Remains of 18th century indigo hut found at Ishwardi village
Workers while digging a pond at Nurullahpur village in Ishwardi upazila of the district on 22 December last year found the remains of an indigo warehouse dating from the British period.
“Remains of ancient structure including a brick wall, long tunnel, underground brick foundation and beams made of seasoned wood prove the existence of an 18th century indigo hut and the palace of a Zamindar,” Md. Badrul Alam, regional director of archaeology in the Bogra region told this correspondent.
Alam along with other archaeology experts visited the spot on 25 December and proposed the government to include the site in its register of properties of archaeological significance.
It is believed that the 70-foot-long tunnel might have served as a link between the indigo hut and palace, though this cannot be confirmed without further excavation of the site.
Nazrul Islam Babu of the village recently engaged the workers to dig the pond who first located the long tunnel at the site.
Upon its discovery, the site attracted hundreds of curious onlookers and the local administration stopped the digging of the pond.
In order to prevent damage, Ishwardi upazila nirbahi officer Md. Sanwar Hossain wrote for police guard at the site and restriction on public access there for the time being.
The 'Archaeological Survey Report of Greater Pabna' published by researcher Dr. Md. Khlequzzaman in 1997 states that British trader 'Cock Burn' commenced indigo farming in Nurullahpur village and established an indigo warehouse there during the 18th century, said Dr. Abdul Alim, researcher and chairman of the Bangla Department at Pabna University of Science and Technology.
At the indigo huts, British traders during the colonial rule used to torture the local farmers for refusing to cultivate indigo.
Quoting the book, Alim claimed revolutionary Boikunthunth Shannal damaged five indigo huts in the district, including the one at Nurullahpur, during the 1859 revolt against British indigo farming.
Chairman of Laxmikunda union Md. Anisul Haque Mollah said locals knew there was once an indigo hut in Nurullahpur but its exact location was unknown to them. He hoped that the remains would be preserved as part of the country's historical heritage.
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