Department of Archaeology (Bangladesh)

Department of Archaeology is one of the government agency of Bangladesh. By the Laws of Archaeology 1964 (amended in 1976) this agency maintains the conservation and preservation of archaeological sites in the country. Since 2013 the department has been running its activities from the Administration Building situated in Agargaon in Dhaka.

History

The organization first founded in 1861 with the name Archaeological Survey of India. After the liberation of Bangladesh its office was established in Dhaka.^[1] In 1983 regional offices were established in the then 4 divisions including Dhaka as the headquarter by divisional rearrangement.

Agency Functions

Department of Archaeology (Bangladesh) compiles and also conserves the list of archaeological sites and artifacts of Bangladesh. Currently (June 2016) there are 452 archaeological sites under the conservation of this department. Some of the mentionable among them are- Mahasthangarh, Mainamati, Somapura Mahavihara, Shita Coat Bihar, Nawabganj, Kantajew Temple, Choto Sona Mosque, Sixty Dome Mosque, Vasu Vihara, Barobazar, Lalbagh Fort. Among these, Somapura Mahavihara and Sixty Dome Mosque have been recognized as World Heritage Sites. ^[2] Also there are 17 Archaeology museums under the administration of this department. The department works on to recover history by discovering ancient cultural elements from remote areas scattered within the country, and to repair and preserve the discovered monuments and exhibit them. ^[2]

Museums

Currently there are 17 museums administrated by Department of Archaeology (Bangladesh).^[3]

References