of the widespread unrest and displacement of population consequent on the Muslim invasion."

A copperplate dated to 159 Gupta Era (479 AD) discovered in 1927 in the northeast corner of the monastery, mentions donation of a Brahmin couple to Jain Acharya Guhanandi of Pancha-stupa Nikaya at Vata Gohli, identifiable as the neighbouring village of Goalapara.

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Ahsan Manzil at Dhaka

This is the heritage building of the then jamindar of Jamalpur. It was built during the late eighteenth century by Sheik Enayet Ullah.

It was built on a huge area covering a summer house for Sheik Enayet Ullah. The son of Sheik Enayet Ullah sold this marvellous property to the French traders. The French got defeated and the English took power of all the properties, once reigned by the French. The old French building was then reconstructed to two stories building by Ahsanullah, keeping similarity to the ‘Rangmahal’. The doom was a part of the reconstruction of this mahal and then came to be known as ‘Ahsan Manzil’.

This palace is situated on the bank of the river Buriganga. It is a beautiful, serene and tranquil place that keeps you away from the sultry summer heat.

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Shalban Vihar at Comilla

This is one amongst the Buddhist sites of the Mainamati ruins. It is read that Mainamati had been a Buddhist center between seventh and twelfth century.

This site was built during the reign of Deva Dynasty, by Bhava Deva, the fourth ruler. The authentic color of the building is flame like and was able to be the dwelling place of 115 monks together. It was previously known as Shalban Rajar Bari, but after the archaeological survey, the had been known as a Buddhist Monastery. When the excavation of terracotta and copper art work was discovered, it was then named as Shalban Vihar.

It is one amongst the prestigious Buddhist Monasteries that had a glorious presence from the early eighth century. Some valuable excavation from this place are kept in the Mainamati Museum.

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St Martin's Island is in Bangladesh

St Martin's is a tropical cliché and the only coral island in Bangladesh, with beaches fringed with coconut palms and laid-back locals. It's a clean and peaceful place with nothing more strenuous to do than soak up the rays — even mosquitoes are a rarity. There's a naval base near the centre of the island, and the USA looked into setting up one of their own a few years back. The island was devastated by a cyclone in 1991 but has fully recovered, and was untouched by the 2004 tsunami.

It is possible to walk around St Martin's in a day since it measures only 8 km², shrinking to about 5 km² during high tide. Most of the island's 7000 inhabitants live primarily from fishing, and between October and April fishermen from neighbouring areas bring their catch to the island's temporary wholesale market. Rice and coconuts are the other staple crops, and algae is collected and dried from the sea rocks and sold for consumption to Myanmar.

Most things are concentrated around the far north of the island, with the centre and south being mostly farmland and makeshift huts. There is no electricity on the island, though the larger hotels run generators in the evenings for a few hours.

November to February is the main tourist season with the best weather, though keep an eye on the forecast, as the occasional cyclone can strike during this time.

From Teknaf you can cruise to St Martin's Island with the best and the safest ship Keari Sindbad and reach St Martin's comfortably in 2 or fewer hours. Keari Sindbad cruise journey is a pleasant one as you will see the spectacular views of Teknaf's hill on one side and Mayanmar on the other side while it cruises along the Naf River.

Ferries leave the island around 3pm.Keari Sindbad ferry and you can purchase a round trip ticket; which can same day return or 1-2 days later. Prices are same whenever you return. The return fare on Keari Sindbad start from BDT 550-800 as of September 2014.

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Mahasthangarh (Bengali: মহাস্থানগড় Môhasthangôṛ)

Mahasthangarh (Bengali: মহাস্থানগড় Môhasthangôṛ) is one of the earliest urban archaeological sites so far discovered in Bangladesh. The village Mahasthan in Shibganj thana of Bogra District contains the remains of an ancient city which was called Pundranagara or Paundravardhanapura in the territory of Pundravardhana.A limestone slab bearing six lines in Prakrit in Brahmi script, discovered in 1931, dates Mahasthangarh to at least the 3rd century BC.  The fortified area was in use until the 18th century AD.

Together with the ancient and medieval ruins, the mazhar (holy tomb) of Shah Sultan Balkhi Mahisawar built at the site of a Hindu temple is located at Mahasthangarh. He was 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.

Discovery.

Several personalities contributed to the discovery and identification of the ruins at Mahasthangarh. Francis Buchanan Hamilton was the first to locate and visit Mahasthangarh in 1808, C.J.O'Donnell, E.V.Westmacott, and Beveridge followed. Alexander Cunningham was the first to identify the place as the capital of Pundravardhana. He visited the site in 1879

Geography.

Mahasthangarh, the ancient capital of Pundravardhana is located 11 km (6.8 mi) north of Bogra on the Bogra-Rangpur highway, with a feeder road (running along the eastern side of the ramparts of the citadel for 1.5 km) leading to Jahajghata and site museum. Buses are available for Bogra from Dhaka and take 4½ hours for the journey via Bangabandhu Jamuna Bridge across the Jamuna River. Buses are available from Bogra to Mahasthangarh. Rickshaws are available for local movement. Hired transport is available at Dhaka/ Bogra. Accommodation is available at Bogra. When travelling in a hired car, one can return to Dhaka the same day, unless somebody has a plan to visit Somapura Mahavihara at Paharpur in the district of Naogaon and other places, or engage in a detailed study.

It is believed that the location for 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 metres (118 ft) above sea level, whereas Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, is around 6 metres (20 ft) above sea level. Another reason for choosing this place was the position and size of the Karatoya, which as recently as in the 13th century was three times wider than Ganges.

Mahasthangarh stands on the red soil of the Barind Tract which is slightly elevated within the largely alluvium area. The elevation of 15 to 25 metres above the surrounding areas makes it a relatively flood free physiographic unit.

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