Meeras-e-Bangalah: How heritage tourism can rescue history
There has been comparatively little archeological exploration in Bangladesh due to ‘cultural poverty’ and lack of awareness. Meet the organisation that’s working, through guided tours and trips, to educate the people on conservation, history and more
Visiting places and ancient buildings, while walking through the alleys of history, that's what heritage tourism is all about. One would be lying if s/he said this particular type of tourism is very popular in Bangladesh, but a few history-loving groups are trying to do exactly that: providing the expertise to help domestic and foreign tourists explore the heritage of the land we now call Bangladesh.
TBS recently sat down with one of these organisations, curiously named Meeras-e-Bangalah, which translates to Heritage of Bangladesh in English.
The organisation started as 'Heritage Walk Dhaka,' which operated day tours of heritage edifices of the city, but later expanded its operations out of the city and was renamed as Meeras-e-Bangalah.
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The curiosity won. Why a Persian name? We asked.
"I have a profound interest in the Sultanate period. You'll notice that I speak a lot about the Sultanate-period buildings and townships of Bangladesh. I find it interesting for a number of reasons," said Aal Maruf Russell, one of the founders of the organisation.
"It was a period of religious and architectural melting: Sufism arrived here during this time, and also the advent of Vaishnavism happened during the reign of Alauddin Hussein Shah. This period also left a strong architectural legacy.
Foreigners came, who adopted local styles of the building to merge into their own and created a distinct style. You'll see bell and chain motifs in buildings of this era, which is originally a Buddhist legacy. In Bagha Mosque in Rajshahi, you'll find mango terracotta, a sign of localisation. It is interesting how, in this era, Satya Baba became Satya Peer, Bon Debi became Bon Bibi, etc," explained Russell.
The journey of Meeras-e-Bangalah began in 2018. The 'heritage walks' used to take place in different parts of the city: from Shakhari Bazar to Beauty Boarding, and from Dhanmondi to Dhaka University area.
Before the pandemic, the group used to arrange tours of the heritage buildings listed by the Archaeology Department, such as Ruplal House, Shangkhanidhi house, etc, without facing any barriers.
But during the two-year time, local people, mainly those using those buildings, became aggressive towards the tourists, Russell said. They were once harassed by some locals and driven away from the area. From then on, the organisation stopped visiting these structures with foreign tourists for security reasons.
Besides, many heritage buildings in the city have been demolished. But the picture is not all gloomy. "There have been efforts to preserve privately owned heritage buildings, such as Emran's Heritage Home, which has been opened to the public. There are four or five such buildings where tourists can be taken to, and it's a good initiative," said Russell.
Dhaka South City Corporation's initiative to preserve some heritage sites is also praiseworthy, Russel added. Old Dhaka's Lalkuthi or Northbrook Hall has been freed from encroachment, and a restoration initiative has been taken by the corporation. The hammam of Lalbagh Fort has also been restored.
The Buckland Bund will regain at least some of its original look, and three to four heritage houses will be visible from the Buriganga river thanks to the efforts of the corporation, Russel hoped.
"These are good initiatives but the pace is slow," he said.
The heritage and history of Dhaka are older than what has been popularly known, Russel said.
"Dhaka is not 400 years old, it's a thousand-year-old city. Only the age of it as capital maybe 400 years. In Rashid Khan-Ka-Bagicha, imitations of Gupta coins from the seventh century were found.
Rashid Khan-ka-Bagicha is now turned into Shimanto Square, previously Rifles Square. Also, the discovery of gold coins indicates that Dhaka was a commercial hub. And Savar area was a cultural hub during the Gupta-Pal reign," Russell gave a short history lesson.
"We try to focus on these areas of history through our tourism activity," he added.
Although heritage tourism is not very old in Bangladesh, the organisation does not claim to be the first in this line. "When we started, Dhaka became suitable for heritage walks, thanks to the works of the likes of Taimur Islam, CEO of Urban Study Group, and Sumon Roy, the founder and Chief Innovation Leader of Lost Panorama.
Later, we and Dhakafication came," said the Meeras-e-Bangalah co-founder.
The core team of the organisation has Jannatun Nayeem Oishi, an architect who triggered the thought of the initiative. During a tour, she explains the architectural facts of the heritage buildings while Russel describes the history and archaeological details. Also in the team is Rezwan Parag, an International Relations graduate who organises the tours.
At a point, Meeras-e-Bangalah started operating outside Dhaka, and Khan Jahan Ali Trail became a regular destination.
It is called a trail because Khan Jahan Ali, a historical character still shrouded in mystery, first reached Barobazar in Jhenidah from Gour (also spelt Gauḍa, a historic city of Bengal). His township expanded to Khalifatabad, which is now called Bagerhat. Meeras shows the tourists this whole trail.
The Archaeology Department, although not properly, has preserved some of the early remains of this trail, Russell said. For example, the earlier version of Shat Gambuj Mosque (Sixty Dome Mosque), a 35-Dome Mosque, is still there in Jhenidah, a must-visit place for the group.
Meeras used to take tourists by the Rocket steamers (British-era steamers which operated till last year), which itself was a heritage and tourist attraction. Now, of course, with the closure of the steamer route, tourists have to go there by bus.
The group also operates in North Bengal, especially in Chapainawabganj, a district rich in heritage.
Although Meeras-e-Bangalah is so far operating in Dhaka, Bagerhat and Chapainawabganj, numerous heritage structures are spread across the country.
"Sylhet region is one place where you'd got lost amidst the heritages," exclaimed Russel, adding, "In the middle age, Sylhet was divided into a number of smaller kingdoms. There are many historic sites in the area. For example, behind the MC College, you can see the tunnel reportedly used by Raja Gour Govinda," Russell said.
Many historical gems are awaiting exploration in the whole country.
There are 517 government-listed heritage structures across the country, preserved by the Department of Archaeology. Rajshahi Division has the most of them, a total of 148. There are 106 such structures in the Dhaka division, 89 in Khulna, 61 in Chattogram, 56 in Rangpur, 22 in Barisal, 18 in Mymensingh, and 17 in the Sylhet division. The list is, of course, incomplete.
There has been comparatively little exploration in Bangladesh, due to 'cultural poverty' and lack of awareness.
"If we were history-aware, we wouldn't use the brick of Mahasthangarh to build our homes, our local representative wouldn't take away a thousand-year-old door to use in his house, or Raja Sitaram Ray's bed wouldn't end up in a Deputy Commissioner's bungalow!" said Russell.
Another barrier to the preservation of heritage sites is red-tapism and budget. Archaeology is utterly neglected when it comes to budget allocation, he opined.
The goal
"I studied archaeology, and I studied in a public university. Since the public funded my studies, I am indebted to them. I feel the urge to let our younger generation know about our history. If this generation is unaware of what we have, these heritage buildings will not last long. Already we've seen parts of Boro Katara being demolished," Russell said.
Meeras-e-Bangalah's goal is to educate people of all levels - from the grassroots to the tourists, on the history and heritage of the country.
The best way to do it is to arrange tours of the places and let the tourists know their history. Although Meeras shares the myths with them, the group puts more emphasis on the facts. It is important to differentiate between the two, the history enthusiast said.
Being true to history is a full-time job for Russell.
Before a trip, Russel checks the journals for new research findings and looks for new publications from the Department of Archeology. He also shares books on the sites they visit with the tourists.
Of course, the preservation of heritage sites wouldn't be possible without the engagement of local communities, Russell said. If the local communities earned money from the tourist activities surrounding the heritage sites, they would feel encouraged to preserve those.
"Community-based tourism is common in Nepal and India. We never learned from these examples. In Paharpur, a local postmaster started a small initiative for the food and accommodation of the tourists, which is very encouraging. But instead of following these footsteps, the authorities have chosen to build Parjatan Motels," said Russell.
"Most heritage tourers are backpackers; they prefer homestays where they can taste the culture of local people. We have used the local arrangement in Paharpur with foreign tourists. It is very attractive even for foreigners," he added.
The entrepreneur thinks dormitories and youth hostels are needed for the expansion of heritage tourism, along with security.
"We try to keep the trips cheap so students can afford them. Most of our domestic clients are actually students," Russell informed. Meeras organises tours for groups not exceeding 10 members. A two-day trip with Meeras-e-Bangalah in Chapainawabganj or Bagerhat costs around Tk8,000 per person. Day trips to other destinations cost less. In Dhaka, it's Tk1,000 per head.
The big threat
Encroachment, lack of preservation measures, and theft of artefacts pose a big threat to the conservation of heritage sites.
"The Department of Archaeology and Parjatan Corporation are to some extent responsible for the current situation in Old Dhaka: they never tried to incorporate local people with the conservation efforts," Russell said.
On the other hand, terracotta from Bangladesh's heritage sites is sold on the Internet, and there is an active smuggling chain doing its thing. Laws penalising theft of artefacts are really backdated, with the provision of a fine of a few hundred takas.
"The age-old laws (such as the Antiquities Act, 1968) have the provision of handing out a few hundred taka fines for theft of relics. Once it was a hefty fine, but nowadays it's nothing, particularly when the valuable relics sell at a high price," Russell said.
The archaeology enthusiast, also a published writer, is of the opinion that there should be stricter penalties for the theft of relics.
"Such crimes should be punishable with a minimum of 10 years imprisonment with the provision of hard labour. Otherwise protecting these heritages wouldn't be possible," Russel said.
A plan to upgrade the law has been on the table since 2015, and a draft has also been prepared with the provision of stricter punishments for such crimes a few years back.
The role of the private sector
Heritage tourism is not absent from our conventional tour operators' menu, but how it is done is not okay, Russel feels.
"The conventional tour guides only take tourists from one heritage site to another, they don't even know the story of the place. So we are offering a service to the operators: we will train the guides and brief them about the history of different heritage sites free of cost," he said.
Of course, the organisation wants to promote local guides more than traditional guides based in Dhaka. It can be an alternative livelihood for the local communities around heritage sites. Meeras-e-Bangla is already working with such potential guides and has planned a revenue-sharing model.
Russel thinks the involvement of the private sector in heritage conservancy could be very effective, and there is an example of that in front of us.
Boro Sardarbari, one of the most significant structures in Sonargaon of Narayanganj, has been restored with the funding of Youngone Group. Dr Abu Sayeed, president of the Institute of Architects, led the renovation.
Private corporations should come forward with more such initiatives under their CSR projects, Russel opined.
