User:Aditya Kabir/Sandbox 3

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1 Bhitargarh Fort
2 Dariyaon Fort
3 Panchagarh District
4 References
5 Links
- 5.1 Indices
- 5.2 Grameen Bank links

[edit] Bhitargarh Fort

Date	Landfall point	Wind speed (KPH)	Storm surge (meter)	Casualties
Cyclone landfall at Sitakunda Upazila
29 May 1963	Sitakunda	200	2.4 - 3.7	11,520
12 November 1970	Sitakunda	222	3.0 – 3.1	3,00,000
29 April 1991	Kumira	225	3.6 – 6.1	1,38,000
Source: CSPS (Main Report: Part-A; table 2.2)^[1]

Bhitargarh Fort formed a part of the chain of early medieval mud-forts erected mostly by the Muslim rulers at different times to defend their territory against the incursion of their northern Hindu neighbours. The territory east of the Karatoya River was for sometime a part of the Ahom kingdom. In the15th century this area was included in the Tibeto-Barman Khen dynasty's territory and served as a sort of buffer state between Assam and the Muslim Kingdom of Bengal.

A survey conducted by Rakhaldas Bandyopadhyay in 1924 on the trans-Karatoya region, revealed a large number of these frontier strongholds in the district of Rangpur, Dinajpur, Jalpaiguri and the neighbouring state of Kochbihar. In these areas there are a number of places known as duars meaning doorways or fords, which a labyrinth of broad and fast flowing hill-streams intersect.

The remains of a chain of such medieval forts still survive precariously in greater Rangpur and Dinajpur districts along the Karatoya River represented by a series o low earthen mounds. Included among these are the picturesque ruins of dariyaon fort near Kantaduar in Rangpur; Bhitargarh and Ghoraghat forts in Dinajpur; Batason Fort between Karatoya and Tista; Dharmapalagarh and Mainamatirgarh near Domar and Nilphamari; Baro-Paikergarh near Belwa in Dinajpur and Gosaimari fort on the Dharla river in southern part of the Kochbihar State.

Among these the most extensive and spectacular remains are the complicated defense system at Bhitargarh, located on the dried course of the Talma river, an offshoot of the Karatoya placed astride frontier strategic duar between Jalpaiguri and the northern tip of Bangladesh. Bhitargarh fort is now in Panchagarh district.

Before the partition of India in 1947 this area was included in the Jalpaiguri district and still earlier it formed a part of the kamarupa kingdom. It is likely that the significant name of Panchagarh meaning 'five forts' might have originated from the existence of five-forts in the area. Perhaps these forts are: Bhitargarh, Bodheshwargarh, Mirgarh, Hossaingarh and the fifth unspecified one probably was engulfed by the erosion of the Karatoya.

Although, in its present greatly reduced condition it is difficult to ascertain the full extent of the outer works of Bhitargarh fort, it seems to have originally embraced an area of about twelve square miles with seven earthen ramparts to the south and three regular circumvolutions to the north, one inside the other, and enclosed within moats. Its northern rampart, about 15 feet broad, is enclosed by about 50 feet wide fosse along the Bangladesh-India border. Now only one rampart on the west overlooks the Talma rivulet, which originally might have served as a natural defence and also as a source of water for the different moats. The innermost enclosure is about four miles long from north to south and about two miles across. It is entirely surrounded by a moat and a rampart and at places by two ramparts. The middle enclosure is about half a mile long with a large tank inside on the northeastern corner with traces of eight landing ghats regularly disposed on its high banks on four sides. Scattered ruins of old brick masonry are traceable inside this innermost enclosure.

One large brick mound near it is reported to be the vestige of a ruined palace, while two other smaller mounds on the bank of a smaller tank are pointed out to be sites of temples. Although the area is dotted with isolated brick mounds it is devoid of any substantial brick structure, perhaps because, most of the dwellings inside were of temporary nature. [Nazimuddin Ahmed]

Bibliography Abul Kalam Md Zakaria, Bangladesher Pratnasampad, Dhaka, 1980; Nazimuddin Ahmed, Discover the Monuments of Bangladesh, Dhaka, 1984.

Bhitargarh Fort

[edit] Dariyaon Fort

Dariyaon Fort a mud-fort of Nilambar, the Khen king of kamarupa to secure his southern frontier against possible Muslim attack. After the Muslim conquest of north Bengal in the early 13th century, the frontier of the Muslim kingdom in the north gradually extended as far as the karatoya which then was a considerably larger stream. Beyond that lay the Hindu kingdoms of northeast Bengal and Assam. To arrest Muslim penetration deeper into the northeastern territories, the Ahom and Khen kings of Kamarupa built a chain of bulwarks and mud forts along the trans-Karatoya basin. Derelict remains of some of these can still be traced in Rangpur, Dinajpur, Jalpaiguri districts and adjacent Kuch Bihar state. They include Dariyaon fort near Kantaduar, Devipur, Batason in Rangpur, Mainamatirgarh and Dharmapalagarh near Domar, Baro-Paikergarh near Belwa in Dinajpur, bhitargarh in Panchagarh, Ghoraghat Fort in Dinajpur, etc.

Some of these very interesting but apparently unclassified early medieval mud forts, often hurriedly erected at different times, bear witness to the war between Nilambar, the third Khen King of Kamarupa and shah ismail ghazi, the saint-general of Sultan barbak shah.

On an abandoned course of the Karatoya, a heavily fortified fortress, locally known as Dariyaon, still survives, half buried in rank vegetation near Kantaduar village, though now considerably reduced by the land hungry local farmers. It appears to have been originally defended by three distinct rings of ramparts with a massive brick core. Local people testify to the earlier existence of seven successive ramparts, alternating with seven deep fosses. A number of projecting screen-walls, set at right angles from the concentric circumvolutions of the regular ramparts, resemble modern barbicans or watchtowers. The whole complex occupies about 600 acres of land.

An oblong high ground within the ring of fortification walls is dotted with a scatter of mounds covering ruins of some old buildings, one of which is popularly known as the Rajbadi or 'the king's palace'. The ramparts are interrupted at irregular intervals by some breaches, indicating gateways and openings for the flow of water from different moats. The inner moat still retains water and splays out to the south, where it forms a fosse under the embankment surrounding an island strip.

A causeway, located at a little distance from the inner rampart towards the southwest corner possibly was originally intended to control the movement of inmates. Close to it, overlooking the wide expanse of water, is a small mound, believed to be an old dargah or grave of some unknown holy saint. Beyond that, farther south there is an old pond with a flight of steps leading down to the water level, locally known as Rajar ghat (king's landing place). To the west of it is another decrepit structure, known as Ranir ghat (Queen's landing place).

Though a 'protected' monument, continuous neglect has virtually reduced it to a jumble of amorphous mounds covered by rank vegetation. [Nazimuddin Ahmed]

Dariyaon Fort

[edit] Panchagarh District

Archaeological heritage The existence of fifteen garhs (fortifications) has hitherto been traced of which the most noted are Bhitar Garh, Hosain Garh, Mir Garh, Rajan Garh and Deven Garh. Panchagarh is named after these five garhs. Archaeological relics include Nayani Burz (bastion), remains of Atwari zamindar-bari and that of katchari-bari of Raniganj Devottvar Estate and the temple therein, Mirzapur Shahi Mosque, Tomb of Bara Awliya, tomb of Arif Shah, Maharaja Dighi (pond) at Bhitargarh, Maidan Dighi, Mughali killah (fort) at Chandan-bari, Vadeswari temple and Boda temple. [Md. Sherozzaman]

Panchagarh District