Greater Barisal, a southern town in the Gangetic valley, has a glorious historical chapter. Witnessing that rich history, there is a huge collection of different historical monuments scattered in different areas here.
In the late fifteenth century, the capital of Bakla was established at Madhabpasha, not far from the city of Barishal, by Ramchandra, the son of Kandarpanarayan, one of the Bara Bhuiyans of Bengal. Ramchandra renamed Madhabpasha as Srinagar. Ramchandra expanded his fame by expanding beautiful buildings, temples of various gods and goddesses, monasteries and lakes in the new capital. Today, the relics of those ancient palaces and temples are a testament to history.
There is an ancient mosque with many domes at Kasba on the north side of Barishal city. This mosque bears a resemblance to the nine-domed mosque in Bagerhat and Masjidkur mosque in Khulna. Although there is no inscription, this famous installation is believed to have been built in the fifteenth century.
The Shialguni Mosque near Bakerganj is another famous ancient mosque in the region. The craftsmanship of this mosque is still spectacular, even though it is now miserable due to the cruel crushing of time. Nasrat Shah is said to be the builder of this mosque.
In the village of Sholak, near Barishal, there are buildings, monasteries and temples of the Nawabi period. The village of Gaila-Fulshree also has many ancient buildings, monasteries and temples. Dakshin Chakra, Birupaksha and Kali temples are situated at Nathullabad.
A number of pre-Islamic and later statue and idols have been found in the area. These include idols of the Hindu community and Buddha statues of the Buddhist community. One of the idols found in Barisal is the idol of Vishnu at Laxmankathi on the river Gaurnadi. An eleventh-century eagle statue has been recovered from the Gaurnadi. This statue is now preserved in the National Museum. A four-foot-tall pillar of the Sen period is preserved in the Dargah of Baro Auliya in Bakerganj.
References: History of Barishal, Saiful Ahsan Bulbul, Gatidhara, Dhaka, April 2009.
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