1,000-yr-old Lohagor Moth needs repair

OUR CORRESPONDENT
CHANDPUR, June 25: Around 1,000-year-old Lohagor Moth (a Hindu monastery) in the district's Faridganj upazila is in dire need of repair.
The monastery, located in Baluthuba Paschim union on the bank of the Dakatia River, about 1.5 kilometres south-west from Chandra Bazar and seven kms from the upazila headquarters, has become weak due to years of neglect.
There are actually three monastery buildings standing side by side in this area. One is tall, while the other two are medium-sized and small in height.
What is more worrying is that the buildings have been sinking slowing in soil, said local UP Chairman Jashimuddin Swapon Miaji.
"Around 15-20 feet of the three buildings have already sunk due to earthquakes and other natural disasters," he added.
Rakib Uddin, an elderly local of Lohagor village, said, "During natural disasters, the buildings could tilt any time for want of enough earth around their basement."
He also said, "So, in order to protect those immediately from collapse and incidence of tilting, it is high time to renovate and make earth-filling work around the buildings as early as possible."
The old buildings, made with burnt bricks, have developed cracks. Although they are silent witnesses to history and an emblem of archaeological beauty, they are now waning away with the passage of time, said a group of locals.
"The walls and bricks are fading. Banyan trees and others are growing out of building walls. There are holes and cracks here and there. Birds, bats and vultures have made the monastery buildings their homes," said one of them.
However, the monastery buildings still attract a large number of visitors every day, he added.
Saidul Islam, a young man who came here from Puranbazar of Chandpur town, said, "If the monastery buildings are renovated, the number of tourists will certainly increase."
Rokeya Hossain, a school teacher of Chandpur town, said, "Department of Archaeology should immediately take steps and start preserving these priceless buildings properly."
Faridganj UNO Taslimunnessa said, "I will try to do something for the buildings."
Local myths say that once there had been two powerful and tyrant zamindar brothers in this village. They were Lowho and Gour. They built the monastery buildings some 1,000 years ago. The buildings and the village have been named after the two brothers.
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