stairs down to a washing place near the Hili border crossing
There are a few major historical sites in this part of Bangladesh, and we drive from Saidpur to Rajshahi to visit some, covering a range of religions in the process.
the Hili border crossing, on the other side of the railway
an impressive line of trucks waiting to cross the border
a proud local tuktuk driver who has dyed his hair and beard orange, popular here in the belief that the prophet had orange hair
But first we stop at another border crossing with India, at the town of Hili. Luckily on the way, so that it doesn’t take a lot of extra driving. Borders are a thing, with this group, and this one is, at least, actively working. A whole line of empty Indian trucks is waiting to cross back into India. One customs official is specifically perched high on a kind of tennis umpire chair, from where he can look into the open trucks to check if they are really empty. We watch the border for a while, and then continue. T-shirts, anybody?
the main temple of the Paharpur Buddhist complex
and one of the sides in more detail
these decorations have been restored
at the beginning of the 21st C
The Pahapur temple
The most impressive religious site, by far, is the old Buddhist complex Paharpur, the most important known Buddhist structure south of the Himalayas. It was built by one Dharmapala, the 2nd emperor of the Pala dynasty, at the end of the 8th Century AD and was called Somapura Mahavihari, or Great Monastery. But from the end of the 9th C the Pala empire suffered repeated attacks from outside, the monastery was burnt down, and by the 12th C the monastery was gradually abandoned for lack of patronage in an increasingly Hindu-dominated environment.
During the following centuries the building was slowly covered by sand, forming a hill in the landscape that protected the remains, until in 1923 serious excavations were started, yielding a great archaeological treasure, and unearthing what was left of the structures. Which is what we see today, enhanced by further restorations, especially of some of the decorations surrounding the main temple.
an other colour in the pond on the way to the temple
these are probably original
original, because de-faced?
same thing, de-faced after abandonment of the temple
and a woman contemplating
along the way, rickshaw carrying metal pots
local people at work in the rice paddies
more rice paddies
the Kusumba Masjid
The Kusumba mosque
One of the oldest mosques in Bangladesh is the Kusumba Masjid, a 16th C mosque from the time the Mughuls dominated India – although the ones who ordered the construction of the mosque were the Aghan rulers that controlled Bengal at the time. It is built from grey stone, and the outer sides are beautifully worked, with decorations that occasionally also do resemble Hindu symbols. The inside has some brick vaults, and no less than four exquisitely carved stone mirhabs, with mostly nature motifs.
decorations on one of the outside mosque pillars
and the brick work around the windows is also nicely done
inside, the vaulted roof srtucture
head covers for the pious who forgot them at home
detailed carving of the mirhab inside
for those visiting the mosque there is food for sale
the stairs and veranda of the palace
the Puthia Rajbari, the palace at the Puthia complex
The Puthia comples
Nearer to Rajshani we visit the extensive temple complex and zamindar palace in Puthia. The first building is the palace itself, the Puthia Rajbari, built in 1895. It is a rather opulent building, with a loggia and huge Dorian pillars at the front, and metal decoration along the edges of the veranda. Currently, it is used as a museum, but in the past it was occupied by the district administration.
the Bara Govinda temple, probably the nicest one in the complex
beautifully decorated around the three entrance doors
whilst the walls, too, have been worked into patters
The Puthia dynasty stems from the 15th C, and has been ruling the area until the zamindar system was abolished under Pakistani law in 1950. Many of the rulers were women, and many contributed significantly to public life, amongst others by building numerous temples around the complex. One such is the Bara Govinda temple, a fabulous brick building, beautifully decorated at the outside. Delicate terracotta carvings with battle scenes and other Hindu tales can be found above the entrances. A smaller temple, the Bara Anhik Mandir (large Ahnik temple) is somehow chucked away behind the palace, its front squeezed next to another building, what makes appreciation more difficult. But the decorations are equally, if not more delicate than those of the Bara Govinda.
the images of battle scenes on the outer wall
like this detailed example of an elephant
and this man with bow and arrow
on the pillars at the entrance are further battle scenes
an elegant deity, bathing in the sun, at the Bara Anhik Mandir temple
here, too, lots of individual decorations
the a four-storied Dol Mancha, with in the back the Bara Shiva temple
full view of the Bara Shiva temple
the gallery that runs around the whole temple
and one of the few carvings, on the gallery
the octagonal Jagannath temple
Across the lawn from the palace is the early 19th C Dol Mancha, a four-storied square building with porches surrounding each floor. A short walk away is the Bara Shiva temple, dating from 1823, which is described as the most outstanding building, but in my view is a bit more basic than the others. There is none of the brick decoration, and the decoration of the arches looks more the result of stucco. Besides the Shiva temple is another small temple, the octagonally shaped Jagannath temple.
There are several other temples around, but time, as always, is limited – the disadvantage of group travel -, so we make our way to Rajshahi.
