A modern-like planned city had been developed in Bangladesh thousand years ago.
A recent excavation found a number of settlements of urban civilisation in archaeological excavations in Nateshwar of Tungibari union of Munshiganj, the then Bikrampur.
The unearthed remains substantiate that a planned city and modern architecture developed in Bangladesh in ancient period.
The archaeologists, who are conducting the excavation operation, assumed after examining the ruins of the Buddhist civilisation that the patterns of Buddhist architecture represent the modern architecture.
The unearthed modern-like city found in Bikrampu, now Munshiganj, where legendary Buddhist preacher and intellectual Srigan Atish Dipankar was born in 982 AD.
The unearthed remains of Buddhist pagoda, mostly intact two roads made up of bricks, square and eight-corner mound include Buddhist monuments or monastery.
The crass-cross widened roads depict the modern planned city architecture.
Research institution Oitijya Anweshan under the management and initiative of Agrashar Bikrampur Foundation, a Munshiganj based social and cultural organisation, is conducting the archaeological excavation programme in the area.
Earlier, the team discovered pre-medieval Buddhist Bihar, five-corner and eight-corner mounds, and a tunnel made up of bricks.
This time the researchers found a brick-made road, a ruined complex, a eight-corner mound, a doorway to enter into the complex mound, and various settlements; which proved that a number of ancient human settlements were in the area.
The researchers said, the remains of the ancient Buddhist settlements, which have been unearthed recently, were developed based on around 10 acres land of the Nateshwar village.
A pair of square mounds bordered by a boundary wall, which is widened about four-metre, was discovered is unique among the archaeological discoveries in country till now.
Besides, an eight-corner mound and a Buddhist pagoda inside that mound was found in the excavation.
Researcher assumed Buddhist sacred relic might have been kept in the Pagoda.
A 100-metre widened ruins of Buddhist monastery, which dates back to eighth or ninth century, was unearthed near the eight-corner mound.
According to the researchers, the pagoda, the eight-corner mound and the road were built in planned method.
Some scorched bricks were unveiled under the foundation of the wall, which might be used to save the boundary wall from damp.
We came to know from history, when Atish Dipankar went to China to preach Buddhist religion, he talked about 25 thousand pagodas in his mother land.
Professor Sufi Mostafizur Rahman told Prothom Alo Bhuddhist civilisation is closely related to Atish Dipankar.
Because, a planned city composing of Buddhist monastery and mound of pagodas also was found in his birth place where he spent a span of his early.
But we cannot say anything specifically without historical study on it, he added.
It is known that Atish Dipankar was born in 982 in Bajrajogini village of Bikrampur. He accepted Buddhism in his early life and went to the then Nalanda collage of Patna at 19-year-old. Later, he joined as principal of Bikramshila Mahabihar.
He went to Tibet in response to an invitation of the then Chinese emperor to protect the declination of Buddhism and died there.
The researcher also mentioned another brick-made road and an a entrance found near the mound of complex and ruins substantiated a number of settlements were there.
Local citizen Noresh Chandra Bishwas is the owner of the land piece where the excavation operation is being conducted.
[Translated from Prothom Alo]
Flippoints 