BANGLADESH STUDIES ASSINGMENT

(COURSE CODE- 1105)

TOPIC: MAHASTHANGARH

SUBMITTED TO:
Brig. Gen. Shafaat Ahmad
PhD, NDC, PSC (Retd)
Professor Bangladesh University of Professionals

SUBMITTED BY:
Irfanul Haq (2225171081)
Department of Marketing
Section A

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 Table of Contents

1. Introduction

2. Aim of paper

3. Body of paper
 Etymology
 Geography
 Discovery
 Structures of Mahasthangarh
 History
 Excavation
 Tourism

4. Conclusion

5. References

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1. Introduction

2. Aim of the Paper

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 3. Body of the Paper

 Etymology
The earliest reference to Mahasthan came in the 13th century Sanskrit text entitled Vallalcharita.
The word Mahasthan signifies a place of great sanctity and Garh means a fort. Later discoveries
have revealed that the current name of Mahasthangarh is of later origin and that the original
name was Pundranagara, the ancient capital of Paundravardhanapura.

 Geography
Mahasthangarh is situated in Shibganj upazila of Bogra district, which is a part of the Rajshahi
division in Bangladesh. It lies on the western bank of Korotoa River, about 13 km north of Bogra
city on the Dhaka-Dinajpurpur highway. It is thought that the city's location in the region was
chosen since it is one of Bangladesh's highest places. While Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, is
only around 6 meters (20 feet) above sea level, the land in the area is nearly 36 meters (118 feet)
above sea level. The location and magnitude of the Karatoya, which reportedly used to be three
times larger than the Ganges as recently as the 13th century, were additional factors in the
decision to settle here.

 Discovery
The discovery and identification of the ruins of Mahasthangarh were made possible due to
contribution by a number of researchers and travelers. Francis Buchanan Hamilton, CJ
O'Donnell, EV Westmacott, Beveridge, and Alexander Cunningham are notable contributors
among them. Among these people Francis Buchanan Hamilton was the first to locate and he
visited Mahasthangarh in 1808. But the first person to identify the location as Pundravardhana's
capital was Alexander Cunningham. He visited the site in 1879. 

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  Structures of Mahasthangarh

A deep moat surrounded the fortified city's northern, western, and southern borders. Traces of
this moat may still be seen on the first two sides and in part on the southern side. As the river
Karatoya flows on the eastern side. The river and the moat may have acted as the fort city's
second line of defense. In various locations outside the city within an 8 km radius to the north,
south, and west, numerous solitary mounds attest to the presence of suburbs of the ancient
regional capital. 

At the heart of the ancient city lies a citadel. The rectangular-shaped walled center of the
ancient city, with high and wide ramparts in all of its wings, is approximately 1.523 kilometers
(0.946 miles) long from north to south and 1.371 kilometers (0.852 miles) from east to west.
Area of the citadel is approximately 185 hectares. When excavations first began in the 1920s, the
inside of the citadel was nearly 4 meters higher than the surroundings and contained a number
of isolated elevated pieces of ground.

There are currently a number of mounds and architectural relics inside the fortifications. Some
of these worth mentioning include 

 Jiat Kunda (a well said to have life-giving powers), 

 Mankalir Dhap (a location dedicated to Mankali), They found terracotta plaques, bronze
Ganesha, bronze Garuda, etc. A 15-domed mosque's (15th–16th century) foundational
ruins were discovered.

 Parshuramer Basgriha (a palace of a king named Parasuram), contains remnants from

three different occupancy eras. Stone Visnupatta from the Pala period was discovered in
the eighth century AD, some glazed fragments with Muslim origin were discovered in the
fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, and two British East India Company coins from 1835
and 1853 were discovered.

 Bairagir Bhita (a palace of a female anchorite), Built and rebuilt in four time periods: the
4th–5th century AD, the 6th–7th century, the 9th–10th century, and the 11th century.
Poor base ruins that resembled temples have been discovered through excavations.
Two sandstone pillars with sculptures have been found.

 Khodar Pathar Bhita (a location where God bestowed a stone), Stone fragments
depicting the transcendent Buddha and followers bowed down were found.

 Munir Ghon (a bastion).

Several gateways are located at various locations of the citadel. Kata Duar in the north, Dorab
Shah Toran in the east, Burir Fatak in the south, and Tamra Dawaza in the west. A mazhar, which
is a holy tomb, was located at its southeast corner. There was also a mosque constructed
around 1718–1719. 

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As previously mentioned there have been discoveries which proved the existence of suburbs
surrounding the citadel. In addition to the fortified region, there are over 100 mounds dispersed
throughout an area over 8 km radius. Some of the excavated mounds which have been
discovered are as follows. 
1. Gobhindo Bhita, a temple close to the north-eastern corner of the citadel.
2. Khulnar Dhap, a temple 1 km north of the citadel.
3. Mangalkot, a temple 400m south of Khulnar Dhap.
4. Godaibari Dhap, a temple 1 km south of Khulnar Dhap.
5. Totaram Panditer Dhap, a monastery 4 km north-west of the citadel.
6. Noropotir Dhap (Vashu Bihara), a group of monasteries 1 km north-west of Totaram
Ponditer Dhap.
7. Gokul Medh (Lokhindorer Bashor Ghor), a temple 3 km south of the citadel.
8. Shkonder Dhap, a temple 2 km south-east of Gokul Medh.

 History

 The Brhastsamhita, written by Varahamihira in the sixth century AD, lists the names of
six Janapadas in the eastern region: Paundra, Vanga, Samatata, Vardhamana,
Guadhaka, and Tamralipitaka. Important towns and cities are known as Janapadas. The
most significant city in the eastern part of Paundrabhukti was Pundranagar, which is
today associated with the location of Mahasthann. Paundranagar excavations have so
far uncovered seven different periods of occupancy. The remains from these periods are
crucial in demonstrating how these discoveries formed a complete phase in its history.

 A very strong indication of Pundranagar's Buddhist past can be found in the account of
the Chinese Pilgrim, Hiung Tsang. Hiung Tsang's account, along with the discoveries of
Northern Black Polished Ware (NBPW) pottery, whose date is known to range from the
4th century BC to the 2nd century BC points to Pundranagar's Buddhist past during the
Mauryan rule in the subcontinent. He traveled to Pundranagar between 638 and 645 AD.

 What happened to Paundranagar after the Mauryan dynasty was overthrown is still a
topic of speculation. There are no exact historical records for the Shunga era, which
roughly spans the first century BC and 73 BC. However, the discovery of a clay figurine
dated to this time strongly implies that Pundranagar's metropolis continued to thrive at
this time. The discovery of a gold coin with a bearded image of Kanishka on the obverse
shows its link with the Kushanas but does not prove their control over Paundranagar
with absolute certainty. 

 However, epigraphic evidence reveals that the Guptas began to conquer Bengal in the
4th century, and Paundranagar came to be known as the bulwark of the Gupta defenses
in their empire's eastern flank. According to the Damodarpur copper plate of Buddha
Gupta, Pundranagar thrived as the capital of the entire northern Bengal region and was
a crucial component of the Gupta empire until the end of the 5th century. Shashanka,
who formed an independent government in Guada in the early 7th century, engaged in
systematic persecution of Buddhists at this time, and it's possible that this caused

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 Pundranagar's significant Buddhist influence to wane.

 However, Pundranagar returned to being the seat of an autonomous government under

Gopala with the advent of the Palas. Despite the fact that Dharmapala's son moved the
capital to Magadha, Pundranagar flourished under the Palas. Up to the arrival of the
Muslims in the early 13th century, it was thriving unabatedly. In the Gauda region, the
Bengal Sultans constructed their capital. 

 Excavation
Pundranagar was left in ruins and degradation after being abandoned. Since 1993,
collaborative initiatives between France and Bangladesh have been conducting successful
excavations. Up until recently, the combined mission has been able to uncover 18
construction layers. The cultural objects discovered through excavation could be grouped
under the following time periods. 

Period 1 - Numerous Northern Black Polished Wares, Rouletted Wares black and red
pottery, black hued polished pots, stone-blacks, mud homes, cooking furnaces, and
pillar-pits are reported to have been discovered in the excavated areas during this time
as pre-Mauryan era relics.

Period 2 - Broken tiles, brickbats, potsherds, ring stones, bronze mirrors, bronze lamps,
dice-cast coins, terracotta plaques, and stone beads reflecting the Mauryan periods are
among the artifacts from this epoch that have been discovered.

Period 3- In this post-Mauryan age, which includes the Shunga and Kushana periods,
relics from large, well-preserved brick buildings, brick-strewn floors, pillar pits, Shunga-
period terracotta plaques, semi-precious stone beads, temple pinnacles, and other
periods are said to have been found.

Period 4- The Kushan-Gupta periods' antiquarian artifacts are discovered in this period.
Numerous shattered clay pots, exquisite terracotta plaques with different figures,
ornamented cooking pots, tableware, and other significant things are located. This layer
has far fewer architectural relics than the upper and lower strata. In addition, semi-
precious stone and glass beads, plates, and terracotta seals are noteworthy examples of
this period's culturally significant items.

Period 5- Gupta and late Gupta phases are represented during this time frame. The
phase produced remnants of a large brick temple from the late Gupta period called
Govinda Bhita, which was close to the fort city. It also produced large antiquities,
including terracotta plaques in the distinctive style, seals, beads made of terracotta,
glass, and semi-precious stones, terracotta balls, copper and iron objects, and stapled
wares. 

Period 6- Architectural remnants from a number of sites, including Khodar Pathar Bhita,
Mankalir Kunda, Paramsuram's palace, and Bairagir Bhita, which are dispersed around
the eastern side of the city, indicate that this time period reflects the PALA-SENA phase.
This was the most prosperous age, and many Buddhist institutions were built outside of
the city at this time.Period 7- The architectural remnants of a fifteen-domed mosque from

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 the Sultanate era, a single-domed mosque constructed by Farrukh Siyar, the Mughhal
Emperor, attest to the period's Muslim phase.

 Tourism
A historical site like Mahasthangarh is a national asset which can generate a lot of revenue
through tourism if maintained properly. The government has taken steps like building an
archeological museum, which displays artifacts excavated from the site. Mahasthangarh has
seen a number of developmental changes over the years, but there are still a few areas that
require quick attention if the location is too become even more distinctive. For instance, the
region lacks even decent eateries and residential motels. This could provide a significant
obstacle for visitors who are not locals. More opportunities and scope should be given to
local companies that rely on the location to promote their locally produced goods and pique
the interest of tourists and visitors while also boosting the local economy. While increasing
the capacity to host more tourists, we should be careful to not harm the site itself from the
influx of tourists. Great care has to be taken to manage tourists.