Name: Adnan Bin Rashid

ID: 1621233
Section: 1

CULTURAL HERITAGE OF BANGLADESH

INTRODUCTION

Bangladesh is a country filled with rich and diverse cultural heritage. Bangladesh has a very
unique and distinct heritage as this land was inhabited by people of different origins. Bangladesh
had been inhabited by people of different religions and backgrounds and all of them contributed
to our culture. There was Pal dynasty, Hindu kings and later on Mughal rulers and each of these
periods shaped our culture. The Bengal Renaissance of the 19th century also helped shaping our
Bengali culture, during that period there was a bloom of talented Bengali poets, writers,
musicians, philosophers.

MUSIC, INSTRUMENTS, DANCE AND FESTIVALS

There are various types of Bengali music, there are classical, modern and folk music. Folk music
such as Bhatiali, Baul, Marfati, Murshidi, and Bhawaiya are particularly popular. Music has
always played a key role in Bangladeshi culture, in fact our freedom fighters used to get
inspiration from songs during our fight for Independence in 1971. Baul song of Bangladesh is
extremely popular around the world as well, it has been listed as Intangible Cultural Heritages on
UNESCO's list. Classical and modern songs are equally popular in Bangladesh. Rabindra
sangeet and Nazrul Geeti also originated from Bengal and are pivotal part of our cultural
heritage. Rock songs have also gained popularity in Bangladesh since the 1980s and there are
successful rock bands such as Miles, Souls, Nagarbaul and Aurthohin.
In Bengali music a wide range of instruments have been used. Some popular musical instruments
are ektara, dotara, madal, dhol, table and harmonium. Ektara and dotara are generally used in
folk music. The tribal people of Bangladesh use dhol or bamboo flute.
Dance styles of Bangladesh may be divided into three categories: classical, folk, modern.
The classical style has been influenced by other classical forms of music dances of the Indian
subcontinent, accordingly, show some influenced dance forms like Bharatnatyam Kathak. Tribal
people in Bangladesh have their own forms of dance. Apart from such classical dances as
kathakali and bharata natyam—forms that are popular throughout the subcontinent—unique
indigenous dances have developed in Bangladesh. Among the most widespread of these are the
dhali, baul, manipuri, and snake dances.

Festivals define the heritage of a country. Bangladesh has lots of festivals. There are lots of folk
festivals which have become a core part of our culture. There are folk festivals such as
Berabhasan, Ambubachi, Chadak Puja, Navanna, Sagrai etc. Sagrai is a festival celebrated by
tribal people of Chittagong Hill tracts.
Pohela Boishakh is one of the most celebrated festival in Bangladesh. It is known as the Bengali
New Year. People celebrate boishakh by eating pantabhat and going to fares. Dhaka University
organizes Mongol Shobhazatra which is attended by thousands of people. There are also
religious festivals which are celebrated.

CONCLUSION

Bangladesh is a diverse land and our cultural heritage brings us together. It binds Bangladeshi
people together and creates bond and unity. We hope that we can preserve our cultural heritage
even in this age of globalization.