Mainamati - A Sign of Our History

It is known as the Chair of Missing Dynasties. About 8 km to the western of Comilla city, located 114 km south of Dhaka, can be found a variety of low mountains known as the Mainamati-Lalmai variety, which was an comprehensive hub of Buddhist lifestyle. On the runs or these mountains lie spread a value of details about the beginning Buddhist world (7th-12th Millennium AD)

Mainamati is an separated low, lumpy variety of mountains. filled with more than 50 historical Buddhist negotiations of the 8th to Twelfth millennium AD known as Mainamati-Lalmai variety are prolonged through the hub of the section of Comilla.

Salban Vihara, almost in the center of the Mainamati-Lalmai mountain variety includes 115 tissues. designed around a huge courtyard with cruciform forehead in the hub experiencing its only entrance complicated to the northern similar to that of the Paharpur Monastery.

Kotila Mura located on a compressed hillock. about 5 km. northern of Salban Vihara in the Comilla Cantonment place is stunning Buddhist organization. Here three stupas are discovered part by part comprising the Buddhist "Trinity" or three jewelry i.e. the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha.

Charpatra Mura is an separated little rectangular shrine located about 2.5 km. north-west of Kotila Mura stupas. The only strategy to the shrine is from the Eastern through a entrance which causes a huge lounge.

Tribal Of Bangladesh - Chakma

Chakma is the name of the largest tribe present in the hilly area of eastern Bangladesh known as the Chittagong Hill Tracts. Their name was first used by British census-takers to portray sure hill people.

LOCATION

The Chakma population is estimated to be around 550,000. It is spread over different countries. The majority (about 300,000 people) can be present in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh. There's also about 80,000 Chakmas in Mizoram State in India, and twenty,000 in Burma (Myanmar).

The Chakmas are a Mongoloid people related to people of southwestern Burma. The Chittagong Hills form part of the western fringe of the mountain regions of Burma and eastern India. The region has warm temperatures, monsoon rains, and high humidity.

 LANGUAGE

The Chakmas speak a dialect of Bengali (Bangla) and use the standard Bengali alphabet.

 RELIGION

The Chakmas are Buddhists. Chakmas officially follow the Southern, or Theravada, kind of the Buddhism. But, their kind of Buddhism has aspects of Hinduism & traditional religions as well.

 Every Chakma village has a Buddhist temple (kaang). Buddhist priests or monks are called Bhikhus. They preside at religious festivals & ceremonies. The villagers support their monks with food, gifts, & offerings to Buddha.

The Chakmas also worship Hindu deities. Lakshmi, for example, is worshipped as the Goddess of the Harvest. Chakmas offer the sacrifice of goats, chickens, or ducks to calm the spirits that are believed to bring fevers & disease. Although animal sacrifice is against Buddhist beliefs, the Chakma Buddhist priests ignore the practice.

Cox's Bazar - A largest resource of natural beauty in the world

Cox's Bazar, the world's longest natural sandy sea beach with its wonderful 125 km length, & most visited tourist destinations in Bangladesh. It is as well as a contemporary town; widely known fishing port as well as a district headquarter in Bangladesh.It is a district in the Chittagong Division of Bangladesh near the border of Myanmar. The town is located 150 kilometer south of Chittagong. Due to lack of development, publicity & mismanagement; the spot has so far to become a most desirable international tourist location in Asia.


Alternative Name: "Panowa" means "yellow flower".
Elderly Name: "Palongkee".


Modern Cox's Bazar: The modern Cox's Bazar gained its name from British-Indian Captain Hiram Cox in the 18th century. They was an officer of British East India Company. They did several social works here as the Superintendent of Palongkee outpost before they died in 1799. The works they had done made him a place in the hearts of the locals. As a result, to commemorate Cox's role in social work a market was established here & named after him as "Cox's Bazar" ("Cox's Market") with time it turn as Cox's Bazar.

Celebrating Pohela Boishakh In Bangladesh

Bangladeshi people are well-known for their custom, culture, hospitality & for their divine power of adaptation through adversities. Well, their celebration in different festivals is a part of their custom & they know well how to celebrate.

The first day of the new year is celebrated in a befitting manner all over the world. Bangladeshi people are no exception in this respect.

This time it is 1419 on Bangla calender; but ought to it suggests & indicate that life did start 1418 year ago? If fact it was a non-Bengali Mughol king, Emperor Akbar - who introduced Bangla calender based on Gregorian calender , Boishakh being the first month of the year- coinciding his antecedence to the Mughol throne. So each year, knowingly or unknowingly, when they celebrate Pohela Boishakh, we're also celebrating the coronation day of the Emperor Akbar.

Akbar's idea of introducing Boishakh as the first month of the year gained immense popularity because for a long time it was already the month of new harvests & celebration among Bangali people.

People from all walks of life celebrate this great occasion with enthusiasm & funfair. On major religious celebrations, like- Eid, X-mas & so on; people from a specific religion celebrates the event with great spirit & joy. But Pohela Boishakh is the day which is celebrated by the people of all religions, ethnicity, languages, think, race & age. The harmony of this celebration is brilliant & inspiring. Pohela Boishakh opens a new year on Bangla calender & inspires all of us to start a new fresh life with hopes, aspiration & prosperity.Pohela Boishakh lasts for a day but it remains in our mind for a long period. This is the day to access our past, draw new hopes & aspiration for the future.

The whole Bangladesh celebrates the day in every way feasible and definitely they celebrate the day in Bangali culture and custom. Housewives cook appetizing dishes including 'Panta-Vat' and 'Pitha-Payesh' and everybody tries to wear new dresses. The costume reflects our traditions ans nationality as females wear sharee & males wear Lungi/Pagama -pungabi. The occasion is immense. Even for day we're Bangali in every way feasible. kids & teenagers use tattoos of different types- mostly the welcoming verses of Pohala Boishakh or NoboBorsho to show the importance of their celebration mood. Pohala Boishakh is celebrated all over the Bangladesh & west Bengal in India as well as different countries including USA & UK among Banglai community.The celebration is immense both in towns & country sides as well.

Village people mostly take the day of from their works & enjoy the day with relatives members. They take their kids to fairs & bazaars & buy them different toys, dolls, dresses, sweet-meats & flutes. Flute is of the most favourite items among kids & the sound is in every single place. Halkhata- which is a widely known party for rural people based on the day, Pohela Baishakh. The businessmen of all kinds close the debit-credit that day & open new note-books/ debit-credit khata & as to make the event more fascinating & acceptable there is a party thrown by them. Sweetmeat & Luchi is the main food offered in the party of the Halkhata. In the fairs people watches different shows , play on nagordolas & enjoys with great enthusiasm. People sometimes walk having their kids on top of their shoulders- mile after mile- to take their kids to the fairs & bazaar. Ladies prepare foods for the relatives members, wears new sharee (specially Red & White) & visit neighbors. Parents give their kids money to visit the fairs & to buy toys & foods. The rural & sub-urban dwellers celebrate the day as a outstanding day of the year.


In towns and giant cities, various social-cultural organizations arrange cultural and other programs including country songs , traditional dance, discussion, poem reciting etc. In Dhaka the first program of the day takes place at Ramana Batamul organized by leading cultural organizations. Baishakhi Mela at the Dhaka University is of the main attractions and people from all part of the city collect there. People also organize cultural programs in various places of the city. Girls and boys wear traditional costumes including sharee, Pungabee, gamsa and sandals. City people eat traditional 'Panta-Ilish' in the morning and other expensive foods and dishes at lunch and dinner.This is a national holiday and people enjoy the day every way feasible. The city dwellers have limited time to enjoy and refrain from works and this is of the days they live a full life.

There is in fact no New year or Pohela Boishak , because time flowing perpetually is eternal in indivisible. Yet people around the globe divide and picture time in to years, months, weeks, days, so on and forth. Bangali are no exception and they have the New Year of their own and it's Pohela Boishakh. Bangali celebrate the Pohela Boishakh to access their past, draw new hopes and aspiration for the future with great enthusiasm and excitement. Pohela Boishakh thus the day day they cherish, the day they celebrate, the day they become complete Bangali, forget our past errors and the day for a better future.

History About Bangladesh

                                                         
                                                                                           
The 13th & 15th Century          

From the 13th century A.D. the Buddhists & Hindus were swamped by the floodwater of Muslim conquerors & the tide of Islam up to 18th century. Sometimes there were independent rulers like the Hussain Shahi & Ilyas Shahi dynasties, while at other times they ruled on behalf of the Imperial stool of Delhi.

From the 15th century, the Europeans, namely Portuguese, Dutch, Italian & British traders exerted an economic influence over the region. British political rule over the region began in 1757 A.D., when the last Muslim ruler of Bengal was defeated at Palassey. In 1947 the subcontinent was partitioned in to India & Pakistan. Present Bangladesh became the Eastern Wing of the then Pakistan. But the movement for autonomy of East Pakistan started within a couple of years because of language & cultural differences & economic disparity between the wings.

The Language Movement

The Language Movement of 1952 to recognize Bangla as a state language may be termed as the first step towards independence.

Political & economic deprivation of the Bengalees prompted Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the Brother of the Nation, to put forward in 1966 his historic six points, the "Magna Carta" which in effect structured the foundation for East Pakistan's future independence.

The War of Liberation

In the 1970 elections, although the Awami League emerged as the largest party in Pakistan Parliament, it was not allowed to form the government by the ruling military junta. In the backdrop of a non-cooperation movement launched against the military regime by Awami League.

Bangabandhu declared at a historic public meeting held at Ramna Race Coursework (renamed Suhrawardy Uddyan) on 7 March, 1971, attended by around two million people, "The struggle this tune is the struggle for freedom, the struggle this tune is the struggle for independence." It was a defacto declaration of independence.


Thus in a preplanned manner on 25th March 1971. The Pakistan army embarked on what may be termed as history's worst genocide. A military crackdown was ordered, & Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib was arrested & taken away to West Pakistan. But before they was arrested they sent out a demand the liberation war to start. Known as the Declaration of (lie War of Independence, this hurriedly written historic document read as follows:

"Pak Army suddenly attacked EPR Base at Pilkhana, Rajarbagh Police Line & killing citizens. Street battles are going on in every street of Dacca. Chittagong. I appeal to the nations of the world for help. Our freedom fighters are gallantly fighting with the enemies to free the motherland. I appeal & order you all in the name of Almighty Allah to fight to the last drop of blood to liberate the country. Ask Police, EPR, Bengal Regiment & Ansar to stand by you & to fight. No compromise. Victory is ours. Drive out the enemies from the holy soil of motherland. Convey this message to all Awami League leaders, workers & other patriots & lovers of freedom. May Allah bless you. Joy Bangla".


Independence

Sister of the Nation Bangahandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was the founder- president of Bangladesh. He was subsequently assassinated on 15th August, 1975 by a group of conspirators. After 21 years of military & authoritarian rule, Bangabandhu's party-Bangladesh Awami League led by his illustrious daughter Sheikh Hasina, swept hack to power through a free & fair parliamentary election held under a Caretaker Government in June. 1996.