Many archaeological sites including the Mahasthangarh accept collapsed into ruin in Bogra mainly due to aloofness amid locals and carelessness by the Administering of Archaeology of Bangladesh.
At atomic 50 sites address the bequest of Maurya, Gupta and Pala dynasties in Bogra are now at the accident of abolition as the archaeology administering avalanche abbreviate of manpower to assure them.
The celebrated Pundranagar bargain accepted as Mahasthangarh and added 33 archaeological sites centering about it were declared adequate in 1922 beneath the Ancient Monuments Preservation Act, 1904 during the British rule.
Md Badrul Alam, acting Rajshahi bounded administrator of the Administering of Archaeology, said official annal appearance the administering has purchased alone 37 of the 516 acre-land in the Pundranagar.
Md Shafiquel Islam, Shibganj upazila agronomics addendum officer, said, “Locals accept been growing vegetables and melancholia crops on 425 acreage of land.”
To accomplish affairs worse, the architecture of a mazar on the Mahasthangarh bounds began afresh aggressive the candor of the archaeological site. Two committees, the Mahasthan Mazar Board and the Mahasthan Mazar Development board are accordingly alive on the project.
Md Abdul Jabbar, authoritative administrator of Mahasthangarh Mazar Committee, claimed the board owns 57 acreage of acreage in the Pundranagar.
Department admiral said the board does not accept any accurate certificate to prove its affairs of the land. Relevant abstracts and map appearance that the board has illegally active at atomic 20 acreage of land.
Md Lutfar Rahman, upazila nirbahi administrator in Shibganj and affiliate secretary of the committee, denied the accusation and said the board has accurate documents.
The bounded administering charcoal aloof to the affair as the agent abettor holds the column of admiral of the mazar board that additionally includes affecting bounded politicians.
Md Abdul Khaleque, bounded administrator of the archaeology administering for Dhaka Division, said “Mahasthangarh is the alone archaeological armpit breadth we accept begin so abounding archaeological altar from the pre-Mauryan to the Mughal period.”
“The mazar committee’s contempo digging for amalgam a multi-storey architecture in the breadth has destroyed the candor of the site. It was done in abuse of the Antiquity Act and the High Court rulings.”
He said architectural bean structures, terracotta and added archaeological altar that date aback to 5th-6th aeon AD, had been burst and broken.
Swadhin Sen, who teaches archaeology at Jahangirnagar University, said, “Despite efforts from bounded government officials, the abolition of the archaeological armpit continues with the abutment of a able baton in the cardinal affair and the commune administration. The bodies amenable charge be brought to book.”
Sen has been complex in blasting at the Mahasthangarh aback 2000 and accomplishing all-encompassing analysis on the armpit for the aftermost 12 years.
“Locals destroyed ‘Chhoto Tangra’, an archaeological armpit of the Pala aeon in Bogra, to bright acreage for agronomics a few years ago. It was declared a adequate armpit during the British aphorism in 1922,” said Md Badrul Alam.
A Franco-Bangladesh collective blasting aggregation apparent an earthen stove dating aback to 400 BC in Mahasthangarh a few years ago. A French aggregation additionally apparent a brick bank congenital there in 300 BC.
Locals had destroyed a bank and brick structures at Boro Tangra, addition adequate armpit of Gupta period.
Azmal Hossain, 40, of Palashbari apple of Bogra said locals including him dug and destroyed brick structures at the archaeological armpit of “Mothurar Dhap” to bright acreage for cultivation.
“It has not been declared an adequate site. But administering admiral about four years ago had requested the acreage owners not to abort the archaeological structures adage they had a plan to access it. But that had not happened”, said Azmal Hossain.
Badrul Alam said the temple at Mothurar Dhap was congenital in 7th century AD.
The Rajshahi bounded appointment beatific a angle to the administrator general’s appointment in Dhaka on April 27, 2006 for purchasing 47 acreage of acreage and addition on June 10 the aforementioned year for affairs 44.19 acreage of land. But no accommodation has been fabricated yet.
“We charge at atomic Tk 5 crore for purchasing acreage to assure the archaeological sites in Bogra”, said Alam.
Md Safiqul Islam, administrator accepted of the Administering of Archaeology, said, “The administering offers primary acceptance charge less tours to archaeological sites and museums to actualize acquaintance about the archaeological sites and the country’s heritage.”