Bangladesh Culture & Heritage: questions and answers
Study every question with its correct answer and explanation.
1. What does Pohela Boishakh celebrate?
- A. The harvest of new rice
- B. Bangla New Year
- C. The arrival of spring
- D. The end of the monsoon
Answer: Bangla New Year
Pohela Boishakh is the first day of Boishakh, the first month of the Bangla calendar, and is celebrated in Bangladesh on 14 April. The Bangla calendar (Bangabda) is traditionally traced to the Mughal emperor Akbar, who used it to fix the harvest-tax year.
2. The Pohela Boishakh procession organised by the Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Dhaka, was inscribed by UNESCO in 2016 under which name?
- A. Nabanna Utsab
- B. Boishakhi Mela
- C. Mangal Shobhajatra
- D. Chaitra Sankranti
Answer: Mangal Shobhajatra
Mangal Shobhajatra, with its giant masks and colourful figures of birds and animals, was added to UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2016. Fine-arts students in Dhaka have organised the procession since the late 1980s.
3. Which traditional weaving art of Bangladesh was inscribed by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2013?
- A. Jamdani
- B. Nakshi Kantha
- C. Shital Pati
- D. Rajshahi silk
Answer: Jamdani
The traditional art of Jamdani weaving, which creates fine cotton cloth with patterns woven directly into it, was inscribed by UNESCO in 2013. The traditional art of Shital Pati (cool mat) weaving from Sylhet was added in 2017.
4. In which district are the ruins of the Paharpur Buddhist Vihara (Somapura Mahavihara)?
- A. Bogura
- B. Rajshahi
- C. Dinajpur
- D. Naogaon
Answer: Naogaon
The Somapura Mahavihara at Paharpur in Naogaon was one of the largest Buddhist monasteries south of the Himalayas and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The walls of its huge central temple are decorated with hundreds of terracotta plaques.
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5. Mahasthangarh, the ruins of the ancient city of Pundranagara, is in which district?
- A. Naogaon
- B. Bogura
- C. Joypurhat
- D. Gaibandha
Answer: Bogura
Mahasthangarh, on the bank of the Karatoya river in Bogura, is regarded as the oldest known urban archaeological site in Bangladesh, dating back to at least the 3rd century BCE. A stone inscription in Brahmi script found there refers to the city of Pundranagara.
6. What is a Nakshi Kantha?
- A. An embroidered quilt
- B. A clay water pot
- C. A folk dance
- D. A river boat
Answer: An embroidered quilt
A Nakshi Kantha is a quilt made from layers of old saris and cloth, embroidered with running stitches in colourful motifs and scenes of daily life. Jasimuddin's famous verse tale 'Nakshi Kanthar Math' takes its name from this craft.
7. What is the national bird of Bangladesh?
- A. Kingfisher
- B. Myna
- C. Doel (Oriental magpie-robin)
- D. Peacock
Answer: Doel (Oriental magpie-robin)
The Doel, or Oriental magpie-robin, is the national bird of Bangladesh, and Dhaka's well-known Doel Chattar monument is named after it. The national flower is the Shapla (water lily) and the national fruit is the jackfruit.
8. Nabanna is a traditional festival that celebrates what?
- A. The Bangla New Year
- B. The arrival of spring
- C. The first monsoon rain
- D. The harvest of new rice
Answer: The harvest of new rice
Nabanna, meaning 'new rice', is celebrated in the month of Agrahayan when the Aman rice is harvested, with pitha (rice cakes) and payesh. Pohela Falgun, by contrast, is the festival that welcomes spring.
9. The shrine of the Baul mystic Lalon Shah (Lalon Fakir) is at Chheuria in which district?
- A. Jashore
- B. Kushtia
- C. Pabna
- D. Rajbari
Answer: Kushtia
Lalon Shah's akhra (shrine) at Chheuria in Kushtia draws thousands of devotees and Baul singers every year. Baul songs, the mystic folk tradition he is best known for, are recognised by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage.
10. The Kantajew Temple, famous for its terracotta panels, is in which district?
- A. Dinajpur
- B. Rangpur
- C. Thakurgaon
- D. Panchagarh
Answer: Dinajpur
The Kantajew (Kantaji) Temple near Dinajpur town was completed in the mid-18th century, and almost every surface is covered with terracotta plaques showing scenes from the epics and everyday life. It is one of the finest examples of terracotta temple architecture in Bengal.