Rajbari Fort in Kendua upazila of Netrakona district is one of the historical sites under the ancient rulers of Bengal.
The fort bears witness to many historical events. The ground of this royal house used to tremble with the arrival of Sultan Husain Shah, Nasrat Shah and Ishankha's cavalry.
Meanwhile, many things have changed in the course of time: the form of this fort is not the same as before and the fort looks as if it is the silent witness of negligence leading to the ruins. There is no public or private initiative to preserve this historical interest. Though the Department of Archaeology started some activities to this end, it stopped it all of a sudden.
Currently, some enthusiastic people visit the district to see this fort. But the path to that area is in very bad shape. In rainy season the path remains too much muddy and so it becomes absolutely impossible for people to visit there, while in summer they can visit there but with some difficulty. Describing the difficulty of visiting the fort in wet season, some say even bulls won’t pull carts along that path.
Kendua upazila is the birthplace of several talented people of the district. The fort of Rajbari village is located on the east side of the Betai river, lost in the whirlpool of time, at Kendua, about 45 km from the district town.
The distance from Kendua Upazila Sadar is only six kilometres. But the communication system is so bad that no one wants to go. Sensing its existence through the locals, the Archaeological Department carried out excavations at the Rajbari fort at different times from 1991 to 1993. After a long excavation, this archaeological pattern surfaced from beneath the ground.
These patterns were buried under the ground almost two decades ago. Many people have different opinions about this pattern. Many think it may have been a 12-door mosque with solid carved walls and pillars. The pillars are of stone. There is a tunnel next to the pillars. And there is also the shrine of Niyamat Bibi. There are two ponds in front of the fort. Among the landmarks of the mosque are huge arches made of marble. Locals said that if the communication system and publicity were increased, it could be turned into a good tourist spot for Netrakona.
A caretaker has been appointed at the fort.
Local say even with very few antiquities, many places have made a name for themselves in the country, but this fort still remains unknown to many.
If initiatives are taken at the government or private level to preserve the antiquities here, they say, people from home and abroad may visit here in droves contributing to the local economy.
They also spoke for the need of launching promotion about this historical place too.
Locals demand that the government recoginise this place as a tourist spot and make paths improved for people to visit here easily.
