Meeras-e-Bangalah

13/04/2024

আর মধ্য দিনের আগমনে তুমি অকৃত্রিম

তোমাকে আমি কী দিতে পারি

কী দেব বলো হে বৈশাখ।

13/04/2024

Chhoto Sona Mosque
Chapai Nawabganj, Bangladesh
Built between 1493 and 1526, the well-preserved ‘Small Golden Mosque’ is oddly named, given that it’s actually jet black with just patches of terracotta brickwork. It’s a fine specimen of pre-Mughal architecture, the chief attraction being the superb decoration carved on the black-stone walls. On both the inner and outer walls, ornate stonework in shallow relief covers the surface. It also features an ornate women’s gallery, arched gateways and lavishly decorated mihrabs (niches facing Mecca). Buses from Rajshahi stop beside it.
This living mosque draws in large crowds for Friday prayers, but outside prayer time it’s fine for non-Muslims to enter. This mosque is usually just referred to as ‘Sona Masjid’ – the Chhoto (small) prefix is in context to a Bodo (big) Sona Masjid that stands on the other side of the nearby international border, in the Indian part of Gaud.

10/04/2024

May you be blessed with kindness, patience, knowledge & love.
Eid Mubarak.

08/04/2024

Mohammad Tarik Hasan is a prominent birdwatcher and nature photographer from Bangladesh. Recently he visited Paharpur with our recommendation and see what he got there!

Thanks for the permission to use the images.

06/04/2024

Experience mystic dawn, evening hue , and pitch-black night at Paharpur, the Unesco World Heritage site.

For details contact: Meeras-e-Bangalah in Bangladesh
and Immersive Trails-Global in India.

04/04/2024

Ready to join!
Keep your eyes on
http://immersivetrails.com

28/03/2024

Two Culverts from Sultanate Bengal
Chapai Nawabganj

Culvert at Gaur, Chapai Nawabganj:
This culvert is situated under Mauza Singarhat,
Shahbajpur Union, Upazila Shibganj, District Chapai Nawabganj, Bangladesh. It is adjacent to Satranji Dighi at a distance of one kilometre of Chota Sona mosque.
The arch is broken but two sides of the bridge are intact as noticed in previous visits. Mortar is lime and brick dust of a high quality. Marks of placing of a piece of equipment or barrier which was lifted and lowered down for controlling flow of water on either side of the culvert were observed. Orientation of the culvert is almost eastwest i.e. there was a northsouth road going to the Small Golden mosque. This dilapidated bridge measures 36 feet eastwest X 18 feet northsouth. This is a protected monument of the Department of Archaeology, GoB.

Culvert near Small Golden mosque:
This bridge is also under Mauza Singarhat, Shahbajpur Union, Upazila Shibganj, District Chapai Nawabganj and similar to the above mentioned bridge. It is about 200 m. northeast of Chota Sona mosque. “It is reported that this
bridge was built on a link road from Gopalpur through Sonapur, Salampur to Chhota Sona Masjid”. The arch is broken but two sides of the bridge are intact. Mortar is lime and brick dust of a high quality. This is a protected monument of the Department of Archaeology, GoB.
Though these are protected monuments, there are no signboards of DoA. Even the book published by DoA in 2002 "Lakshmanabati-Gaur, had no mention of these two.
All the images are taken during the field visit of Chapai Nawabganj for Deapartment of Archaeology in November 2019. First 3 photos are the culvert adjacent of Satranji Dighee and others are from culvert near Choto Sona Mosque.

26/03/2024

শুভ জন্মদিন বাংলাদেশ।

22/03/2024

Patharghata/ Jahajghata, Khalifatabad aka Bagerhaat

There is a canal flowing just beside of Shait Gambuj-Mogra road, around 200m north of Khan Jahan Ali's house. Once it was a channel of River Bhairava. Legend says this place was used as a port and storage of big stones- from there, the name derived- Patharghata or Jahajghata. There is a stone piece still visible here. The motif is not clear now, due to worshippers' lime and sindur immolation. But it is assumed that from the shape and pattern that a Mahishamardini Ashtabhuja was there. This is believed that the stone is from the pre-muslim period.

12/03/2024

মিরাস-ই-বাঙ্গালাহ কেবল ঘুরে বেড়ায় না। খুঁজে খুঁজে বের করে অজানা বহু প্রত্নস্থল। গবেষণা করে, বইও লেখার কাজ চলে সেগুলো নিয়ে। এবার প্রায় এক সপ্তাহের একটা ক্ষেত্র সমীক্ষা করেছিলাম ঝিনাইদহ জেলার কালীগঞ্জ ও বারো বাজারে। বহু রত্ন উঠে এসেছে এবারের সমীক্ষায়, বলা বাহুল্য, সেগুলো প্রত্নতত্ত্ব অধিদপ্তর বা সংরক্ষিত পুরাকীর্তির তালিকায় নেই। এমনই একটি সাংস্কৃতিক ঢিবি (cultural mound) তেলকিুপি গ্রামের মন্দির ঢিবি। সেখানে মাটিতে থাকা একটি ইটের মাপ নিয়েছিলাম ১০ ইঞ্চি X ৫ ইঞ্চি X ২.৫ ইঞ্চি।

09/02/2024

03/01/2024

The man standing with a gun, is not an ordinary man. His name was Mirza Shahab-ud-Din Baig Muhammad Khan Khurram, and he is popular by his titular now- Shah Jahan.
Interestingly in this painting (by Payag, 1635), the 5th emperor of Ghurkani dynasty (Timurid) is standing on a globe, with a Matchlock Gun.
This painting is now preserved at Chester Beatty Library, Dublin

31/12/2023

Happy new Year to all.
We do believe ''Travel brings power and love back into your life."

21/10/2023

:)
Glad that we are co host of this great initiative!

16/04/2023

We, featured by Van Wire

01/04/2023

And miles to go before we sleep...
Thanks to TBS for featuring us.

01/03/2023

This winter, we will travel both part of the Gaur, so, get ready with your passport and definitely a tourist visa through Choto-Sona Masjid/Mahdipur Border.

We are planning something very big, stay with us.

19/08/2022

Well, the first one is the digitally manipulated photo which was originally taken by John Henry Ravenshaw (in 2nd photo), and the image first published in 1871.

John Henry Ravenshaw (1833 – 1874), was an employee of the Bengal Civil Service, a photographer and the Magistrate and Collector, of Malda district of Bengal between 1865 and 1867.

This photograph is showing one of the iconic temple of Bengal. Any guess?

14/08/2022

Muhammad Shahjahan Ali Biswas, Imam of the Satgachhia Adina Mosque (35 gumbad mosque, preceding mosque of 60 gumbad of Bagerhat) remembering the days of excavation.

Image Courtesy: সা দিক

09/08/2022

We hunt history, we tell stories, we chase treasures, we hunt mysteries. :P
That is why we travel off-track destinations.

Along with Khalifatabad, the famous city of Khan Jahan, we tagged Muhammadabad, the very first city built by him. Result was good, locals were excited, as well as we!

New destinations means new stories, history and archaeological treasures, we enjoyed every bit of it.

Again special credit goes to Sadia Chowdhury and Mumtahina Qumqum, you guys proved your thirst for history and archaeology again. Special thanks goes to সা দিক Bhai, you were so prompt to attend the event. Thanks the reader! Nur Ul Karim Bhai, I'm sure if time allows, you are not going to miss our trips :P . Spiritual Khadok Mohammad Hasan, thanks for being such a entertainer to us. And finally Partner in crime Rezwan Parag Bhai, A big thanks.

I hope, the trip was just the beginning of our several Muhammadabad explorations.

22/07/2022

Get ready for Meeras-e-Bangalah's first ever trip to India. It will be in Agra, the Mughal Capital. What you need is a visa for india, and 7 days (Dhaka to Dhaka). Thats it.

Used Images: Taj back in 1860s and photographer Samuel Bourne (30 October 1834 – 24 April 1912). He is known for his prolific seven years' work in India, from 1863 to 1870. Together with Charles Shepherd, he set up Bourne & Shepherd first in Shimla in 1863 and later in Kolkata (Calcutta); the company closed in June 2016.

09/07/2022

Get ready for another heritage excursion.
We will visit two Sultanate cities of Southern Bengal- Khalifatabad and Muhammadabad, the twin cities established by Ulugh Khan Jahan Ali (Khanjali).
You will get guidance of history and archaeology expert in this trip like previous one!
Approximate Date: 5th and 6th day of August, 2022.
Mode of Travel: Launch and Train/Bus

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09/07/2022

May you be blessed with kindness, patience and love. Eid Mubarak.

29/06/2022

If you need to know who we are, what we do in our trips, then this video may be of little help.

This was Before Corona Era.

#রেজাখোদা_মসজিদ_বাগেরহাট রেজাখোদা মসজিদটি বাংলাদেশের বাগেরহাট জেলায় হযরত খান জাহান আলী (রঃ) এর সমাধির উত্তর পশ্চ.....