Jaintapur : Megalithic Monument of Bangladesh

Remnant of Jainta Dynasty : Only megalithic monument of Bangladesh

Jaintapur : Sylhet : Bangladesh

Jaintapur is a famous place at the Jainta foothill of Sylhet region in Bangladesh.It is located 40 kilometres north of Sylhet divisional town, Jaintiapur is only 5 kilometers past from Jaflong. Now this place is official Upazila(sub-district) of Sylhet District. The name 'Jainta' reminds the strong presence of a powerful kingdom, known as Jainta Kingdom. This place served as the of Jainta Kingdom once(at 18th Century). 

History
Due to its geophysical condition the region remained independent for a long time and was well known as Jaintapur Kingdom. As such it was mentioned in Epic, Puranic, and Tantric literatures. However, a number of local legends, folk tales, and inscriptions suggest that from approximately the 7th/8th century AD Jaintapur came under the control of Kamarupa Kingdom and that later it went under the control of the Chandra and Varman rulers. After the fall of the Varmans, Jaintapur was again ruled for some time by the Deva dynasty. Jayanta Ray, the last ruler of the Deva dynasty, had a daughter named Jayanti, who got married to a son of a Khasi chief, named Landowar. Due to this matrimonial alliance, Jaintapur kingdom went under the control of the Khasis in c 1500 AD. Subsequently, Khasi kings ruled over the kingdom independently till the British occupied it in 1835.{Banglapedia}

Remnant of Jaintapur Palace

The Megalithic Monument of Jainta
This regal place bears the remnant of Jainta Kingdom, so far the dilapidated Rajbadi or King's palace, Jainteshvari temple, and megalith ie monuments. Among these three, megalithic monument is the best heritage structure in that region. It is the only megalithic monument  of Bangladesh. According to&Syed Rezaul Kabir Rana of Jahangirnagar University-

...This megalithic assemblage is outstanding and bears uniqueness among the Asian megalithic culture. In the context of India and Asian region, this culture comprises a great variety of styles.The megalithic instances with stylistic features found in Jainta, close to the Khasia Hills, are among the richest regional varieties. Here we find unique types of stands, dolmen and menhir that are rare in other megalithic findings in Turkey, Ireland, Portugal, Germany, Netherlands and Denmark.  

Megalithic Monument :  picture is taken around 1990's, from Bagnlapedia

The date of Jaintapur megalithic cultural assemblage has not been determined. But we are hopeful that we can easily deduce the time and cultural practices mainly the burial and sacrificing attitude of the then people through study of artefacts yielded from the excavation. The megalithic cultures earlier recorded in India and other Asian sites go back to 1500BC to 100AD.{The Daily Star}

Megalithic Monument: Nowadays January 2012

Nevertheless among the cultural remains of Jaintapur are a few megalithic monuments that are worthy of mention. Megalithic structures are defined as graves or commemorative monuments made by large and small stone chunks. These structures can be seen throughout Asia, Africa and Europe. In different parts of the Indian subcontinent these are present in large numbers and their form and spatial distribution have proved extremely valuable in the re-construction of past cultures, especially after the beginning of the Iron age in India. The only megalithic remains discovered so far in Bangladesh are the ones in Jaintapur.{Banglapedia}

Following Video is a best on web, I found on the cultural remnant of Jaintapur, By Fazlul Karim, I hope many will like this one.

Photo Courtesy: Kazi Rabeya Ame | Google Map(Still blurred)