Mohammad Riaz, BAU
The Agricultural Museum at Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) preserves the country's agricultural heritage through traditional farming tools, crop seeds, biological specimens and artefacts reflecting rural life.
The foundation stone was laid on January 24, 2002, by the then Vice-Chancellor, Prof Mu Mustafizur Rahman. The museum was formally inaugurated on September 15, 2003, by the then Vice-Chancellor, Prof Dr Mohammad Amirul Islam.
The octagonal building stands on five acres of land opposite the Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture (BINA). Of its eight rooms, six display agricultural heritage and related artefacts.
At the entrance, visitors find an aquarium of colourful fish and seven traditional sayings attributed to Khana, a legendary figure associated with agricultural wisdom in Bengal.
The first two exhibition rooms display livestock parasites, soil samples from different parts of Bangladesh, fish and rice varieties, and a model of hill farming. Other exhibits include materials on plant diseases, spices, oilseeds and medicinal plants, animal skeletons, different types of horns and a large vulture specimen.
The third room features traditional household items, including a dhenki (rice-husking device), kula (winnowing tray), hookah, betel-leaf container and bullock-cart model. Lanterns, traditional lamps and musical instruments, including the violin and tabla, reflect rural life.
The fourth room houses tools and equipment such as machetes, spades, shovels, a microcomputer, bows and arrows, a stethoscope and a dot-matrix printer.
The fifth room features a traditional farmer's homestead model, a plough and a model demonstrating traditional ploughing methods.
The sixth room displays a power tiller, modern rice-threshing equipment, an oil-extraction press and handicrafts made by rural women, including nakshi kantha (embroidered quilts) and handkerchiefs. Traditional clothing of the Garo community, including orna garments, is also on display.
The museum offers students, researchers and visitors an opportunity to explore the evolution of agriculture, traditional rural life and Bangladesh's agricultural heritage. #EK