Memories of the Past
Babu Ahmed and his wife Nazli Chowdhury have together made the Traditional Photo Gallery, an archive and research centre in which the history of the architecture of Bangladesh is recorded. Ahmed works with historical monuments – temples, mosques, forts, and beautiful buildings. “The mandirs are found in every district of Bangladesh. You find them in Barisal, Dinajpur, Khulna, Rangpur, Shatkhira, Bagerhat, Faridpur, and Shariatpur. One can say that in Chittagong there is no temple worth recording. Meanwhile in Dhaka there are no terracotta temples that I can record with my camera.
“ My book 'Tera cotta 'Mandirs' of Bangladesh' , which I did through a fund of the Unesco and was done in 2012 and 2013 in order to help with the preservation of these fine buildings spoilt by natural and manmade disasters. I complain about the catastrophes and greed of brick hunters. The government should be made aware of these monuments. They can be renovated and preserved for the generations to come. Some temples are recorded in the epics of Mahabharata and Ramayana."
Speaking about his experiences while covering the historical places of beauty and grandeur, Babu Ahmed says that while India has a strong preservation policy, Bangladesh does not share the same love for architecture. He says that we do not have enough government funds for the necessary care restoration and preservation, as he thinks that he is creating public awareness and making the new generation aware of the richness of their cultural heritage. He is hoping to continue with this selfless work.
Ahmed says that he has visited almost all the important heritage sites in India. He has been to Delhi, Taj Mahal, Kutub Minar, Pandua, and Gaur, the last capital of Bengal. He has studied the Muslim architecture there and also in Murshidabad, which was a part of Bengal.
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What are the unusual things that he has seen in the historical places in India? Babu says that the way the authorities do the conservation of monuments, if Bangladesh could do it with the same zeal and knowledge, and if we had strict rules, there is a possibility that our historical places would have been preserved well. He says that since his childhood he was interested in these historical places as they were man-made and yet objects of admiration. The people who thought of them and had them constructed must have been unique in their thoughts and lavish in their expenditure in making these monuments.
The ideas of the originators of the monuments were nonpareil, and amazing by any standard, he says.
One must realise, says Ahmed, that there are many beautiful buildings in Bangladesh too, such as the Lalbaagh Fort , Satmasjid, Khan Jahan Ali Mazaaaar, Bagher Masjid, Katajit Temple in Dinajpur, Choto Sonar Masjid in Chapainawabganj near Rajshahi, and Kusumba Masjid in Noogao. There are two world heritage sights, he says. One is the Shat Gombuj Masjid in Bagerhat, built in 1416 by Khan Jahan Ali, who came from Persia to spread Islam, and who was also a good administrator. He built five mosques in all. The other monuments of renown are the Buddhist temples in Paharpur, Naogah. They belong to the 7th century Pal rulers. There used to be not only worship in these places but were centres of knowledge. Education spread from here, and many people came to glean knowledge from this place.
Talking about the Kantiajir Temple, Ahmed says that there are 17,000 terra-cotta plaques in it. It cracked and toppled in the earthquake of 1897, but it still exists with its three floors. The epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata are there in the terra-cotta plaques. It has greatly influenced our artists of Dhaka Art College and the Dhaka Art Centre. Terracotta artists who came from India resided in Bengal, and the rulers got them to do their work.
The archive and research centre, says Ahmed, is one of its kind in the Subcontinent, and its aim is to conserve the heritage by taking photographs. Proper documentation with adequate ground plans and details is meant for the next generation.
The beautiful monuments in New Delhi are done by Muslim rulers. The chala style temples were adapted by the Moghuls, he says. The Moghul Muslims, who came from Afghanistan, are responsible for the unique creations in Lahore and New Delhi. He has been to many parts of India but has not had the opportunity to study the ancient art and architecture of Harappa and Mohenjo-daro, which he would very much like to. Meanwhile, his main aim is to capture the beauty of Bengal, and establish the fact, home and abroad, that Bangladesh has a unique culture.
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