An inscription discovered in 1964 at Sujangarh in Munshiganj, Bangladesh, has been identified as evidence of the oldest Islamic religious establishment in Bikrampur, dating back to the reign of King Bhojavarman of the Barman dynasty (circa 1137–1145 CE). The Sanskrit inscription, containing the term ‘Allabhattarakasvamijanaseetavihara,’ is preserved at the Bangladesh National Museum. Scholars interpret the word ‘Alla’ as a Sanskritized form of ‘Allah,’ suggesting the existence of a mosque-like institution, possibly with an attached madrasa, long before the Turkish conquest of Bengal in 1205 CE.
The inscription records a financial endowment authorized by King Bhojavarman in his seventh regnal year and mediated by a subordinate named Abhudeva, whose name reflects Arabic influence. Later analyses by scholars, including Ryozuke Furui of the University of Tokyo, have highlighted the inscription’s significance as evidence of early Muslim presence in Bengal through trade rather than conquest. It also reflects the cultural pluralism of the Barman rulers, who supported Hindu, Buddhist, and Islamic institutions.
This finding reinforces the historical narrative of religious coexistence and multicultural exchange in twelfth-century Bengal, illustrating how early Bengal society accommodated diverse faiths within its political and cultural framework.
রণবীর চক্রবর্তী প্রকাশ : ১২ মার্চ ২০২৬, ১৪: ২৭আপডেট : ১২ মার্চ ২০২৬, ১৪: ৩৮ আল্লাভট্টারকস্বামীজনসিতবিহার। এটি একটি একক শব্দ, একটি সংস্কৃত যৌগ। ‘আল্লা’ শব্দটি স্পষ্টতই ‘আল্লাহ’র সংস্কৃতীকরণ। ‘ভট্টারক’ এবং ‘স্বামী’ দুটি সংস্কৃত সম্মানসূচক শব্দ আল্লার স
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