Varendra Research Museum conveys glorious history, heritage of Indian subcontinent

RAJSHAHI, Oct 27: The Varendra Research Museum which is the foremost museum of the country, that has been convey glorious history and heritage of Indian subcontinent.
Now the museum is situated in Hetemkhan area under Rajshahi City Corporation. It is also situated beside the river of Padma.
If any visitor just visits for the first time at Rajshahi region, you may imagine of a lot old red coloured multi storey buildings here. Anyone can think these building as palaces. Though usually museum is called Barendra museum but its official name is 'Varendra Research Museum'.
The Settlement of Verandra, one of the most flourishing territories of ancient Indian sub-continent. Anyone come to know from different literary and epigraphic evidences that a separate school of artisans earned wide reputation here at the reign of Pala dynasty and the streams of art making were uninterrupted until the Sena dynasty.
More than 1,000 years history of this subcontinent will come in touch after entering inside. A lot of statues, artifacts related to the history, architecture, culture are visually seen at the museum.
On information, the present museum building land was donated by Pramada Nath Roy, who was the emperor of Dighapotia sovereign. On 13 November 1916 Lord Carmichael set the founding stone of the museum.
Some of the leading and enlightened citizens of the Rajshahi based felt the necessity and justification of establishing such an institution that would explore the precious past of this region.
Henceforth, 'The Varendra Research Society' was established in 1910, and the founder of the Society Kumar Sarat Kumar Ray, the scion of Dighapatiya Royal family accompanied by Aksaya Kumar Maitreya, a leading lawyer and renowned historian; Ramaprasad Chanda, a reputed scholar in history, art and archaeology and others explored a good number of archaeological and historical artifacts excavating in some villages of Rajshahi.
Then, the conviction grew in Kumar's mind if a centre of archeological research was to be established at Rajshahi, the finds should be preserved there as the nucleus of a local museum.
Thus, the Varendra Research Society and Museum was set up at Rajshahi in 1910. In fact, it is not only the premier institution of its kind, but also the splendid accomplishment of its organisation in Bangladesh.
The role of the society concerning the museum was that of proprietor and caretaker. However, this was formally inaugurated on September 27, 1910 and was registered in 1914 in accordance with the Indian Society Act-1860.
In order to collect sculptures, epigraphs, manuscripts, coins and other objects of antiquarian value, the Kumar and his associates organised a number of exploratory tours to numerous sites in the districts of Rajshahi, Bogra, Rangpur, Dhaka, Maldah, 24 Parganas etc.
In addition, these tours proved extremely rewarding and an encouraging number of relics were discovered, identified and collected. The society organised the excavations at Deopara, Palpara, Malanca, Jugpur, Itahar, Chabbisnagar, Mandoil, Khetur, Kumarpur, Vijaynagar, Cossipur, Mahisantosh, Paharpur etc. All the costs of exploratory tours had been borne by the Kumar.
The museum collections, as well as books and manuscripts acquired by the society, were housed in two rooms of the Public Library until the museum building was erected.
The museum was, almost from its inception, under the Council of Management of the society. In 1937, the museum including the building and the premises, the entire collection of exhibits, the library, the furniture and other properties of the society were brought under the operation of the Government of Bengal Education Department.
Having anticipated the intentions of the central and provincial governments, Prof. AR Mallick, the honorary Curator had taken a courageous as well as the most prudent step to save the museum for the people of Rajshahi. He first convinced the Rajshahi University authorities of the imperative necessity for taking over the museum in the interest of research.
He also succeeded in persuading the Museum Management Committee to accept his proposal of transferring the museum to the university.
Then, in a simple ceremony on 10th October 1964, the deed of transfer was signed by Mr. M Jamilur Rahman, CSP, the Chairman of the Committee on behalf of the Government, and Dr AR Mallick, professor of the history department of the university and Curator of the museum, duly authorised by the university for this purpose.
The university syndicate constituted an Advisory Committee for the museum, consisting 14 members. The vice chancellor is the Chairman ex-officio and the Director of the museum is the Member-Secretary of the Committee.
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