The Role of Museums and Communities in Sustainable Heritage Site Management in Bangladesh: The Case Study of Mahasthangarh

Abstract

Mahasthangarh in Bogura district, Bangladesh, is a historic fortified city of fourth-century BCE, considered an important reference site for the ancient metropolis of South Asia. The Department of Archaeology (DoA) of the Government of Bangladesh is the only authority responsible for managing cultural heritage. However, sites are facing several threats and challenges and unfortunately, there is no effective management plan developed. Mahasthangarh as a case study, this research aims to demonstrate the roles and potentialities of site museums and local communities in forming sustainable heritage management by using qualitative and quantitative methods and SPSS software. In this study, 250 individual respondents were interviewed from various sectors with formatted questionnaires.

1. Introduction

Site museums and local communities play a vital role in achieving sustainable heritage management. It is true that museums are now vigorously working with both tangible and intangible heritage since their collaboration with communities and societies [1]. Recognition of the role of community engagement could make countless contributions to enhancing sustainable heritage safeguarding. The involvement of the community in archeological research and heritage safeguarding has been awareness to heritage managers [2].

Bangladesh is a tropical monsoon climate country of South Asia, and the majority of the heritage sites are located in rural area, where land is being used extensively by the poor local agrarian society. There are about 23 site museums, where the Department of Archaeology (DoA) of the Government of Bangladesh is the only authority and is responsible for preserving, protecting, interpreting, and managing the cultural heritage. After the first inclusion back in 1999, recently DoA updated the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List, where Mahasthangarh was inscribed under the title “Cultural Landscape of Mahasthan and Karatoya River” and included the criteria (i) and (vi) with the previous two criteria (ii) and (iii) [3]. It is a potential heritage site and one of the prominent ancient fortified cities of South Asia that helps to understand the cultural development of ancient civilizations of the Bengal Delta through the successive period. During the invasion of Alexander the Great in 325 BCE, the deltaic Bengal was identified as Gangaridai (the people of the Ganges region) to the Greek and Roman world by their own writers who referred to it as a mighty nation of the Indian subcontinent [4].

Like many other heritage sites of the country, Mahasthangarh faces various threats and challenges damaging and declining its outstanding universal value. This research is intended to demonstrate the role and potential of the site museum and community in sustainable safeguarding and managing the tangible and intangible heritage of Mahasthangarh as a case study. The present research has been carried out using qualitative methods, such as personal interviews, group discussions, fieldwork, observation, and assessment of related resources. Data have been gathered from both primary and secondary sources. We hope this research will foster critical discussion, develop and enhance the capacity of the Department of Archaeology (DoA), inspire further research, and advance sustainable heritage management at the national and international level. Mahasthangarh is one of the most potential heritage sites in Bangladesh to be inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

2. Mahasthangarh

Mahasthangarh (24°57′09′′N, 89°20′53′′E) is located in the Bogura district on the bank of the Karatoya River in the northwestern part of Bangladesh. The present name Mahasthangarh literally means “Maha means Great, sthan means Place, garh means fort” or Mahasnan means “a Great Bathing Place,” which first mentions in a Sanskrit text entitled “Vallalcharita” and “Karatoya Mahatmayam” of circa thirteenth century CE [5, 6]. Mahasthan was known in the pre-Muslim period as Pundranagara/Pundravardhana-Bhukti and in the Muslim period (thirteenth century), the name changed to Mahasthan/Mahasthangarh [7].

The heritage of Mahasthangarh consists of two distinct features: the fortified citadel and its vast suburbs/hinterlands. The present study area is a fortified citadel that occupies about 400 acres (163 hectares). DoA has acquired only 42 acres (13 hectares) and continues to acquire land from the local communities. The citadel is nearly oblong, surrounded by brick-built massive defensive rampart that is general elevation about 15 feet above the plain ground. The citadel is about 1.5 km (5000 feet) in length from north to south and 1.4 km (4000 feet) in breadth from west to east. It was highly protected on the east by the well-known Karatoya River and on the other three sides by the deep moat with marshland (Figures 1 and 2), which are still partially visible (see details-6). Recently, the eastern rampart and a portion of the northern rampart have been conservated by the South Asian Tourism Infrastructure Development Project (SATIDP) (Figures 2 and 3).

Figure 1.

Map shows the Mahasthangarh citadel (after modifying the Google Earth image) and site settings of its hinterlands.

Figure 2.

Ground plan of Mahasthangarh rampart and site setting shows the present condition of citadel through the different types of legend.

Figure 3.

Renovated rampart (northeastern) of Mahasthangarh citadel.

In the citadel, approximately 5000 people (3400 voters) are living among the 1050 families, all are of Muslims. Most of the people are farmers about 80%, vehicle drivers about 10%, and the rest do different jobs and business-related work. Archeological findings suggest that most of the area has been occupied since the beginning of the historical period (c. fourth century BCE) to the colonial period (eighteenth century CE). The Franco-Bangla joint venture team (from 1992 and onward) has unearthed 18 cultural sequence levels ranging from the last quarter of the fourth century BCE to eighteenth century CE in their proper stratigraphic contexts [8]. However, at present, the citadel is under cultivation and modern settlements. The Mahasthangarh is a key site for studies of the Bengal deltaic civilization, owing to its extensive archeological and literature evidence [see details in [7, 8]]. It bears unique and exceptional testimony to its city layout, charming landscape, and about 8 km radius hinterlands (Figures 1 and 2). The site has huge tourism potential; unfortunately, there is no sustainable and effective tourism plan and policy.

3. Threats and challenges

The present study discovers some key threats and challenges to implement a sustainable heritage management plan for Mahasthangarh. For ease of discussion, those are grouped as follows.

3.1 Socioeconomic issues

3.1.1 Over grown population

Mahasthangarh is located in a rural setting with a high demand for cultivable land as well as residential purposes. As a result, heritage sites are prone to enclosure and destruction by the local inhabitant. Since historical times, this place is a popular marketplace for the surrounding hinterland, and its prosperity growing at a rapid pace, which in turn creates a steady and high demand for land for commercial and other purposes of migrated people. At present, the south rampart is entirely covered with a present settlement. In the southwestern corner of Mahasthangarh citadel beside the Tamraduvar (copper gate), a new settlement and infrastructure demolished the potential rampart.

3.1.2 Illiteracy and ignorance

The present education system at various levels is inadequate to incorporate the students, the common people, and local inhabitants into the heritage safeguard and maintenance issues. The present research noted most of the local inhabitants and visitors, even teachers and students of school-college, do not know the site’s informative knowledge as well as the importance of site management (Figure 4). Moreover, a deficiency of well-coordinated heritage awareness programs and training should be planned and executed to overcome the deficit and could ensure sustainable heritage management among the stakeholders.

Figure 4.

The pie chart shows the result of the question “what do you about Mahasthangarh heritage sites?”

3.1.3 Poverty-related crime

Bangladesh as a whole still fights poverty and all its negative outcomes of it in society. It is challenging most of the time to enforce law and order in remote areas. Mahasthangarh is no exception and many times, starting from petty crimes to smuggling heritage items is also noticed. Primarily, the shortage of manpower in law enforcement agencies and DoA is a concern but to solve the issue and maintain the safeguard of the heritage site and artifacts, a community-wide patrolling and monitoring program could be a viable solution.

3.1.4 Encroachment and looting of ancient bricks

In Mahasthangarh, numerous architectural sites are buried and hidden under the surface and most of them are not yet identified and mapped by the DoA. As a result, the local inhabitant and brick hunters frequently commit illogical and unauthorized digs for ancient bricks and sell them. As a consequence, many potential heritage sites are destroyed and damaged beyond repair and sometimes lost forever, even before being noticed by the scholarly world. The Mazar area is encroached on by the local people for market and tourist vehicle parking. On the other hand, the south rampart is covered due to encroachment and the southwestern corner of the citadel is encroached by local inhabitants for habitation. Many cultural properties are being gradually squeezed due to encroachment (Figure 5).

Figure 5.

The bar chart shows the results of the question “what is your opinion regarding the reason behind damage of the heritage site by local communities?”

3.2 Heritage site acquisition and related management issues

3.2.1 Site ownership and control

Total Mahasthangarh fort city is a large area covering (1.5×1.4 km approx..) and most of the land is privately owned by local community and DoA acquired only a fraction (about 13 hectares) of citadel area, which has been explored and excavated by the DoA. In this instance, The Antiquities Act, 1968 (amended in 1976) should be mentioned, which hindered streamlining the acquisition processes of heritage sites and maintenance. This Antiquities act need to be revised regular basis.

3.2.2 Improper land use

As stated earlier, only a fraction of land is acquired and protected by DoA presently, there present a misunderstanding and disorganized land use, which resulted in the destruction and demolition of heritage in many occurrences. A short- and long-term land use plan should be prepared with ensuring the presence of all stakeholders could safeguard the heritage site in concern. It observes that, in many instances, DoA leased the acquired land adjacent to the heritage site inside the citadel for generating revenue, where farmers dig deep tube well, drainage, and use tractor regular basis for their farming purpose, which in turn damages the heritage landscapes.

3.2.3 Insufficient management

The insufficient capacity for a proper heritage management infrastructure of DoA resulted in poor and inadequate heritage management for the heritage site Mahasthangarh. The Global Heritage Fund has identified Mahasthangarh site as one of 12 global sites most “On the Verge” of irreparable loss and demolition, quoting insufficient management and looting as primary reasons [9]. The daily round-like excavation, conservation, preservation, and proper monitoring is insufficient and cannot be done regularly. Based on site requirement, there is lack of an insufficient number of management workmen and a deficiency of skillful and experienced manpower, particularly in the area of conservation and preservation management. Insufficient management policy reduces integrity, authenticity, and future potentiality as a tourism area.

3.2.4 Relationship among stakeholders

Every project has stakeholders who can influence or be influenced by the project in a positive or negative manner [10]. To ensure a sustainable heritage management plan, all stakeholders must be in sync and aim to achieve a common goal. Proper coordination between all the concerned stakeholders who are playing key roles is not well coordinated presently. Participation of all of them only could ensure the success of achieving the common goal. As a developing country, necessary finance and infrastructure could only be maintained by all the stakeholders combined.

3.3 Heritage awareness program and training issue

Due to various bureaucratic complicacy and flaws inherited in the administrative structure, the policymaking person or the body is not properly trained and skilled in the necessary steps that are necessary for sustainable heritage management. Besides, the execution of a feasible and viable short- and long-term sustainable master plan depends on so many other variables also that need to be considered. The insufficient training and various skills-enhancing programs could not ensure the proper use of the existing human resources. On the other hand, a multitiered heritage awareness program is not planned for various leveled education institutes and local inhabitants.

3.4 Conservation and preservation issues

Insufficient archeological and historic testimony causes improper restoration of the different potential ruins. Apart from this, deficiency of appropriate research, insufficient of efficient conservators, and untrained workmen cause improper restoration, which can reduce the integrity and authenticity of the structure. Mankali Kundu Mosque, Porshuram’s palace, and Rampart are the examples of improper restoration, where the modern brick used for restoration and conservation is not in a good condition.

3.5 Environmental issues

3.5.1 Poor drainage

Mahasthangarh is located on the high Barind track (Pleistocene land formation), which naturally has numerous natural drainage systems. But over time, due to the enormous modern urban expansion pressure/demand, the historical landscape has been changed with unplanned dwellings, canals, ponds, and various purposes. Long-standing waterlogging, high surface erosion, change in the microclimate, and untimed flooding are the few caused by the poor drainage, which deeply impacted the existing heritage sites. Currently, most of the archeological remains both excavated and unexcavated are buried at the citadel and ancient drainage is no longer in function that was originally interconnected to the river and surrounding moats.

3.5.1.1 Overgrowing vegetation

Microclimate of Mahasthangarh area changed and subsoil water level, moisture content in the air, and even the use of harmful fertilizers and pesticides resulted in the overgrown weed type, different types of grasses, shrubs, moss, undulating, and sycophants roots are common vegetation problems, which cause damage to ancient bricks and diminish the intensity of structure. Apart from these, extensive sun heat, high winds, and earthquakes are one of the major threats to brick-built structures.

4. Role of museum

Presently, as like all site museums of Bangladesh, the Mahasthangarh site museum is solely under the administration of DoA. Site museums play key activities in heritage site management together with keeping education, research, cultural tourism, and description of museum objects [11]. Museums can cooperate with the heritage site management team by helping to safeguard and conserve the archeological heritage sites and monuments in situ, and preserving the records of ex situ, as well as promoting the archeological heritage through their displays, exhibition, and other programs [1]. But the site museum of Mahasthangarh is not coping with all of the objectives mentioned above.

The collections of museums can motivate communities, groups, and individuals to manage and preserve their tangible and intangible cultural heritage. In the context of Mahasthangarh, site museums could play a valuable role in the protection and promotion of the cultural heritage of Mahasthangarh through education, national or regional functions, and raising awareness in the society about the value of cultural heritage and the importance of safeguarding for the sake of present and future generations. It can arrange exhibitions and educational activities, such as gallery walks, seminars symposium, training workshops, and conferences with the collaboration of various institutions, stakeholders as well as local communities on a regular basis. Museums can use intangible heritage to develop a better understanding of their visitors. For these museums, there is a need to identify, document, and represent the intangible aspects of their collections. Social communities can use museums as cultural platforms to educate and communicate with their ancestors, improve the museums as a source of knowledge and education as well as progress the practice of protection and preservation of cultural heritage. There is need to enhance the capability of Mahasthangarh site museum officials, particularly in the area of museum management and cultural heritage management both tangible and intangible, predominantly on the basis of UNESCO and ICOM manuals and publications. It is highly necessary for museums and the local community to come together to reduce conflicts or misunderstandings, to safeguard against various threats as well as promote and preserve cultural heritage.

Mahasthangarh archeological museum is one of the major visitor attractions. It often faces excessive pressure on visitors, which is necessary for adequate management of visitors within the museum and other sites. Therefore, controlling is a key to keeping people at a safe distance.

5. Role of community

Community engagement has become a significant approach to protection, management, preservation, and improving both tangible and intangible heritages. Most of the archeological landscape in Mahasthangarh area is owned by the host communities and they are continuously demolishing. Apart from these, many heritage sites are unprotected and some are under the possession of a public authority.

A local site custodian of DoA is conducting site maintenance and management policies. The local community has become an essential part of the site because most of the community is an agrarian society around the heritage sites. There are a large number of tangible heritage sites and numerous intangible heritages that are partially practiced in Mahasthangarh region [12]. So, it can be safely said that, without community engagement, effective heritage management is quite impossible for the local custodians (Figure 6).

Figure 6.

Tomb of Mir Sayyid Sultan Mahmud Mahisawar of Mahasthangarh, one of the earliest Sufi saints of Bengal.

The Burra Charter addressed that heritage conservation and management will become unsustainable without community/stakeholder engagement [13]. Every year, hundreds of thousands of people of several religions, both national and international, assemble here as part of their religious and traditional festivals and recreation. These kinds of religious and culturally renowned events are utterly involved with tangible heritage. The general vision for community engagement in the Mahasthangarh heritage sites is to ensure the local communities benefit from the safeguarding of the heritage, so that they can connect socially, culturally, or economically with “their” heritage sites.

In the context of a developing country, Bott et al. and Driscoll et al. experiment the four attributes of stakeholders, where they found every stakeholder has a high legitimacy and sole the local community retains all attributes at the high levels, along with they also found poorly relationship with other stakeholders due to deficiency of proper communication [14, 15].

Local communities would like to participate in heritage management through village tourism, river tourism, and homestay program. For the unprotected and publicly owned heritage sites, it is of vital importance of public participation for these heritages for their demolition, and safeguarding against threats and challenges. Notwithstanding, community engagement in heritage management is a new concept in this region and can hardly be observed here in Bangladesh. DoA should have to start the effective implementation of the community engagement policy from Mahasthangarh (Figure 7).

Figure 7.

Bar chart shows the profile of 250 individual respondents, who were interviewed from various sectors with formatted questionnaires.

6. Discussion

Collaboration, cooperation, and engagement of stakeholders are major issues in the heritage management planning process [12]. This research noted that sustainable heritage conservation and management have relied heavily on the active role of museums and engagement of the local communities, in particular, and other relevant stakeholders, in general. Most of the stakeholders, particularly the local community, did not get an invitation from the site manager (Figure 8). The site manager needs to prepare a preliminary list of stakeholders and their concerns about heritage sites. Khan details discussed the stakeholders and their possible roles in the heritage management activities of Mahasthangarh [16].

Figure 8.

The bar chart shows the results of “Yes” and “No” questions.

The present site manager of Mahasthangarh and DoA needs to incorporate with the local community through cooperation, dialog, involvement during the decision making, engaging in management activities, and respecting their demands. The same should be maintained for all stakeholders. The social, cultural, and economic benefits of site management and tourism activities should distribute equitably to the men and women of the existing local or host communities at all levels through training, educating, and creating employment opportunities. A significant portion of the revenue of heritage sites particularly comes from tourism should be allotted priority base to the site management activities, socioeconomic development, and poverty alleviation around the heritage site. Local college and school students would like to participate as heritage site interpreters and guides.

There is an urgent need to clearly identify the core zone and buffer zone boundary of the Mahasthangarh heritage site. The delineation of core zone and buffer zone boundaries is an essential requirement in the establishment of effective and sustainable protection of heritage properties. Boundaries should be drawn to incorporate all the attributes that convey the outstanding universal value (OUV) and to ensure the integrity and/or authenticity of the property [17]. DoA can develop a zoning system in the greater Mahasthangarh territory to provide effective protection to the ruins, including natural heritage, which makes up the cultural landscape to conserve and protect the esthetics values and OUV of the Mahasthangarh.

It is mentionable that in the citadel area, ancient settlements and monuments are located in the eastern part at the same alignment from the north rampart (Jahazghat site) to the south (Mazar area) (Figure 2). Primarily, in the context of a short-term plan, the DoA should protect this eastern part with a wall boundary and can develop tourism with a ticket system to earn revenue, which will manage the heritage perfectly. The regular site maintenance and monitoring activities can control and prevent theft, vandalism, and accidental unwitting damage in the Mahasthangarh citadel area as well as ensure the staff and visitors’ safety. It is necessary to take plan and policy for the effective management of most potential heritage sites and should be well-planned and long-term policy with regular monitoring on the basis of the National Heritage Act and international standards.

Field assessments suggest local communities have a better understanding of which factors might be damaging to the archeological sites and monuments (Figure 5). If the people of the local community get the opportunity to join the site management team as an officer and understand the importance of the heritage sites of the Mahasthangarh, they will notice damaging activities and report such damage to the relevant authorities (museum/site manager). DoA should have to start the effective implementation of community engagement policy from the Mahasthangarh regions.

Every visitor naturally appreciates an amiable welcome and support with any accidental problems. The museum staff and guide need to treat visitors as guests to be welcomed and helped, along with having to protect them from theft or any unwitting damage. It is essential that facilities, including toilets, and shaded areas with seats should be provided. On the other hand, an interpretation center needs to be set up adjacent to the museum and should be made clearly visible to visitors arriving at the site. Most of the respondents don not know the informative history and importance of heritage safeguarding (Figure 4). There is a need to publish educational materials, such as Mahasthan children’s books, leaflets, souvenirs, booklets, and general books, regarding the importance of heritage protection and make them obtainable at every site and the museum gate. For successful visitor management, firstly, site manager should identify visitors’ expectations, needs, and satisfactions.

Interpretation, education, publication, and research are significant factors in effective and sustainable heritage management. The site manager with the help of DoA should establish a permanent research and training center at the site to properly interpret and regular publication with educational materials to provide visitors and research interests. Along with this, there is a need to set up long-term educational programs at and around the site and make sure local educational institutions (schools, college, university, and madrasha) benefit from these functions. The site manager also can develop different types of skills with effective training of the local artisan, handicraftsmen, guide, officer of the museum, and site management team as well as increase proper employment opportunities to enhance the socioeconomic condition of the existing communities around the sites. Almost every inhabitant coexists at the citadel and participates in heritage management through village/rural tourism (60%), river tourism (60%), home stay program (50%), and guide (20%) (Figure 9), which will provide socioeconomic and infrastructural benefit to the local communities and regional government resulted in heritage, which will be protected from decay and damage. These tourisms could play an important role in poverty alleviation of Mahasthangarh area. Jahan discussed how and in what ways intangible heritage tourism can play an effective role to improve social benefits and community involvement in protecting and managing the cultural heritage of Bangladesh [18]. It is mentionable that any tourism in the Mahasthangarh area should remember that the main objective is to protect, promote, and manage the tangible and intangible heritage. There are numerous significant intangible cultural heritages that bear the testimony of esthetics and outstanding universal values that need to develop inventories and updated regularly (Figure 10) [12].

Figure 9.

The bar chart shows the results of the question “how would you like to participate in the site management program if the DoA offers?”

Figure 10.

3D reconstruction model of the archeological complex of the Mahasthangarh citadel, showing the Karatoya River in the eastern side, and the moat surrounding the other three sides of the citadel [12].

7. Conclusion

Mahasthangarh area is a huge village and river tourism potential for its charming landscape, massive rampart, river, and deep moat with marshland (Figures 1 and 2). The overlooked intangible heritage of Mahasthangarh could be promoted through village/rural tourism and river tourism. Generally, these types of tourism facilitate and promote the regional intangible heritage, such as folklores, handicrafts, traditional songs, dance, foods and games, and also indigenous culture. City dwellers and foreign tourists can enjoy rural culture by spending the night at the citadel area. The promotion, distribution, and sale of local produce, including handicrafts, Bogurar Doi (Yogurt of Bogura), Mahasthan Kotkoti (dry cracker biscuit), and other products should provide a reasonable social and economic return to the local community while ensuring that their intangible cultural heritage integrity is not degraded.

Different types of fair festivals and religious festivals held at the bank of Korotoya River and the Tomb of Sufi saint Mahisawar (Figure 6), which have been conducted by the local communities without any assistance of DoA, where thousands of pilgrims gather every year from home and abroad. Like many other Mosques and Tomb of Bangladesh, Mahasthangarh Mosque and Tomb are well managed and regularly monitored by local communities, contrariwise ancient mounds are damaging that is managed by only DoA. It is safely assumed that if DoA actively engages local communities through village and river tourism, the heritage of Mahasthangarh will be well managed. Most of the local community and some of the museum officials believe that village and river tourism could bring lots of benefits to the host community and can be an important mechanism for sustainable human development, including poverty alleviation, employment generation, development of rural areas, and progression of women and other disadvantaged groups resulted in local community that would be encouraged to safeguard archeological heritage from devastations for their interest. During the fieldwork, some important needs were identified following the conduct of some tourists. These are transports inside and around the citadel of Mahasthangarh, shady resting place, tourist guide with proper knowledge of the site, enough pure drinking water, safety against beggars, fraudsters, vagabonds, and local vendors.

Most of the respondents are unable to talk about Mahasthangarh without myth and legends; also, they are not aware of the importance of heritage safeguarding (Figure 4). Therefore, the heritage of Bangladesh and the importance of heritage protection need to include in the textbook through the national curriculum board. The present existing Antiquity Act 1968 (amended 1976) is not adequate to conserve and manage the heritage site of Bangladesh. The act should be revised to provide sufficient protection and sustainable management of heritage. The sustainable heritage site management of Mahasthangarh requires a work plan to operate the aims and objectives properly of the entire management activities step by step, and need to be developed annual, short-term (5 years), mid-term (up to 10 years), and long-term (25–30 years), and should be updated with revision.