Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Into the ancient pathway






When I made my first footstep in this area (once the realm of a king) I feel that I've just entered into an ancient world of kings,queens,their subjects,myths and legends. The wonderful hall the lord made me amazed.It is really fascinating to see the palace.Puthia rajbari was built by Rani hemantakumari devi in 1895 in honour of her mother-in-law Maharani saratsundari devi. At present Lashkarpur Degree College uses this building(which really hurt me to see).
There is a tradition that Nilambar received the title of Raja from Emperor jahangir (1605-1627 AD). A partition of the estate took place in 1744 when the eldest son received a 51/2-anna share while the three others received 31/2-anna each. The Puthia Raj estate maintained its existence till the abolition of the zamindari system under the East Pakistan Estate Acquisition Act of 1950.
Govinda Temple, Puthia
The two-storied Puthia Rajbari, which is the most notable structure in the area faces a four-storeyed large pyramidal dol mancha on the north, across an open ground and presents an imposing 60.96m frontage. It has two symmetrical projected wings at the east and west ends while its central part, about 15.24m wide, accommodates a grand portal.
Siva Temple, Puthia
A 3.05m wide verandah runs along the front and provides access to the large halls behind. The balcony roof is supported on three graceful semi-Corinthian fluted columns, rising up to the upper floor.
The central bay is relieved with a triangular pediment and the parapet decorated with delicate floral plaster relief. The broad verandahs of the terminal bays on the east and the west are carried on four lofty fluted Corinthian columns, similarly shooting up to the upper floor ceiling.



The extensive area of the estate, enclosed within a moat, has a number of elegant temples embellished with terracotta sculpture, eg the Pancharatna Govinda Temple, a beautiful little do-chala shrine behind the palace, the hut-shaped Jagaddhatri Temple on the west and the large Shiva Temple at the entrance of the estate. The Shiva Temple, a 19.81m square building, was erected by Rani Bhuvan Mohini Devi in 1823 AD on a high plinth and plastered all over. It is decorated with numerous miniature ratnas on the main tower and on the four smaller towers on the roof of the ground floor. The derelict Puthia palace is now in a state of progressive disintegrationThe grandest temple in Puthia, the Govinda Temple was erected in mid-nineteenth century by the queen of Puthia. The temple is dedicated to Lord Krishna, as the Puthians were converted to Vaishnavism by Radhamohana Thakura. The temple has exquisite terracotta ornamentation depicting the divine romance between Krishna and Radha. The temple's survival is threatened by the newly-established college nearby and the lack of conservation efforts.

These wonderful structures are the glory of Bangladesh.

Government should take immediate steps to protect these wonderful structures.....and you should go to see this amazing halls.
Bagha Mosque situated at Bagha, about 25 miles southeast of Rajshahi town, survives in a fairly good state of preservation. The mosque was built on the western bank of a fairly large tank within a brick-walled compound, 48.77m square. The mosque compound could be entered by two old arched gateways - one on the north and the main one on the south comprising a simple oblong curved structure with a turret on either side.There are five arched openings in the east and two on either of the south and north sides. Inside the mosque there are three mihrabs at the western end of the three southern bays, a panelled design in the fourth and a smaller mihrab in the raised gallery in the northwestern corner. The interior of the mosque is divided into two longitudinal aisles and five bays by a row of four stone pillars. The mosque has therefore ten independent square divisions, each being covered by an inverted cup-shaped dome. The Department of Archaeology has reconstructed the present domed roof, as the original roof had collapsed in the earthquake of 1897.

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