The terracotta marvels of Bangladesh

A Correspondent BOGRA, Oct 16: The people of Indian sub-continent have a rich heritage based on terracotta plaques and its flourishment on stages from different dynasties. Out of them "Somapura Maha Vihara" in Noagoan, "Kantaji Temple" in Dinajpur, "Puthia Temple" in Rajshahi, "Jorbangla Temple|" in Pabna are remarkable. These terracotta plagues bear testimony of cultural loftiness and supremacy of the people's mental faculty. It proves that this area was oe of the cultural centres of the world. Somapura Maha vihara, the oldest university in Asia was built by Pala king Dharma Pala in (770-810) AD. The university enrolled the students free of cost with all facilities. The students used to come from Southeast Asian countries to get superior quality education. The site was first noticed by Buchanon Hamilton in between (1807-1812). It was also declared a protected area in 1919. And finally was declared world heritage site in 1985. The Kantaji temple in Dinajpur is one of oldest structures covering with terracotta plaques. It was built in (1704 -1752) AD by Maharaja Prannath, eminent zamindar of the district. This terracotta plaque carries the Hindu mythology. But this site was damaged by earthquake in 1897 and also destroyed by Pak-Army in 1971. The Puthia temple and its complex in Rajshahi districts is also a remarkable site for its intricate terracotta designs built by Rajas of Puthia Raj family and the Puthia queen in 1815. It was also damaged during the liberation war. On the contrary many temples were damaged due to high salinity in the soil over the passage of time. A serious earthquake damaged the brick built "Jorbangla Temple" in Pabna built in 1880 AD by Nawab Broja Mohan. It is matter of regret that these archeological sites have been damaged because of high salinity in the soil, heavy rainfall and lack of consciousness of the authority. Though Bangladesh government. along with UNESCO is working together to protect it from further damage, they have achieved little success. "There are 160 archeological sites in Rajshahi division", says Md. Badrul Alam, Regional Director (R.D) of the Department of Archeology, Bogra. According to him "Land grabbing, lack of consciousness and indifference to the archeological sites of the different government are causes of damage. These sites could be a source of teaching to the students of theology, logic, philosophy, and fine arts departments.