Top archaeological sites in Bangladesh

According to various sources, there are about 2,500 archaeological sites in Bangladesh. Historians believe that the ancient civilization of Bengal was formed on the banks of the river Ajay 1500 BC. In ancient times Bengali did not mean the whole country.The archaeological sites of Bangladesh were known by different names. In ancient times, various districts of Bengal were divided. The people of these towns get to be known by the names of their respective towns. Many of the settlements in this region have been named as landscaping rivers. Here below some top archeological sites in Bangladesh listed from Tours and Trips Bangladesh.

1.Mahasthangarh:

Mahasthangarh is a city in Shibganj upazila of Bogra district which is about two and a half thousand years old. The site is located on the banks of the river Karatoya, about 13 km north of Bogra city. This famous city was once known in history as Purnabardhan. Mahasthangarh was the capital of Pundra kingdom in 700 BC. This walled city has archeological monuments of different periods. For several centuries this place was the provincial capital of the mighty Maurya, Gupta, Pal, Sen rulers and later the capital of the Hindu Samanta lords. Monks from China and Tibet used to come to Mahasthangarh to study, in 1808, Francis Bukanon Hamilton marked the location of Mahasthangarh.

Back in 1879, a guy named Alexander Cummingham dug around this area and discovered the city of Pundrobordhan. Then in the 14th century, an Islamic saint called Shah Sultan Bolkhi showed up in Mahasthangarh to spread Islam. He had a battle with a Hindu king named Porsu Ram, beat him, and helped establish Islam in that part of the world. This spot is one of the top archaeological sites in Bangladesh, according to Tours and Trips Bangladesh.

Check out our Budda’s Path tour packages to visit Mahasthangarh.

2.Somapura Mahavihara in Paharpur :

Somapura Mahavihara is situated a little north of Naogaon and you can get there pretty easily by road from Rajshahi. What you’ll see are the ruins of an old Buddhist monastery that dates back about 1200 years. It used to be called Sompur Mahavihara but now folks refer to it as Paharpur. This place was built by Dharmapala, the second emperor of the Pala dynasty, sometime between 781 and 821.

The British archologist Sir Alexander Cumming ham came to excavate it from 1923 to 1934. We have not found such a large structure of the archology department not only in Bangladesh but in any other country in the world. UNESCO included it in the World Heritage List in 1985. UNESCO list ranks our Paharpur 322^nd. This place is one of the principal archeological sites in Bangladesh.

Check out our UP CLOSE tour packages to visits Paharpur.

3.Dhakeswari Mandir:

When it comes to naming Dhaka, the name that inevitably comes to mind is Dhakeswari Mandir.The oldest place of worship is the Dhaka Dhakeswari Temple. Located in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, this temple has long been recognized as a national temple by the government. Different people have different views about the builder of Dhakeswari temple, some say the 12th century Sen king Ballal Sen. Someone is talking about Arakan Raj Sri Sudhan Sen’s younger brother Ballal Sen. Someone is talking about the idol of the goddess covered under the ground Many years ago some carpenters came to this area to cut wood and saw a statue that was covered with herbs; Then the huts set up the temple for the goddess Durga, there.

To visit this place checkout our Dhaka Sightseeing tour packages.

4.Gaur :

The kingdom of Gaur was the first independent kingdom set up by the Bengalis in Bengal’s history, started by King Shashanka who ruled from 590 to 625 AD. Many of the ancient forts are now in Malda district of what’s now West Bengal in India, and others are in Chapainawabganj district in Bangladesh. Gaur was the capital of Bengal during the Pala dynasty’s rule back when Buddhism was prominent from the eighth to twelfth centuries. In 1198, Gaur got taken over by Muslim rulers. But even after that, Gaur stayed as the capital of Bengal for a while, and in 1350, the capital moved to Pandua for a bit.

Later in 1453 Gaur was made the capital again. Then the name of Gaur was changed to Jannatabad. The Bara Sonamasjid is a notable architecture of Gaur. This place is one of the top archeological sites in Bangladesh listed from Tours and Trips Bangladesh.

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5.Kantajew Temple:

This peaceful sanctuary is located in Kantajew, a quiet little town by the Dhepa River, about 12 miles north of Dinajpur city and just a mile west of the Dinajpur-Tetlia road. Maharaja Prannath of Dinajpur kicked off building the temple back in 1722 and his adopted son Maharaja Ramnath wrapped up the work in 1752, following instructions from his wife Rukmini.

This wonderful pyramid-molded sanctuary rises three stages to the top, and at the edges of the three stages there are an aggregate of nine lavish pinnacles or diamonds that appear as though immense luxurious chariots remaining on a high establishment from the terracotta ornamentation base to the top of the temple, in every inch of the inner and outer walls, three pearls of human pearls and natural objects are wonderfully painted, following the mythology. The detailed story of Mahabharata and Ramayana have taken place here. This is one of the top archeological sites in Bangladesh.

6.Mosque city of Bagerhat:

This spot is one of the best archaeological sites in Bangladesh according to Tours and Trips Bangladesh. The Sixty Domes Mosque is a UNESCO World Heritage site found in the Bagerhat district of Khulna division. Since there’s no inscription in the mosque, we don’t have precise info about who built it or when the construction happened. But looking at the architectural style of the mosque, the archologist suspected that the mosque was built by Ulugh Khan-i-Jahan in the 15th century.

The archaeological site got its UNESCO World Heritage Site status back in 1985. The mosque has sixty main domes and a grand total of 77 domes spread across 11 rows. If you count the 4 domes on the minaret, that brings the total to 81 domes. In the mihrab’s middle row, there are 7 domes that are different, while the rest of the 74 are semicircular. This site is one of the key archaeological spots in Bangladesh.

Check out our Classical Bangladesh tour packages to visits Sixty Domes Mosque.

7.Bagha Mosque:

Bagha Upazila Sadar is about 45 kilometers east-south of Rajshahi city. This mosque was built way back in 1523 when Sultan Nasrat Shah was in charge of Bengal, over in Gaur. It has 10 domes and 6 pillars inside, plus 4 arches that are all decorated with stunning artwork and terracotta designs. The Shahi Mosque is one of the oldest architectural treasures in Bangladesh and it even shows up on the Taka 50 notes and Taka 10 commemorative stamps. There’s a big dighi around the mosque that covers around 256 bighas of land, and you’ll also find the shrine of Auliya, the main Dargah Sharif, and a museum nearby.

This place is one of the top archeological sites in Bangladesh.

8.Pink Palace:

Ahsan Manzil sits right by the Buriganga River in Dhaka. It used to be the home and main hub for the Dhaka Nawab family back in the British India days. Ahsan Manzil is connected to tons of national and international moments, especially when it comes to the history and politics of Dhaka’s growth.In the 18th century, a guy named Sheikh Enayetullah, who was a zamindar from Jamalpur Pargana (now known as Faridpur Barisal), built a garden house where Ahsan Manzil stands today.

His son eventually sold that garden house to a French merchant. Then in 1830, Khwaja Alimullah bought the palace from the French. In 1869, Nawab Abdul Gani, the son of Nawab Alimullah, gave the building a makeover and named it Ahsan Manzil after his son Khwaja Ahsanullah. This place is one of the best archaeological spots in Bangladesh.

Check out our Dhaka Sightseeing tour for a Day Long trip.

9.Puthia:

This place is one of the top archeological sites in Bangladesh listed from Tours and Trips Bangladesh. Puthia is an upazila 30 km from the Rajshahi region. Its ancient name is Laskarpur Pargana. Laskari Khan of the Pathan dynasty revolted during the reign of the Mughal emperor Akbar, General Mansingh handed over the responsibility of the entire pargana to a Hindu ruler to subdue him. In fact, Putia zamindari started from then on. Pitambar was the first man of this zamindari. Puthia Rajbari or Panch Ani Zamindar Bari is the residence of Maharani Hemantakumari Devi.The two-storied palace was built in 1895 in the Indo-European style if there was a Raj Prasad in the vicinity.

The Govinda temple was constructed back in 1823 by Rani Bhubanmoyi Devi with some help from the Puthia royal family. This impressive Shiva temple is one of six temples located at Puthia Rajbari and is among the largest temples in Asia. They finished building the sanctuary in 1830. This spot is also one of the most fascinating archaeological sites in Bangladesh.

To visit this place checkout our tour packages Land Of Smile.

10.Panam Nagar :

It is also known as the “Lost City”.Panam City is found a large portion of a kilometer away from the Folk and Handicraft Museum. The city of Panama is thought to have been established around 400 years prior. It was originally the focal point and residence of the weaving business in the Bengal region.The city of Panama is presently during the time spent being restored over a time of around 400 years, step by step converging with the Mughal structural style and the British architectural style.

Every home in this city looks unique in size and style. The houses have section ventilators and window grills made from cast iron. You’ll notice red, white, and black mosaic designs on the floors. Many homes feature blue and white mosaics on the arches, roofs, and in the center. Plus, every house has its own well. Back in the fifteenth century and up until World War II, the areas around Panama were bustling with public life. It’s considered one of the top archaeological spots in Bangladesh according to Tours and Trips Bangladesh.

Check out our tour packages Dhaka & Sonargaon for a Day Long tour.

11.Kusumba Mosque

This place is one of the coolest archaeological spots in Bangladesh. You can check out the Kusumba Mosque located in Manda upazila, Naogaon district. The Kusumba Mosque is pretty impressive and has been around for about 450 years. It was built during the Sultanate period when Gias Uddin Bahadur I, the first Afghan Sultan and a descendant of Sher Shah, was in charge from 1554 to 1560. The mosque is 56 feet long and 42 feet wide from north to south. The walls are really thick at 6 feet and made of stone. You’ll see three doors at the front. Fun fact: the mosque even appears on a five taka note. Overall, it’s a must-see archaeological site in Bangladesh you won’t want to miss.

Check out our tour packages Land Of Smile.

12.Lalbagh fort:

Initially Lalbagh fort was named Arangabad fort Arangabad fort.This is an unfinished Mughal fort installation.Azam Shah, the third child of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, began the development of the fortress in 1678 as the home of the subedar of Dhaka. Shaista Khan came to Dhaka in 1680 and continued the development of the fortification. Nonetheless, after the passing of Shaista Khan’s girl Pari Bibi, the fortress was viewed as a fiasco and Shaista Khan halted its development in 1684 AD.

The Tomb of Pari Bibi is a spot you really shouldn’t miss when you’re at Lalbagh Fort. Way back in 1844, a place called Arangabad was turned into Lalbagh, and now it’s one of the coolest archaeological sites in Bangladesh. You’ll find it featured by Tours and Trips Bangladesh, and even Lonely Planet named Lalbagh Fort the 7th best value place to check out in 2019. If you want to learn more, just head over to our website for details on things to do in Dhaka.

13.Star Mosque (Tara Masjid):

Dhaka has a history that goes back around 400 years. When you stroll through the city, you’ll see plenty of old mosques. One really cool spot is the Tara Mosque on Abul Khairat Road in Armanitola. The oldest Tara Mosque doesn’t have a set date, and the original building wasn’t as fancy or decorated as what you’ll find there now. If you look at the cracked and plain walls in the back, you’ll see evidence of its simpler past.

The mosque is also called Mirza Sahib’s Mosque as it was built by Mirza Golam Pir. Mirza Golam Pir died in 1860. In 1926, Alijan merchants spent a lot of money to add colorful glazed tiles to the mosque’s various designs and to enhance the shape of the mosque by attaching a verandah on the east side.Listed by Tours and Trips Bangladesh, this destination is regarded as one of the most important archaeological sites in Bangladesh.

For more reading you can check to our website at Things to do in Dhaka tour.

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