Archaeology of Bangladesh

With a brief history of modern Bangladesh

By
Mohammad Mahmudul Hasan Khan
Dept. Of Archaeology
Dokuz Eylül University
İzmir, Turkey.
December - 2015
Locational position of Bangladesh
The partition of India in 1947

 In 1947 the British left India, dividing to India

and Pakistan.
 The two countries were founded on the basis of
religion, with Pakistan as an Islamic state and
India as a secular one.
The imposition of an official boundary on the
basis of religious flavor caused a great conflict
among Indo-pak natives and the boundary
issues, left unresolved by the British.
 Bangladesh War of Independence

• The Bangladesh War of Independence or the

Bangladesh Liberation War refers to an armed
conflict between West Pakistan (now Pakistan)
and East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) that
lasted for roughly nine months in 1971. The war
resulted in Bangladesh's independence from
Pakistan.
Genocide: 3 million (Bangladeshi estimate), 26,000 (Pakistan
estimate), 1-1.5 million (Others)
Prisoners of War: 93,000 (Pakistan troops)
 Bangladesh
At a glance

Official name: The People's Republic of Bangladesh

Capital: Dhaka
Official language: Bangla, English
Population: 170 million
( World’s 8th most populous country)
Area: 147,570 km2 (94th)
Currency: Taka (৳) (BDT)
Independence day: 16 December
Anthem: "Amar Sonar Bangla"
"My Golden Bengal"
 This is our
independed
country’s map.
The Archaeology of Bangladesh (BD); we
can divided into 3 parts.

1. Prehistoric Archaeology of BD, part-I

2. Ancient Archaeology of BD, Part-II

3. Medieval Archaeology of BD, Part-III

 Archaeology of Bangladesh
Part-I

Prehistoric Archaeology of
Bangladesh
• The existence of Palaeolithic tools of Bengal was first
discovered by Valentine Ball, a geologist of the
Geological Survey of İndia in the 1860s.

• Though the name of Bangladesh is relatively new among

the nation states in the contemporary world, the entity of
Bangladesh goes back to the Prehistoric Age.

• Prehistory related studies and researches are very recent

in the context of Bangladesh archaeology.

• So interpretations associated with the prehistoric culture

of Bangladesh are not very clear till now.
• The prehistoric archaeological sites of Bangladesh have
been found wholly in the older alluvium of the Pleistocene
epoch.

• All the reported locations of prehistoric

archaeological records are confined to the
Pleistocene lateritic terrace of the Lalmai hilly
region in Comilla district and the uplands of
Narsingdi, Sylhet, Habiganj, Rangamati and
Chittagong districts.
 R.D. Benerjee, in his book “Banglar İtihas” published in
1886, was the first to discuss about the prehistory of
Bangladesh, who referred to the discovery of a fossil wood
shoulder celt from Sitakunda hills of Chittagong district.

 Neolithic fossils and tools discovered in Chittagong

District indicate prehistoric settlements in the Bengal
region during the third millennium BCE.
Pleistocene landscape,
Chaklapunji, Sylhet.
Artifacts From Chaklapunji
Fossil wood
The findings up to the latest research in
Bangladesh
(Son araştırmalara bulgular ortaya)
• Stone tools are the only findings
• No chronometric dating.
• No other cultural findings.
• No excavation work.
 Archaeology of Bangladesh
Part-II

Ancient Period of Bangladesh

 Ancient Archaeology means
 Second Urbanization in the 6th century BCE
 Starting of Modern writings
 Origin of coin system; Punch mark coin
 Origin of Script (Brahmi & Kharashti)
 History of Buddhism (Rise of Buddhism in İndian subcontinent)
 History of 16 Mohajanapadı (Greatest State of İndian subcontinent)
 History of Janapad (State, Province)
 History of Kingdome, or History of Dynasty
 A Mahājanapada is one of the sixteen kingdoms or oligarchic
republics that existed in ancient India from the 6th centuries BCE to
4th centuries CE.
The 6th century BCE is often regarded as a major turning point in
early Indian history. Archaeologically, this period corresponds in part
to the Northern Black Polished Ware culture.
 The Northern Black Polished Ware culture (abbreviated NBPW or
NBP) is an urban Iron Age culture of the Indian Subcontinent, lasting
c. 700–200 BCE.
 A luxury style of burnished pottery used by elites, it is associated with
the emergence of South Asia's first cities since the decline of the Indus
Valley Civilization.
 Anga is one of the
greatest state
( Mohajanapad) of 16
Mohajanapadas.

 Present Modern
Bangladesh was the
part of Anga and
Vanga Janapada
(State).
 Location of
Mahājanapadaı
 Mahasthangar

The ancient capital of the Pundra

Kingdom.
Mahasthangarh is one of the earliest urban archaeological sites
so far discovered in Bangladesh. The site was probably
founded by the Maurya Dynasty.
 It contains the remains of an ancient city which was called
Pundranagara.
 It dates back to 700 BCE and was the ancient capital of the
Pundra Kingdom.
 It contains together with the ancient and medieval ruins.
 It consists of a massively fortified oblong enclosure measuring
5,000 feet long by 4,500 feet broad and rises to an average
freight of 15 feet from the surrounding crop fields
 Discovery
 Francis Buchanan Hamilton was the first to locate and visit
Mahasthangarh in 1808.
 Alexander Cunningham was the first to identify the place as the
capital of Pundravardhana. He visited the site in 1879.
Excavation
 Systematic archaeological excavation of Mahasthangarh was first
started in 1928–29 under the guidance of K.N.Dikshit of the
Archaeological Survey of India.
 In 1991 Bangla-Franco joint venture; Bangla –France jointly
excavated at this site. Now going on.
 Artifacts of Mohasthanghar.

• İniscription

• Coins; Silver punch marked coins

• Sculpture

• Terracotta plaques

• Beads
 This is the largest and earliest archaeological site in Bangladesh. The
site was probably founded by the Maurya Dynasty.
 The antiquity of the city goes back to 4th century BCE. Famous
traveller Huen Sang visited the place in the 7th century CE.
 Pundranagara continued to be the administrative headquarters of the
territorial division of Pundravardhana form Maurya period at the end
of the Pala Dynasty (12th century AD).
 The site also has the oldest Buddhist Monastery in the region.
 Wari-Bateshwar

The Ancient trade centre of

Bangladesh
• Wari-Bateshwar an archaeological site in Narsinghdi district
of Bangladesh.

• Wari-Bateshwar is called an ancient fort city dating back to

450 BCE during the era of Maurya Dynasty.

• In 1930s, local schoolteacher Hanif Pathan and afterward his

son Habibulla Pathan started collecting those artifacts and
later carried out research with a curious mind.

• After waiting for 60 years, archaeological exploration started

in 1989-90 resulting regular excavation since 2000.
 A two thousand five hundred year old fort-city was discovered at
Wari-Bateshwar, after extensive exploration and limited excavation.
 So far 50 archaeological sites have been discovered in and around
Wair-Bateshwar fort-city located by the bank of the river old
Brahmaputra.
During recent archaeological excavation, brick-built architectures were
discovered.
 A 160 meter long lime-surki made road with 31 meter long by-lane
has been discovered.
The ancient inhabitants of Wari-
Bateshwar were familiar with developing
technical knowledge.
 Through using different types of
chemicals, they could decorate the
beads.
 They knew the technique of coin
manufacture melting metal.
 They had the knowledge of iron
processing.
 Quartz

Agate
Beads of Wari-
Beteshwar site.

Carnelian
Chalcedony
 Indo-Pacific
Monochrom Drawn
Glass Beads
Sandwich Glass
Beads

Amethyst
Amulets and
pendants
(Previous to
christian era),
Wari-
Bateshwar and
Mahasthangar.
In Wari-Bateshwar the most important discovery of the chalcolithic
culture is black and red ware and evidence of pit-dwelling.
 Black- slipped ware Rouletted Ware
Black-and-Red ware
Pottery of Wari-Bateshwar

Knobbed ware

Northern
Northern Black
Black Polished
Polished Ware,
Ware, Glazed ware
a.
a. Mahasthan
Mahasthan b.
b. Wari-Bateshwar
Wari-Bateshwar
Mahasthan
Mahasthan and
and Wari-Bateshwar
Wari-Bateshwar
Others Artifacts of Wari-Bateshwar

Silver
Punch
Marked
coins
 Considering the geographical location of Wari-Bateshwar, Dilip
Kumar Chakrabarti (Prof. of Cambridge University) predicted that the
region had Southeast Asiatic and Roman contacts.

 The discovery of Rouletted Ware and Knobbed Ware from

excavation and the chance finds of high-tin Bronze Knobbed Ware,
sandwiched glass beads, gold-foil glass beads and Indo-Pacific
monochrome glass beads provide support in favour of Chakrabarti's
assumption.

 Chakrabarti also believed that, Wari-Bateshwar is the Sounagora

emporium (a commercial city) described by Ptolemy (Greek geographer,
astronomer) in the 2nd century CE.
 Somapura Mahavihara

The great Buddhist Vihara of the Indian

subcontinent
• Somapura Mahavihara is situated in the Naogaon
District of Bangladesh. It is one of the best known
Buddhist viharas in the Indian Subcontinent.
• It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in
1985.
• It was built by the second Pala king Dharmapala
(circa 781–821) of Pāla Dynasty.
• It was one of the most famous Buddhist monastic
institution of ancient Bengal.
• The monastery flourished until the 11th century CE
when it was destroyed by fire by the army of the
Varma Ruler's of Vanga
• It was finally abandoned during the 13th century,
when the area came under Muslim Rule.
• Many Tibetan monks visited the monastery during
the period between 9th and 12th century CE.
• Famous Buddhist scholar and philosopher Atish
Dipankar stayed here for many years in the first
half of 11th century and became the Chancellor of
the monastery during the reign of Pala king
Mahipala.
Google İmage of Sompura Vihara
Model of the Temple of this Site
 Mainamoti

One of the best known ancient Buddhist

monasteries
 Mainamati is located almost 8 miles from the town of Comilla,
Bangladesh.
 It is the home of one of the most important Buddhist archaeological
sites in the region.
 There are more than 50 ancient Buddhist settlements of the 7th to 12th
century CE.
 Mainamati is named for the Candra queen of the same name, the
mother of the Govindachandra.
Google İmage of Salban Vihara
Google İmage of Rupban Mura
Google İmage of Bhoj Vihara
 Nateshwar Buddhist Vihara
The Home of Atish Dipankar

 A joint (Bangladesh & China) archaeological team has recently

discovered ancient Buddhist temple which believed the birth home of
Atish Dipankar.
 This is one of the thirty viharas built by Emperor Dharmapala during
his regime c. 820 as the second emperor of the Pala Empire.
 It is connected to Atiśa, an important figure inTibetan Buddhism .
 During the time of Atiśa, this area was the essence of Buddhist
education and about 8,000 students and professors came to study at
Bikrampur from as far as China, Tibet, Nepal and Thailand.
 Bhitargarh Fort
 An excavation have been going on in the “Fort City” at Bhitargarh in
the Panchagarh district of Bangladesh. İn 2008-09, excavation has
unearthed the remains of ancient foundations of a Buddhist stupa and
a temple roughly dated to the 7th – 8th century CE.
 A team led by archeologist Professor Shahnaz Hosne Jahan of
University of Liberal Arts (ULAB) discovered these temples.
 İt is believed, that these temple ruins are from the sovereign reign of
“Fort City” of 6th or 7th century CE. This “Fort City” (locally known as
“Durgo Nagar”) was part of an important ancient trade centre and route.
The remains of
ancient
foundations of a
Buddhist stupa
and a temple
roughly dated to
the 7th – 8th
century AD.
The archeologist,

students of

University of

Liberal Arts

(ULAB) are

excavating.
 Ancient Hindu temple found built on Buddhist shrine in
Bangladesh’s Dinajpur.

• Archaeologists have unearthed an Hindu temple

believed to be over 1,100 years old at Bochaganj
upazila of Dinajpur.
• This is a small temple and was built sometime
between the 8th and 9th centuries during the Pala
period.
• Multiple deities were worshiped at the temple at the
same
Remains of a
Buddhist
‘Stupa’ found
in the temple
precincts.
 Terracotta tablet
with the engraving
of camel and
goddess Tara found
inside the temple.

A clay lamp found

inside the temple.
Archaeology of Bangladesh
part - III

Medieval Archaeology of BD
 Sixty Dome Mosque

 The Sixty Dome Mosque or Saith Gunbad Masjid a UNESCO World Heritage Site,
is a mosque in Bangladesh, the largest in that country from the Sultanate period.
 It has been described as "the most impressive Muslim monuments in the whole of the
Indian subcontinent.
 Khan Jahan Ali (c. 1459 CE, also known as Ulugh Khan and Khan-i-Azam, was a
Muslim Sufi Saint and local ruler in Bagerhat) was built this mosque in 1442-1459
CE.
 It was also used as a madrasha and assembly hall.
 It is located in Bagerhat district in southern Bangladesh which is in the division of
Khulna.
 House of Khan Jahan Ali

• A joint team of Archaeologists (Dept. Of Archaeology,

Jahangirnagar University. Dept. Of Archaeology, Cultural Ministry of

Bangladesh) have recently excavated the House of

Khan Jahan Ali in Bagherhat district of Bangladesh.

• They found a diffrent type of pottery and brick built

wall and so on.
 Lalbagh (kella) Fort

 Lalbagh Fort (also Fort Aurangabad) is an incomplete 17th century

Mughal fort complex that stands proudly before the Buriganga River
in the southwestern part of Dhaka, Bangladesh.
 Mughal prince Muhammad Azam, third son of Aurangzeb started the
work of the fort in 1678 during his vice-royalty in Bengal.
 Kantaji (Mondir) Temple
 Kantanagar Temple, is a late-medieval Hindu temple at Kantanagar in Dinajpur,
Bangladesh.
 The temple belongs to the popular Hindu Kanta or Krishna and this is most popular
with the Radha-Krishna cult (assemble of memorable love) in Bengal.
 It was Built by Maharaja Pran Nath, its construction started in 1704 CE and ended in
the reign of his son Raja Ramnath 1722 CE.
 It boasts one of the greatest examples on Terracotta architecture in Bangladesh and
once had nine spires, but all were destroyed in an earthquake that took place in 1897.
 It is treated as one of the finest masterpieces of medieval architecture of Bengal
made by red burn mud.
 Every inch of the temple surface is embellished with exquisite ‘Terracotta’ plaques,
representing flora fauna, geometric motifs, mythological scenes and an astonishing
array of contemporary social scenes and favorite pastimes.
A southern view of
Kantojiu Temple in
1871 showing the nine
spires (Navaratna) that
were subsequently
destroyed in an
earthquake
 A big
Thank You to everybody
for nice cooperation