Ancient Bengal’s Varendra region, which roughly corresponds to the present-day Rajshahi division, has an interesting and illuminating history.
For tourists who enjoy learning about history, museums are fascinating. Considering this, I recommend stopping at the Varendra Museum in Rajshahi.
Sarat Kumar Roy attended Kolkata University and was a part of the renowned “Dighapatia Zamindar Bari” of Natore. He loved to travel, and at one time in his life, he went to Egypt and Europe. His excursions piqued his curiosity about the history and customs of his native country to numerous historic locations.
In 1910, he founded “The Varendra Research Society.” Officially known as the “Varendra Research Museum,” it is a research facility and a well-liked tourist destination managed by Rajshahi University. Of course, it helps that Rajshahi College is nearby. It is located in the very center of Rajshahi.
The Zamindars of Rajshahi and Natore first helped with the collection because this was the first Museum in what was once East Bengal. The excavation of Sompur, in Bihar, along with Calcutta University, was one of the society’s early notable achievements.
The Museum opens at 10 AM and closes at 4:30 PM during the winter and 5 PM during the summer. The Museum maintains a vibrant and lovely front garden outside the main entrance. You must first pay a nominal entrance fee at the counter as you pass the deep yard to access the Museum. Thursdays, Fridays, and university holidays remain closed days. It will help if you abode by the site’s regulations because cameras and other forms of photography are not permitted there.
The Museum has an extensive and varied collection, with some of the most notable items coming from the Indus Valley civilization, numerous Muslim Sultanates of Bengal, and the Buddhist and Hindu dynasties, which had their origins in the Pundra and Varendra districts.
One of the Museum’s most prominent and valuable collections is a terracotta idol of the Hindu god Vishnu and other old sculptures that would have otherwise been lost. The Museum also has a good collection of antiquated writings in the old Bangla, Prakrit, and Sanskrit languages.
Since the ninth century, black basalt has been used to create artifacts and sculptures. Sculptures are presented chronologically from the 9th to the 12th century, while some are from earlier eras. Here, adjacent to one another, are shown sculptures of Shiva, Vishnu, and Suryadev from various periods. In addition, visitors can compare the relics since they are placed side by side.
This relic is rather a curious one. It is a big stone object with the mihrab of a mosque on one side and representations of Hindu gods on the other. Given the ritualistic nature of the thing and the two very different religions it is affiliated with, one could wonder about the histories behind the creation of such an artifact.
These artifacts’ intricateness, visualization, finishing, and inventiveness and how those attributes altered over time indicate the glaring age differences. For instance, compared to objects from the 9th century, those from the 12th century are unmistakably more detailed and expertly completed. Interestingly, however, the gods’ appearance had hardly, if at all, changed. The idols remained the same, which begs several questions for the curious and will undoubtedly pique your interest in learning more about the history of this region before you and I existed.
Unfortunately, the Museum has a lot of restrictions, and owing to space restrictions; they cannot exhibit the full collection here. Instead, the Museum will launch an audiovisual gallery as part of its digitalization effort. Many people should be able to see the artifacts gallery, it’s anticipated.
The Museum is located in the heart of Rajshahi. The Museum should be at the top of every history buff’s list of things to do while there. So, if you’re in Rajshahi city, think about spending an interesting leisure time at Varendra Museum.
We will host a casual Local Guides Meetup on the 8th of December 2022 at this museum square. You can follow the event link and can join the event from 3 to 6 in the afternoon.