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The history of the textile arts of Bangladesh dates back to the 1st century AD. According to the archaeological excavations, Bangladesh was once famous for its artistic textile production throughout the world. Over the years, several types of textiles evolved in the country, mostly by the indigenous handloom manufacturers.
The fine, transparent mulmul known as muslin in Europe manufactured by the weavers of Bengal was established as a commercial product almost 2000 years ago. Gangetic muslin is referred to by Greek and Roman writers. It is known from their writing that it was the most favored among the luxury goods imported from India. These were known by beautiful poetic names in Rome such as – nebula which means mist, vapor or cloud, and venti textiles, woven winds. Similar names are still used in Dhaka.
The most important commodities were fine cotton and, later, silk. The East India Company, already well established in Goa began to cast covetous glances at Bengal in the early 16th century. In 1536 they set up trading posts at Satgaon and Chittagong. In the mid – 17th century the East India company of London was permitted by the Mughal government to establish a few factories (trading posts) in Bengal.
The handloom textile industry employs a large section of the population. About 60 to 65 percent of the demand for textiles in Bangladesh is supplied by the handloom industry. [1]
Muslin is a cotton fabric of plain weave. It is made in a wide range of weights from delicate sheers to coarse sheeting. It is commonly believed that it gets its name from the city of Mosul, Iraq.
Jamdani is a fine muslin textile produced for centuries in South Rupshi of Narayanganj district in Bangladesh on the bank of Shitalakhwa river.
Kushtia District is a district in the Khulna administrative division of western Bangladesh. Kushtia is the second largest municipality in Bangladesh and the eleventh largest city in the country. Kushtia has existed as a separate district since the partition of India. Prior to that, Kushtia was name of a subdivision of Nadia district. Kushtia is the birthplace of many historical figures including Mir Mosharraf Hossain (1847–1912), Bagha Jatin (1879–1915) and Lalon (1774–1890). Nobel laureate poet Rabindranath Tagore lived his early life at Shelaidaha, a village in the district.
Bailey Road is a well-known thoroughfare and an upscale area in Ramna, Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh. It is a classic road in Dhaka which runs through Shiddheswari, connecting Hare Road with Shantinagar junction. It is regarded as one of the busiest areas of the city, constructed during the colonial era, now serving both as a residential area for civil servants, high court judges as well as government offices and shopping malls and food courts. The Bailey Road is considered as two distinct roads, one after another, they are the new Bailey Road and the Bailey Road. The new Bailey Road is well recognised for its famous theatres, numerous boutiques, shops, schools, fast foods, restaurants and various hangout places. The old Bailey Road is reputable because of the officers club, Foreign Service academy and homes of ministers, officers and government officials. Bailey Road was featured in a song of the same name by Ayub Bachchu, lead singer of the popular rock band LRB. Bailey Road was officially renamed Natok Soroni, in recognition of the road's contributions to performing arts in the capital.
Bikrampur was a historic region and a sub-division of Dhaka within the Bengal Presidency during the period of British India. Located along the banks of the Padma River, it was a significant cultural and political centre in both ancient and medieval Bengal. Today, the region is part of the Munshiganj District in Bangladesh.
Dhaka (Dacca) is a modern megacity with origins dating from 500 BC to 200 BC. The history of Dhaka region begins with the existence of urbanised settlements that were ruled by Gupta Empire, Gauda Kingdom, Pala Empire and Chandra dynasty before passing to the control of the Sena dynasty in the 10th century CE. After the reign of Sena dynasty, the region was ruled by the Hindu Deva dynasty of Bikrampur.
Kapasia is an upazila (sub-district) of Gazipur District in central Bangladesh, part of the Dhaka Division. It is located at 24.1000°N 90.5708°E, and is best known as the home upazila of Tajuddin Ahmad, the first Prime Minister of Bangladesh. The modern-day upazila was a part of the historic Bhawal Estate and falls within its boundary.
Bajitpur is an upazila of Kishoreganj District in Bangladesh. Bajitpur was created by Baizid Kha. Formerly Bhairab and Kuliarchar were included in this town. This place is full of canals and rivers. Dilalpur river port here was famous in the subcontinent during the British period.
The culture of Bengal defines the cultural heritage of the Bengali people native to eastern regions of the Indian subcontinent, mainly what is today Bangladesh and the Indian states of West Bengal and Tripura, where they form the dominant ethnolinguistic group and the Bengali language is the official and primary language. Bengal has a recorded history of 1,400 years. After the partition, Bangladeshi culture became distinct from the mainstream Bengali culture, thus their culture evolved differently, still there are many commonalities in Bangladeshi culture & West Bengali culture which connects them both together as Bengali culture.
The Bengal Armenians were ethnic Armenians who lived in what is now called Bangladesh. Their numbers have gradually diminished and there are now no Armenians in the country.
A wedding sari is a traditional South Asian wedding dress.
The Bengal Subah, also referred to as Mughal Bengal and Bengal State, was the largest subdivision of Mughal India encompassing much of the Bengal region, which includes modern-day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and some parts of the present-day Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand and Odisha between the 16th and 18th centuries. The state was established following the dissolution of the Bengal Sultanate, a major trading nation in the world, when the region was absorbed into the Mughal Empire. Bengal was the wealthiest region in the Indian subcontinent.
The divisions of Bangladesh are further divided into districts or zilas. The headquarters of a district is called the district seat. There are 64 districts in Bangladesh. The districts are further subdivided into 495 subdistricts or upazilas.
Tant sari is a traditional Bengali sari, originating from the Bengal region in the eastern part and usually used by Bengali women. Tant sari are woven from cotton threads and distinguished by its lightness and transparency. It is considered to be the most comfortable sari for the hot and humid climate in the Indian subcontinent.
Uppada Jamdani saree is a silk sari style woven in Uppada of East Godavari district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It was registered as one of the geographical indication from Andhra Pradesh by Geographical Indications of Goods Act, 1999. Uppada Jamdani saris are known for their light weight.
Bengali Muslims are adherents of Islam who ethnically, linguistically and genealogically identify as Bengalis. Comprising over 70% of the global Bengali population, they are the second-largest ethnic group among Muslims after Arabs. Bengali Muslims make up the majority of Bangladesh's citizens, and are the largest minority in the Indian states of West Bengal, Tripura and Assam.
Handloom saris are a traditional textile art of Bangladesh and India. The production of handloom saris is important for economic development in rural India.
The Bangladesh Handloom Board is a government owned and operated statutory public sector organisation in Dhaka, Bangladesh. As of 2024, Mr. Abu Ahmed Siddiquei, Additional Secretary is the Chairman of the board.
The Old Dhakaites are an Indo-Aryan cultural group viewed as the original inhabitants of Dhaka's. They are referred to as simply Dhakaites or Dhakaiya. Their history dates back to the Mughal period with the migration of Bengali cultivators and North Indian merchants to the city. The Bengali cultivators came to be known as Kutti and they speak Dhakaiya Kutti, a dialect of Bengali and the North Indian merchants came to be known as Khoshbas and they speak Dhakaiya Urdu, a dialect of Urdu. There are sizeable populations in other parts of Bangladesh. They have been described as a wealthy but very closed-off community; evidently being a minority in their own hometown. It is said that some people living in Greater Dhaka are even unaware of the existence of an Urdu-speaking non-Bihari minority community although their presence dates back centuries.
Shantipur Handloom Industry, also known Shantipur Handloom Cluster, is a handloom weaving industry in Nadia district of West Bengal. It is one of the foremost handloom centers of India. This handloom industry is world famous for the production of cotton Sari (saree). The two main centers of this industrial zone are Shantipur and Phulia. Shantipur has an old reputation for cotton sarees, known as Shantipuri sarees, and Phulia is well known for Tangail-Jamdani sarees.
