A History of Bangladesh in 25 Objects
from the collections of the Varendra Research Museum
Founded in 1910 by members of the Varendra Research Society, the Varendra Research Museum in Rajshahi Division, Bangladesh, represents one of the earliest private purpose-built museums in South Asia. Marking the transition from private collection to public amenity, its selfless patrons initiated the systematic exploration, preservation and display of the region’s archaeological, anthropological and cultural heritage - now forming a one-of-a-kind collection of over 17,500 objects, including sculptures, coins and manuscripts.
Not only significant and beautiful objects in their own right, these artefacts also offer stories of archaeological sites, ancient monuments, historic events and notable people as well as shedding light on the daily lives of ordinary communities from the past, as well as on our own contemporary society.
Activities during the capacity strengthening programme at the Varendra Research Museum (Durham UNESCO Chair).
Activities during the capacity strengthening programme at the Varendra Research Museum (Durham UNESCO Chair).
A courtyard within the Varendra Research Museum.
A courtyard within the Varendra Research Museum.
The 25 objects presented here were selected by participants in a capacity strengthening programme at the Varendra Research Museum. Representing the depth and variety of its holdings, as well as the collecting history of the Varendra Research Society and Museum, the stories that individual objects recount may also be drawn together to trace a history of Bangladesh from prehistory through to the present.
Chosen here to reflect ‘a history’ of the region that has become the modern nation-state of Bangladesh, we are only too aware that we are presenting only one of many of the narratives that could be told and that the 25 objects curated here represent fragments of the larger ongoing story of ingenuity, innovation and humanity.
Explore the Objects...
The Varendra Research Museum.
The Varendra Research Museum.
This co-curated exhibition narrates a history of Bangladesh through the selection of 25 exceptional objects to illustrate the breadth and depth of the Varendra Research Museum’s rich collections.
Stretching in date from over 100,000 years old to the 1940s, most of the objects within the collections were discovered in Bangladesh but many tell stories that have significance across South Asia as a whole.
The Varendra Research Museum is home to a number of objects from beyond the Bengal Basin. These include Buddhist friezes found in the ancient kingdom of Gandhara. Known as the Crossroads of Asia, Gandhara straddled the Hindu Kush and witnessed the fusion between eastern and western powers. The South Indian bronze of Shiva highlights the reign of the Cholas, whose 11th Century CE power stretched across the Indian Ocean to Southeast Asia.
The museum also holds Bangladesh’s only collection of material from the Indus Valley Civilisation, which was contemporary with ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. It introduces us to South Asia’s earliest cities and communities, which developed along the Indus River and in western India between 2600 BCE and 1900 BCE.
Bronze sculpture of Shiva as Nataraj, the divine cosmic dancer (VRM1627), produced in South India during the reign of the Chola Empire (9th – 13th century CE).
Bronze sculpture of Shiva as Nataraj, the divine cosmic dancer (VRM1627), produced in South India during the reign of the Chola Empire (9th – 13th century CE).
Indus Valley seals (VRM2013, VRM2011, VRM2024 and VRM2016).
Indus Valley seals (VRM2013, VRM2011, VRM2024 and VRM2016).
We warmly invite you to visit the Varendra Research Museum to see the objects from this exhibition and explore the rest of our collections - there are many more wonderful stories waiting for you to discover and tell.
This exhibition was co-curated by the Varendra Research Museum, Durham University’s UNESCO Chair on Archaeological Ethics and Practice in Cultural Heritage and the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh. It was developed through a capacity strengthening programme at the Varendra Research Museum, which was kindly sponsored by the British Council’s Cultural Protection Fund, in partnership with the UK Government’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport. The Cultural Protection Fund supports projects that protect cultural heritage at risk.
The programme of activities was developed by Professor Robin Coningham, Professor Shahnaj Husne Jahan, Professor Emily Williams, Dr Mark Manuel, Dr Christopher Davis and Dr Kai Weise, with support from Mr Ross Wilkinson, Dr Kamal Badreshany and Ms Davina Thompson. The delivery of this programme and development of this exhibition would not have been possible without the input, dedication, professionalism and enthusiasm of all the staff at the Varendra Research Museum, and the commitment and wisdom of Professor Kazi Md Mostafizur Rahman, Director of the Varendra Research Museum and Mr Aslam Reza, Deputy Librarian of the Varendra Research Museum. We thank the Oriental Museum, Durham University, for permission to reproduce images from Durham University’s Sir John Marshall Photographic Collection within this exhibition.
We also record our sincere gratitude to the President of the Varendra Research Museum, Professor Saleh Hasan Naqib, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Rajshahi and his colleagues; the British Council Bangladesh, particularly Mr Stephen Forbes, Mr David Knox and Ms Sadia Rahman; and the Cultural Protection Fund team of Mr Daniel Head, Ms Susan Winter and Mr Daniel Heath, for their collective and unwavering support and guidance.
Finally, we are thankful to the Varendra Research Museum, University of Rajshahi and Durham University for their institutional support and look forward to continued collaboration.
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