In fact, the pattern of change of rule over centuries and even millennia over these territories on the northern bank of the great Brahmaputra, the “Southern Silk Road” between the oceans and empires and kingdoms of the Himalayas and beyond, underlines its history as a fluid frontier. Perhaps it represented, too, something of a frontier for centuries of the Islamic rule that was established over most of the lands of Bengal in the early 13th century, those that are a significant part of today’s Bangladesh. Like most troubled, frontier lands, Kishoreganj still holds its own wealth of fortress defences; in Kishoreganj, especially, Jangalbari, to which Isa Khan eventually retreated and, for the remaining years of his life, established a point as far as which the Mughal military could expect to triumph. The rich history and heritage of these unique lands of Bangladesh beyond what is left of the great, ancient waters of the Brahmaputra continues to evolve. A unique, and extraordinary heritage now, for the most part, the far side of marshland, and a trickle of what were once frontier waters of lands, much contested and fought over, through centuries, fluid, militarily, politically, commercially, and environmentally.

Source: Dhaka Tribune October 21, 2016 18:00 UTC