Archaeological team visits Moulvibazar, collects antiquities
A five-member team of the archaeology department has visited the land of long-lost heritage located in Kalimabad area of Moulvibazar's Kulaura upazila -- once known as Chandrapur -- which now lies beneath the ground.
The delegation began inspecting the historic copperplate area yesterday afternoon and found evidence of many antiquities installed there.
On the first day of the three-day visit, the team comprising of Sylhet and Chattogram divisions formed under the direction of Ministry of Cultural Affairs found many antiquities of copperplate pattern.
During the two-hour visit from 5:00pm, the team led by Regional Director of the Department of Archaeology Dr Md Ataur Rahman collected pieces of bricks, stones and pots as evidence in Rajar Tila area under Bhatera union.
Mahmud Ali Chowdhury Tariq, a teacher of Bhatera School and College, said the search for antiquities and field surveys at the historic copperplate area has created a lot of interest among locals.
He said that everyone thinks there are many historical monuments of ancient kings in this area and it is possible to find thousand-year-old ruins if excavated and searched.
The hill was preserved during the British period and still stands as a historical monument. There are historical relics of ancient kings in the area and at present there is a possibility of destruction of antiquities due to the cutting of a few hills there, Rahman said.
They will excavate the copperplate area in the next dry season, he added.
A preliminary field survey is scheduled to be conducted on the location of Chandrapur in Srihatta (present day Sylhet division) at some historical places in Sagarnal and Rajnagar upazilas today, according to the Department of Archaeology.
It is known that in ancient times, kings used to engrave royal proclamations, edicts, etc on copper plates. Bhatera copperplate is an important material in history. Between 1912 and 1925, six copper plates were discovered at Nidhanpur in Beanibazar upazila of Sylhet.
These were carved in the seventh century. In 1872, two copper plates were found at Bhatera at Sat Rajar Tila. Historians consider these to be from the eleventh to twelfth centuries.
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