Need to preserve valuable archaeological art pieces stressed
FE Report | Thursday, 19 June 2008
Speakers at a city discussion meeting Tuesday stressed the need for discovering, collecting and properly preserving valuable archaeological art pieces.
They urged the authorities to take necessary action in collecting the icons and other art pieces found across the country.
They also said many more archaeological art pieces would be discovered all over the country if the authority took necessary steps.
The discussion meeting on the newly found Vishnu statue was held at the auditorium of the Asiatic Society of Bangladesh .in the city.
The statue is now in the custody of a local police station.
Eminent archaeologist AKM Zakaria, Professor Mozammel Haque of Jahangirnagar University, Mosharraf Hossain of the department of archaeology, government of Bangladesh, and Manzurul Alam, editor of Dainik Samatat Barta of Brahmanbaria and Secretary of the society Prof Mahfuza Khanam among others, took part in the discussion.
President of the society Prof Sirajul Islam presided over the meeting.
Speakers discussed different features of the Vishnu statue, which was found at the village Sultanpur in Brahmanbaria district during the digging of a pond on June 14.
According to the discussants this five-foot statue is considered the biggest statue of Lord Vishnu of Hindu mythology found in Bangladesh.
Professor Mozammel Haque of Jahangirnagar University said that the statue might be an iconograph of Early Pala Dynasty, which dates back to approximately ninth century AD.
He further said that as the statue embodied many local features, an extensive research was needed to define the exact date of the statue. The statue proves that the small kingdoms of the region were culturally rich during that period.
The discussants also laid importance to the materials of the piece. They informed the audience that any authentic research was yet to be held to test the material of the statue. It was possibly moulded with black basalt or clay stone, they added.
They urged the authorities to take necessary action in collecting the icons and other art pieces found across the country.
They also said many more archaeological art pieces would be discovered all over the country if the authority took necessary steps.
The discussion meeting on the newly found Vishnu statue was held at the auditorium of the Asiatic Society of Bangladesh .in the city.
The statue is now in the custody of a local police station.
Eminent archaeologist AKM Zakaria, Professor Mozammel Haque of Jahangirnagar University, Mosharraf Hossain of the department of archaeology, government of Bangladesh, and Manzurul Alam, editor of Dainik Samatat Barta of Brahmanbaria and Secretary of the society Prof Mahfuza Khanam among others, took part in the discussion.
President of the society Prof Sirajul Islam presided over the meeting.
Speakers discussed different features of the Vishnu statue, which was found at the village Sultanpur in Brahmanbaria district during the digging of a pond on June 14.
According to the discussants this five-foot statue is considered the biggest statue of Lord Vishnu of Hindu mythology found in Bangladesh.
Professor Mozammel Haque of Jahangirnagar University said that the statue might be an iconograph of Early Pala Dynasty, which dates back to approximately ninth century AD.
He further said that as the statue embodied many local features, an extensive research was needed to define the exact date of the statue. The statue proves that the small kingdoms of the region were culturally rich during that period.
The discussants also laid importance to the materials of the piece. They informed the audience that any authentic research was yet to be held to test the material of the statue. It was possibly moulded with black basalt or clay stone, they added.