Panam Nagar: The Ancient City and Cultural Carrier of Bengal

The once-thriving city of Panam Nagar(also called Panam city), also known as the "Lost City" is now only a part of history. There is no crowd or noise here; it's like someone has taken away all that was needed for life in an isolated ruin from hundreds of years ago! One can still feel the ancient history of this lost city. The crumbling walls, sculptures on black stones, and signs that were once grammar for prosperity in a land; all are present within these ruins which bear witness to its glorious past when it was Sonargaon’s capital.

  The ruined city of Panam Nagar, which was declared one of the 100 most ruinous historical places in 2006 by the World Monument Fund.

     

History of Panam Nagar

The ruins of a lost city that is still standing, Panam City was once an ancient town in Bangladesh.

The history of this city goes back many centuries and the archaeological remains are located at Sonargaon, Narayanganj in Bangladesh.

 Among the three cities of that time period:

   1)Boro-Nagar (Big city),

   2)Khasnager, and

    3)Panam Nagar; it was reported that Panam Nagar near Dhaka had a lot more attractions than either one. The area which covers roughly 20 square kilometers or 7.7 sq miles consists mostly of old buildings built centuries ago connected to give you an idea about our history as Bengalis.

  Sonargaon was the capital of Bengal during Mughal rule. Isa Khan, a Baro Bhuiyan leader established his first kingdom here in 1490 AD and by the 15th century nearly 450 years ago this small town became one of the wealthiest cities. The city was primarily constructed for high-ranking royal personnel and silk merchants.

  In the year 1611, during the reign of Mughal Emperor Jahangir, it was designated as a Pargana town and one of the three fort towns in Bengal.

  In 1765 Nawab Alibardi Khan declared this city as "Sonargaon" which meant “golden village” because, it was where foreign cloth, such as shawls from Arabia, were imported. They were carried out via rivers named "Meghna" that entered through east or west ports and exited with muslin exports manufactured at Kanjia during Mughal rule between the 16th and 18th centuries.

Architectural features of Panam Nagar

Panam Nagar is known for its buildings. The city's historic center, which includes a number of important monuments from the Sultanate, Mughal, and British Colonial periods, is still largely intact.

  There are many different styles, shapes, and sizes in this historic district that range from two-storied colonial-era homes to single-story mud houses with tiled roofs; all displaying their own unique architectural features which can be seen through ingenious interior designs like intricately carved doors or walls lined full of depiction art pieces inspired by local culture. One might immediately notice how carefully crafted these structures have been over time as one walks along Panama streets on either side - 31 North towards Clock tower square while 21 South leads you up narrow passageways beneath Persian-style balconies before emerging onto busy Market Street.

Panam Nagar

 Bridges were built to connect Sonargaon with other places, including Panam Pool, Dulalpur Pool, and numerous others. However, they have all been lost through the passage of time.

 Along with the residential buildings, there are a mosque, temple (with unique architecture), church, and abbey. There is also an old museum where one can find a 400-year-old  abbey house named “Neelkuthi” from different periods like Isa Khan’s son Musa Khan's Promod Bhaban (built by East India Company) or Hazrat Shah Ibrahim Danish Monda shrine which was constructed in the 17th century.

 In Panam Nagar, we can see several Mughal monuments named: Sonakanda River Fort, the Panch Pir Mazar Shrine, and Ibrahim's and Abdul Hamid's Mosque. Furthermore, the British colonial architecture  Ananda Mohan Piddar House, as well as other street-front residences, are preserved in Sonargaon. 

Sonargaon Folk and Art Museum

The Folk Art and Crafts Foundation Museum of Artist Zainul Abedin is located a half kilometer from Panam Nagar in Sonargaon.

Sonargaon Museum

The museum is a beautiful structure with intricate craftsmanship and design. There's an outdoor tank in front of it, which can be seen from three sides. The 11 galleries inside Sonargaon Museum show how rare traditions have been passed. Here, the galleries are-Nipun Wood Carving Gallery, Mask Gallery, Boat Model Gallery, Tribal Gallery, Folk Instrument and Burnt Clay Emblem Gallery, Copper, Brass and Bronze Utensil Gallery, Folk Ornament Gallery, Bamboo, Rattan, and Mat Shil Gallery and Special Exhibition Gallery.

The history, architecture, and heritage of Panam Nagar are documented in a docudrama named 'Subarnagram' 2010.

Location of Panam Nagar

Near Mograpara point of Narayanganj district, 2.5 kilometers north of Dhaka-Chittagong Highway lies the amazing Panam City; it's only 27 km away from our bustling capital city Dhaka!

 Notice: The historical structures are deteriorating with time, and no efforts have been made to preserve the site.