This time we went to Munshiganj on our tour. Although there is a lot to see in Munshiganj, we saw a few places in our one-day tour. ♣ ️ Patterns of an advanced urban civilization lost in Nateshwar.

** First we go to see the Nateshwar archeological excavated Buddhist temples and stupas. Archaeological excavations at Nateshwar village in Sonarang Tongibari union of Tongibari Upazila in 2013 and 2014 uncovered parts of the temple and stupa architecture.

Discovered – Extraordinary Buddhist temples, three octagonal stupas, the largest pyramid-shaped stupa in Bangladesh, the central temple, the road thousands of years ago, the canal, etc.

Teachers and students of the Department of Archeology at Jahangirnagar and Comilla Universities carried out the excavation work with the funding of the Ministry of Culture at the initiative of Munshiganj’s Agrasar Bikrampur Foundation. ️ Bikrampur Buddhist Monastery, Raghurampur

** We went around Nateshwar to see Bikrampur Buddhist Monastery located in Raghurampur. Bikrampur Vihara is an ancient Buddhist monastery located in Raghurampur village in the Munshiganj district of Bangladesh.

It is one of the 30 notable monasteries built during the reign of Maharaja Dharmapala. Dharmapala was the second emperor of the Pala Empire. Historically, the monastery is associated with Atisha Dipankar, an important figure in the history of Tibetan Buddhism. During Atish Dipankar’s lifetime, the region was the center of Buddhist education, and about 8,000 scholars and professors from as far away as China, Tibet, Nepal, and Thailand came to teach.

On March 23, 2013, after a long four-year archaeological search conducted by the Agrasar Bikrampur Foundation, the Agrasar Bikrampur Foundation and the Department of Archeology of Jahangirnagar University jointly announced the discovery of the specimen. The Ministry of Culture of the Government of Bangladesh provided funds for this archeological excavation.

**Muktarpur Bridge**

We toured the Buddhist monastery at Raghurampur on the Muktarpur Bridge, to visit it and to spend some time. Sixth Bangladesh-China Friendship Bridge It is an important bridge for Munshiganj district.

It is also known as the 6th Muktarpur Bridge. Built over the Dhaleshwari river at Muktarpur, about four km from the district headquarters of Munshiganj, the bridge is an important milestone in the communication system of Dhaka, Narayanganj, and Munshiganj.

**Idrakpur Fort**

Munshiganj is a Mughal architecture located in the city. Mir Jumla, the subaddar and general of Bengal, built this fort in 160 AD at a place called Idrakpur in the present Munshiganj district headquarters. The fort is slightly smaller in size than the Hajiganj and Sonakanda forts in Narayanganj. The fort was built to protect the entire area, including Dhaka and Narayanganj, from the then Mughal pirates and Portuguese invasions.

There is a rumor that this fort was connected with Dhaka’s Lalbagh fort by a tunnel. There is a circular enclosure at every corner of this high walled fort.

There are numerous quadrangular holes in the wall for firing at the enemy from inside the fort. The only arched door is located on the north side. In the middle of the east wall of the main wall is a round raised platform. Almost every fort had this system to monitor the movement of the enemy from a distance.

An additional wall surrounding this stage joins the main wall. It was built to strengthen the fort’s defenses. Ichhamati, Dhaleshwari, Meghna, and Shitalaksha rivers are located within three kilometers of the fort. The Idrakpur fort was declared a protected monument in 1909 as a unique masterpiece of Mughal architecture.

** ️ Atish Dipankar’s homestead :

Atisha Dipankar Srigyan is a renowned scholar who was a Buddhist monk and preacher during the Pala Empire. He was born in 972 AD in the village of Vajrayogini in Bikrampur Parganas. It now belongs to the Munshiganj district of Bangladesh. The Bastuvita of his birthplace is still referred to by the locals as the ‘Pandit’s Vita’.

♣ ️ We visited many places in our Munshiganj trip. Although there are many more places to visit in Munshiganj, we did not see everything in one day and left something to see later. After seeing these, we came to Mawa Ghat. Enjoying the beauty of this place for a while, we finish our lunch by frying hilsha from the hotel on the bank of the ghat, even though it is already afternoon.

**If you want to come to Munshiganj, you can come directly to Munshiganj Sadar by bus from Gulistan of Dhaka. Then you can see all the places with auto. Indrakpur Fort is located in Munshiganj Sadar, so it is better to see it first.

 Note:

Wherever you go, make sure that the environment is not ruined. Remove the dirt to the designated place. And these places attract a lot of foreign tourists, so everyone will be aware to protect the environment here.