Sher-E-Bangla Memorial Museum

Sher-e-Bangla Memorial Museum is located in Chakhar, Barisal District, on 27 shatak of land belonging to Chakhar Boys’ High School and Wazed Memorial Girls’ High School. The museum was established in memory of Sher-e-Bangla A. K. Fazlul Huq.^[1]

In 1982, under the Ministry of Cultural Affairs, the Department of Archaeology began construction of the museum. Built on a part of Sher-e-Bangla’s homestead, the building is 83 meters long and 14.60 meters wide. The museum opened in 1983. Initially, it was arranged with rare photographs, used furniture, letters, and a crocodile from the Sundarbans gifted to Sher-e-Bangla by Syed Anichuzzaman.^[2]

The museum has four rooms: two galleries, one office, and one library. At the entrance, to the left, there is a large portrait of Sher-e-Bangla, a brief history of his life and works, social and political activities, family photographs, and newspaper clippings depicting his career.^[3]

Among the personal items of Fazlul Huq displayed in the museum are an armchair, wooden bed, mattress, clothes stand, dressing table, stool, chair and table, walking stick, drinking glasses, and other belongings. The museum also exhibits archaeological relics such as an octagonal stone statue of Marichi Devi, a large black stone Shivalinga, a bronze Khasaparna Buddha statue, gold coins, a small white stone Shiva idol, embossed silver coins, and copper coins from Sri Lankan, British, and Sultanate periods.^[4]