Since it was discovered that an ancient Buddhist town remained hidden beneath its soil, the village of Nateshwar in Munshiganj has become a centre of attention for curious tourists and researchers alike.
The significance of the site became more prominent when a team of Bangladeshi and Chinese archaeologists announced that the ancient town could have been home to Atish Dipankar – a widely revered Buddhist scholar who is believed to be from Vajrayogini in the historic region of Bikrampur that is the present-day Munshiganj.
After the discovery of the town was made public on February 16, hundreds have so far thronged to the site to see the ongoing excavation efforts, and check out the remnants of the town that is estimated to be a thousand years old.
During a recent visit to the archaeological site, the Dhaka Tribune found that people from the nearby regions were travelling there to marvel at the relics from another era.
“I heard that there are some ancient remains that were discovered by teachers and students. Now it is good to see this,” said Anwar Ali, who along with his wife and children was visiting the site in Tongibari upazila from the nearby Muktarpur area.
“It feels good that the next generation will learn seeing and reading from these remnants,” said Naresh Chandra Das, a local retired school teacher.
Shohel, a vendor selling Fuchka beside the site, told the Dhaka Tribune that business has been booming since the announcement of the discovery was made.
“Many people are visiting the site every day in increasing numbers,” said Shohel, adding that he has shifted his business to the afternoon time to reach the most number of tourists.
A billboard was also seen erected beside the excavation site, describing a brief history of the ancient town and the biography of Atish Dipankar.
Earlier in February 2010, the Agrasar Bikrampur Foundation, a non-government research organisation, launched an archaeological excavation in the area with some financial support from the Ministry of Cultural Affairs.
Apart from numerous independent researchers, students and teachers from the archaeology departments of the Jahangirnagar and Comilla Universities took part in the excavation from time to time.
Sufi Mostafizur Rahaman, archaeology professor at Jahangirnagar University, said their team had found primary connections between Atish Dipankar and the newly discovered town.
Describing the findings at the site, he said: “We found two concrete roads that shows proof of the advancement of the engineering and architectural capability of the ancient civilisation.”
