My visit to a place of historical interest composition: Man has an inborn curiosity to see the unseen, to know the unknown and to explore the unexplored. Being a human being, I am not an exception to this. I also have a keen interest to experience the inexperienced. Whenever and wherever I get such a chance, I never hesitate to grab that. During the last winter vacation, I had such an opportunity. It was an offer to visit Bagerhat, a well known historical place in Bangladesh. I agreed happily and gathered a unique experience.
Khan Jahan Ali’s Mazar: Bagerhat is mainly famous for the mazar of Khan Jahan Ali. Khan Jahan Ali was a great Muslim saint. His mazar stands on a raised ground. The tomb is made of cut out stones. None of the locality can say accurately where from these stones were bought. But we came to learn from a popular saying that Khan Jahan Ali himself brought these stones from Chittagong by floating on water. On the tomb, there are writing in Arabic that he died on 25 October,1459. There is a beautiful mosque near the mazar. Local people informed us that every year, on the night
of the full moon of the month of Chaitra a big fair is held beside the mazar. Many people from different parts of the country visit the fair. Fakirs and other Sufi-Like people spend the whole night singing mystic songs.
Khan Jahan Ali’s tank: There is a big tank in front of the mazar of Khan Jahan Ali. There are some crocodiles in the tank. People believe that their desire will be fulfilled if they appease these crocodiles. So, many people offer them hens, cocks, goats etc. They come near when the Fakirs call them and swallow the offering. We stayed there for about two hours. Then we started for the Shat gambuj Mosque. This is about two miles away from the mazar.
The Shatgambuj Mosque: The Shat gambuj Mosque is a very large and beautiful building. It has sixty pillars and seventy seven gambuj or domes and not shat or sixty gambuj as the name suggests. It has been declared a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO. We were marveled to observe the architectural design and grandeur of the Mosque.
The Ghora Dighi: We also observed a large lake-like tank near the Mosque. It is named Ghora Dighi. There is a saying that before digging it, a horse was made to run a race. it ran straight and covering a certain distance, stood still. That distance was accepted as the length of the Dighi. The Dighi charmed us all. We also visited the nearby areas. We also came to learn a lot about the social works of Khan Jahan Ali.
Conclusion: We spent about six hours experiencing the historical sites and relics of Bangerhat. This is, indeed, a very short span of time. But the experience left an everlasting trail in my mind. I will always treasure this experience.
