The people of Kishoreganj are very proud of their rich cultural heritage as the district is enriched with many archaeological sites. It is also the birthplace of one of the first female Bangali poets, Chandrabati.
Chandrabati was born in the 16th century into a Brahman family in Patuair village of Maizkhapon union in Kishoreganj sadar. Her house, now a memorial, is located beside the Fuleshwari River. Chandrabati’s poems were translated into 21 languages of the world. She was very popular for gathas and odes.
The house of Chandrabati and the adjacent Shiv temple is a popular tourist spot where people from all over the country and abroad flock everyday. However, this heritage site now lies in a ruinous condition.
Residents of Kishoreganj have been demanding restoration and preservation of her house and the Shiv temple but all the Archaeology Department did was hang a notice board; meanwhile a lot of valuables of the temple have been stolen. There is not even an initiative to fix the approach road to her house which is in very poor condition, or make it wider.
Chandrabati’s memorial house has become a parasitic plant garden as there is no actual maintenance, the preservation work remains only on paper.
Shamima Akter Jahan, a primary school teacher and a social worker of Gaital area in the town, said: “It is necessary to restore the house of the poet and the temple immediately as their condition are worsening. Otherwise we will not be able to conserve our heritage. And a wide road to the house from Kishoreganj town is a must so that the visitors can move easily with their vehicles.”
Md Rejaul Habib, president of Kishoreganj Itihas Oitijjo Songrokkon Parishad, and Md Saidur Rahman Kanchan, president of Chandrabati Smrity Sahitta Sangha said they applied to the LGRD ministry for a wide carpeted road to the poet’s memorial house from the Nilganj area and to set up a museum for preserving memories of Chandrabati.
Rakhi Ray, regional director of Archaeology Department said: “We already sent a proposal to the concerned ministry to preserve the historical site of Chandrabati’s temple and house.
The government will take initiatives to preserve Chandrabati’s heritage and a stage will be set up very soon for organising cultural events, an application for which has been already submitted to the concerned ministry, said SM Alam, Deputy Commissioner of Kishoreganj.