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
Bangladesh University of Professionals

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 Table of Contents

1. Introduction 03

2. Aim of paper 03

3. Body of paper
• Etymology 04
• Geography 04
• Discovery 04
• Structures of Mahasthangarh 05- 06
• History 07- 08
• Excavation 08- 09
• Tourism 10

4. Conclusion 10

5. References 11

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1. Introduction
Bangladesh is a country with a long history that predates its fifty years of independence, and
it is adorned with jewels of culture and a storied past. We are intimately connected to the
remnants of ancient civilizations from hundreds of years ago and samples of rich literary
texts. Our lives and culture have been significantly impacted by the Mauryan dynasty, the
Gupta, Pala, and Mughal emperorships that followed.

The ruins of the former city of Pundranagar make up Mahasthangarh, the oldest and largest
archaeological monument in Bangladesh. Mahasthangarh has been the witness to many
civilizations and emperors which is evident from the excavation of countless priceless
artifacts. Hinduism and Buddhism flourished in Mahasthangarh during significant ruling
dynasties like the Mauryans, the Guptas, the Palas, the Chandras, and the Deva and Sena
monarchs, as evidenced by the structures and artifacts of this ancient site.

2. Aim of the Paper

This aim of this paper is to discuss the characteristics of Mahasthangarh and look at its long
and glorious history of civilization. This paper will also look at past and recent archeological
findings which will help us better understand the culture of the people living in
Mahasthangarh during that time.

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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.

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 • 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.

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.

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• 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 Pundranagar 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 Pundranagar's
significant Buddhist influence to wane.

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 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. Exploration led by K.N. Dixit during the British era and N. Ahmed during
the Pakistan era resulted in a resurgence of interest in the past of a country that can now
date its history back to the 4th century BC. Since 1991, a French archaeological team led
by Jean-Francois Salle has been hard at work exploring the location. 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-

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

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• 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 to 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.

• Conclusion
The historical context of Mahasthangarh has provided us with a deeper, more significant
look into our ancestry. Mahasthangarh is a source of great pride for us. We must take
precautions to protect this priceless national legacy. Mahasthangarh was listed as one of
the 12 sites worldwide most "on the edge" of irreparable loss and damage by Global
Heritage Fund in a 2010 report titled "Saving Our Vanishing Heritage," noting
inadequate management (poor water drainage in particular) and theft as the main factors.
Mahasthangarh has, all things considered, come a long way since its discovery, but there
is still much work to be done. It is one of the few pieces of evidence that demonstrates
how far back our race and sociocultural group have evolved. Terracottas, architectural
relics, literary treasures, and the amazing history that center this city make it a location
that deserves to be preserved at all costs. But ultimately, it all boils down to awareness
and a sense of significance for the location. Solutions for these sites will recognized as
long as we are aware of the significance these archaeological sites contain and work
towards it.

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• References
[1] Wikipedia contributors (2022, October 10). Mahasthagarh. Wikipedia, Retrieved
October 11, 2022, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahasthangarh

[2] Mahasthan Banglapedia (2021, June 18) Retrieved October 11, 2022, from
https://en.banglapedia.org/index.php/Mahasthan

[3] The independent (2017, July 17) Retrieved October 11, 2022, from
https://www.theindependentbd.com/printversion/details/105003

[4] Kanak Baran Barua (2018, June) Pundranagarh (Mahasthangarh), Retrieved October 11,
2022,from
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/325660752_Pundranagarh_Mahasthangarh

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