Dinajpur, Bangladesh; Image Gallery

Nayabad Masjid in Dinajpur, Bangladesh

Nayabad Masjid is situated on the bank of the Dhepa river in village Nayabad in Ramchandrapur Union under Kaharol Thana of Dinajpur district, about 20 km to the north-west of the district town. The mosque, built on about 1.15 bighas of land, has been renovated by the Department of Archaeology, Bangladesh. A madrasa has recently been built in front of the mosque. 

An inscription on the central doorway records the date of its construction as 2 Jyaistha, 1200 BS (1793 AD) in the reign of Emperor SHAH ALAM II. According to local traditions, the mosque was built by Muslim architectural workers who had come to this place from the west to build Kantanagar Temple sometime in mid-18th century. They had settled in Nayabad, a village near the temple, and had built the mosque for their own use. 

It is an oblong three-domed mosque with octagonal towers at the four corners and measures 12.45m ´ 5.5m externally. The walls are 1.10m thick. Of the three arched entrances the central one is bigger than the flanking ones. These are equal in height and width. The central arch is 1.95m high and 1.15m wide. There is an arched window each on the south and north sides. Multi-cusped arches have been used in the doorways and windows. There are three mihrabs inside in the western wall in line with the three entrances. The central mihrab (2,30m high and 1.08m wide) is bigger than the flanking ones which are of equal size. Three hemispherical domes cover the mosque, of which the central one is bigger than the side ones. Pendentives have been used in their phase of transition. The parapet and cornice are straight. 

Of the four corner towers in the four outer corners of the mosque two (northeastern and northwestern) still possess the cupolas on their top. The top of the other two is now bare. The corner towers are plastered and gradually tapering; each had a lantern-like chhatri on the top crowned with a cupola. Four bands at regular intervals decorate the surface of each tower. 

The terracotta plaques used in the decoration of the mosque have become loose and most of them have been damaged. At present there are about 104 terracotta plaques (rectangular in shape, 0.40m ´ 0.30m) used in the surface decoration of the mosque walls. Though damaged some of them show floral and creeper motifs. It is noteworthy that one contains a depiction of a pair of peacocks.

Potato Field in Ghughudanga, Dinajpur

Ghughudanga Zamindar, literally Ghughudanga Royal Family, was a zamindari (aristocrat) in present day Dinajpur, which was ruled by the dynasty of four generations of Zamindar from the late 17th century till the mid-20th century. A democratic government took power after the end of the British Monarchy’s rule in India. In 1950, the East Pakistan government abolished aristocracies and the zamindari system in present day Bangladesh. Ghughu-danga Zamindar Palace was the official residential palace and seat of the Ghughu-danga Zamindar Family. It is situated on the banks of the Punarbhaba River and six mile away from Dinajpur sadar at Auliapur Union in Dinajpur.

Before 1947, the property of Ghughudanga jamindar was situated in eleven thana in Dinajpur including Dinajpur Sadar Upazila, Gangarampur, Kushmandi (community development block), Raiganj, Kaliaganj, Itahar (community development block), Pirganj Upazila, Thakurgaon District, Biral Upazila, Bochaganj Upazila and Malda district (Raio-Muchia). 

In the Ghughudanga jamindar area, there are 41 topshil offices and 80 Borkondaj and Payadas maintain the whole property. 

1. Golden Chair (made of gold) - Ghughudanga jamindar family donation in the National Museum Bangladesh. 
2. Artificial Cat fish (made of gold) 
3. Umbralla (made of silver) 

Hat pakha(made of silver) Artificial cat fish, umbralla, Hat pakha and many rare valuable things gone missing during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971. 

 

It was constructed in the style of Indo-Saracenic Revival architecture.

 

Dinajpur Medical College, Bangladesh

Dinajpur Medical College (DjMC) is a government medical college in Bangladesh, established in 1992. It is located in the Dinajpur district of the Rangpur division and associated with Rajshahi University. 

It offers five-year medical education course leading to MBBS. One-year internship after graduation is compulsory for all graduates. The degree is recognised by the Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council. 

 

Dinajpur Medical College admits 150 students into the MBBS degree programme yearly under the government medical admission test. The admission test is conducted centrally by Director of Medical Education under DGHS (nearly 95,000 applicants sat for the medical college entrance examination in Bangladesh). For foreign students, admission is through the Embassy of Bangladesh in respective countries. 

16 batches have passed from this medical college successfully. 

In the year 1978-79 Bangladesh government planned to establish medical colleges at Bogra, Comilla, Dinajpur, Faridpur, Kustia, Khulna, Noakhali and Pabna with a view to improve the healthcare services in the country. Keeping this view in mind in the year 1980-81 medical colleges were started functioning at Comilla, Khulna, Pabna and IPGMR (Dhaka). Subsequently the programme was abandoned and the students were shifted to the established existing eight medical colleges. In the 1991-92 the government felt the need for more medical colleges for medical education facilities and releases the burden imposed on the existing medical colleges. Accordingly the government committed to establish five medical colleges at Dinajpur, Bogra, Khulna, Faridpur and Comilla with annual intakes of 50 students at each. 

On 16 August 1992 Dinajpur Medical Colleges started functioning at Dinajpur main town occupying a hostel of general government college and a rented private building named Hamana Bhaban. It was shifted to new building proper at Ananada Sagor area near Dinajpur main town on 1 July 2000. Dinajpur Sadar hospital was used as temporary medical college hospital. Medical college was started functioning in building proper in college campus on 7 March 2010. Now Dinajpur Medical College and Hospital is have excellent campus with annual intake of approximately 150 students. 

It is located at Anando sagar in the Dinajpur district of the Rangpur division and associated with Rajshahi University. The college is recognized by World Health Organization. Graduates are eligible for United States Medical Licensing Examination and Dinajpur Medical College is listed in IMED.

Dinajpur Medical College is affiliated under Rajshahi University. The students receive MBBS degree from Rajshahi University after completion of their fifth year and passing the final Professional MBBS examination. The Professional examinations are held under the university and results are given thereby. Internal examinations are also taken on regular interval namely Card completions, term end and regular assessments. 

It has a 500-bed hospital. There are 17 operation theatres in the hospital: 12 are general, two emergency, one labour and two daily. The hospital has introduced new departments, including cancer, urology and radiotherapy. The hospital building has an underground parking facility. It has the ability to accommodate over 1,000 patients. The government has decided to open a 20-bed burn unit. PGT trainings are also given in the hospital.This Medical college is affiliated by Bangladesh College of Physicians and Surgeon for undertaking any post graduate training. many facilities like academics, research and residency are available here. The graduates of this college already earned considerable praise in medical sector of Bangladesh and abroad. a good number of ex-graduates completed their Post graduation degree in different field.Present director is Dr Shamsul Alam. 

There is a well-developed nursing college near the hospital. The nursing college building is four stories tall. It provides training for young nurses. There are also two hostels for nurses near the institute.

Dinajpur Medical College has a medical ultrasound center for nuclear medicine. It is one of the oldest three ultrasound centers of Bangladesh. Dr. B.K Bose is the head of the medical ultrasound center. It is beside the old hospital. 

HSTU in Dinajpur, Bangladesh

Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University is a government-financed public university of Bangladesh. This is the largest university of the North Bengal at Rangpur division. 

Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University was established as an Agricultural Extension Training Institute (AETI) to award a three-year diploma in agriculture. The AETI was later upgraded to Hajee Mohammad Danesh Agricultural College in 1988 having an affiliation from the Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh. Then the college was upgraded to the status of a university renaming it as Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University on 11 September 1999. 

Hajee Mohammad Danesh (1900-1986) was a peasant leader and politician. He was born in Sultanpur village in Dinajpur district. Having obtained his M.A. in History from Aligarh Muslim University in 1931 and B.L. degree in 1932. In the 1930s, Danesh became active in the communist organisations of Bengal, especially the Bengal provincial organisation of the Communist Party of India. He was arrested twice in 1938 by the government of Bengal for his participation in the Tebhaga movement, an agitation in northern Bengal against zamindars landlords for landless peasants and share-croppers who sought a greater share of the yield, most of which was surrendered to the zamindars. Danesh was one of the few Muslim communist leaders of the struggle, and worked to mobilise the Muslim peasantry in favor of the movement. In 1945, he joined the All India Muslim League, but was later expelled for his participation in the continuing Tebagha movement, and re-arrested by the Bengal government in 1946.After the partition of India and Bengal in 1947, Danesh remained in his home district of Dinajpur, which fell in Muslim-majority East Bengal, which became part of the newly-created Muslim state of Pakistan. He died in Dhaka on 28 June 1986. 

The university Library holds a collection of more than 30,000 volumes, including bound volumes of periodicals. It subscribes to over 50 foreign journals. A complete automation of the system is in the process. The Confined Section of the library contains rare books. 

The medical centre offers free medical service to students, teachers, staff and family members of the teachers and staff. The centre provides service round-the-clock, seven-days-a-week, with four doctors with ambulance facility. The centre has 10 bed accommodation so that patients suffering from contagious diseases may be cared for in isolation.

Kaliya Jue Temple in Dinajpur

Kaliya jue Temple (Bangla: কালিয়া জীউ মন্দির) dedicated to the Hindu God Krishna is located in the town of Dinajpur, Bangladesh. The temple is situated to the west side of the Dinajpur Rajbari.

Kantajew Temple in Dinajpur, Bangladesh

Kantojiu Temple (Bengali: কান্তজীউ মন্দির) at Kantanagar, is a late-medieval Hindu temple in Dinajpur, Bangladesh. Built by Maharaja Pran Nath, its construction started in 1702 CE and ended in 1752 CE, during the reign of his son Maharaja Ramnath. It boasts one of the greatest examples on Terracotta architecture in Bangladesh and once had nine spires, but all were destroyed in an earthquake that took place in 1897. 

The temple was built in a navaratna (nine-spired) style before the destruction caused by the earthquake of 1897.

Dinajpur Rajbari in Dinajpur, Bangladesh

Tales of history relate that Dinajpur derived its name from Raja Dinaj or Dinaraj, founder of the Dinajpur Rajbari. But others say that after usurping the Ilyas Shahi rule, the famous Raja Ganesh of the early 15th century was the real founder of this house for a brief period. At the end of the 17th century Srimanta Dutta Chaudhury became the zamindar of Dinajpur and after him, his sister's son Sukhdeva Ghosh inherited the property as Srimanta's son had a premature death. Sukhdeva's son Prannath Ray became famous and powerful and began the construction of the famous Kantanagar Nava-Ratna Temple, now known as the Kantajir Mandir, one of the most precious heritage structures. 

 It is difficult to conceive what the main palace block looked like when it was young and bold. Wild leaves and veins have wrapped the building like octopus tendrils while the skeleton and naked brick structures give a horrid look as the ageing plaster is almost worn out of the walls. In different parts of the building, structural girders are exposed while there is no roof above. Still from his historical study and the remaining ruins, Dr Nazimuddin Ahmed gave a vivid description of the structures in one of his publications published in 1986. 

"The imposing facade of the two-storey palace, facing east has a broad frontage of about 150 feet. The central part carrying a 10 feet wide verandah above is projected prominently. The front projection has a series of elegant Ionic columns in pairs with round shafts on the upper floor. 

"The parapet is plain except for a curved plaque-wall in the centre, bearing in relief, two elephants standing face to face and holding a crown. Above and below it are some indistinct English letters. On either side of the balcony a broad spiral masonry staircase leads up to the upper storey. The roof of the 15 feet wide balcony collapsed. 

"Immediately behind the balcony a large hall (50"X20") originally flagged with white marble stone and flanked by two 10" wide verandahs on the east and west is roofed over with massive iron girders. The lofty 25 feet high roof is in a highly disintegrating condition. On its north there is another smaller (30"X 20") hall and on the south a broad corridor leads to the inner quadrangle of residential quarters.

"If the bricks could paint or write the tales of the Rajbari and its inhabitants, what a book could have been written! But with the silent walls, the palace has now grown old and inexpressive. It has faced not only the cruelty of time but also the ravages of nature like the 1897 earthquake that had left it badly damaged. Although the palace was largely rebuilt by Maharaja Sir Girijanath Ray Bahadur, time has not spared it from its claws. It is up to us now whether we would at least let the ruins remain and let our future generations see them and let their imagination flow back to the past and touch our heritage.

Ramsagar in Dinajpur, Bangladesh

Ramsagar (Bengali: রামসাগর), located in the village Tejpur in Dinajpur District, is the largest man made lake in Bangladesh. It is situated about 8 kilometers south of the Dinajpur town. 

The lake is about 1,079 meters wide from North to South, and 192.6 meters long from East to West. It was created in the mid-1750s, funded by Raja Ram Nath, after whom the lake is named. The excavation cost 30,000 taka at that time, and about 1.5 million labourers took part in the project.

Shita Coat Bihar in Dinajpur, Bangladesh

Shita Coat Bihar is a Buddhist temple situated at Nawabganj Upazilla of Dinajpur district in Bangladesh. It is imagined that it was built in 7th or 8th century with 41 rooms where the main temple was in the South.

Shopnopuri Artificial Amusement Park in Dinajpur, Bangladesh

Shopnopuri artificial amusement park is an artificial sport for tourist situated in Dinajpur district of Rangpur division in Bangladesh. It is one of the most attractive artificial tourist places in North Bengal of Bangladesh. Shopnopuri is located at Aftabganj, Nababganj subdistrict of Dinajpur district. Shopnopuri is a theme park and its total area is 920 acre. You will need to buy ticket to enter the park. At the gate, two statue of angels are waiting to welcome you.