The huge grey building of the Varendra Research Museum, which seems to rise from the ground, is located in the center of the city of Rajshahi. If you want to plunge into the history of the city and the whole country, you are welcome.

There are plenty of different exhibits. Wonderful ancient sculptures, refined statues of gods and goddesses, Islamic artifacts, paintings, dishes, weapons, handwritten copies of the Koran, coins, books, household items, and all traces of history are here, standing at the walls, on the floor, or on the special bookcases. Also, the Varendra Museum houses the entire history of Bangladesh. The collection is impressive. Besides, it is the oldest museum in the country.

The British-Hindu building was built in the early 20th century. Initially, it was planned to place the Varendra Settlement Museum but then finds from all over Bangladesh started to flock here.

The history of Bangladesh is quite rich. Lots of historical events are related to religion, culture, traditions. This peculiarity is reflected in the museum. The Bengali halls are intertwined with Muslim customs. 

There are interior and exterior spaces in the museum. There are six galleries and a veranda inside. Looking at every exhibit makes your imagination replay pictures from the past and keep questioning yourself: how this was created, how this was used, did this sculpture or painting cause the same emotions at that time, and so on.

Moreover, the museum provides an excellent opportunity to learn Persian, Sanskrit, or Arabic. There are some tablets and manuscripts in ancient languages presented in one of the galleries. When you go down into the courtyard, you see a spectacular view of the remains of Hindu and Muslim buildings, slabs, stone columns with nymphs and gods. All this beauty is surrounded by palm trees and potted plants.

It’s impossible to remember every detail, and it’s gonna take hours to walk around the whole museum, but it is worth it. To know more about the country, it is necessary to see the Varendra collection. This museum is the very place where you can realize how diverse and beautiful Bangladesh is.