Sonargaon’s history is mostly known to have begun in the late thirteenth century, however its exact beginnings are unknown. Most people agree that “Subaranagram,” also known as Sonargaon, is an old location that served as the Pala and Deva monarchs’ administrative town for a long period.
It is also said that the ancient capital city of Vikrampur’s lords relocated to Sonargaon across the river when the river’s flows changed, causing the city to lose its previous wealth. However, Sonargaon is not mentioned in any historical source prior to the thirteenth century A.D.
The author of Tarikh-i-Firuzshahi, Ziauddin Barani, claims that Ghyasuddin Balban, the Sultan of Delhi, came to Bengal to put down the dissident Governor Tugril Khan and made a friendship alliance with the Hindu King of Sonargaon, Rai Daruj.
It thereafter became the administrative center of the Muslim lords of eastern Bengal. This was the location of Fakhruddin Mubarak Shah’s headquarters when he proclaimed himself an independent monarch in 1338.
After thereafter, Bengal was undoubtedly controlled by a number of Elyas Shahi dynasty emperors from Lakhanabati, but Sonargaon’s widespread recognition throughout the subcontinent was cemented by the 1389–1410 reign of Sultan Gyasuddin Muhammad Azam Shah. Additionally, Shah extended an invitation to the renowned Persian poet Hafiz to visit his capital.
Around 1345 A.D., the renowned Moroccan adventurer Ibn-e-Batuta paid this location a visit. From Sonargaon, he traveled to the Indonesian island of Java via seafaring vessel.
A fifteenth-century Chinese traveler to Bengal wrote about Sonargaon as a Walled City with thriving trade and commerce. Ralph Fitch, an English adventurer, visited Sonargaon in 1586, during the reign of Isa Khan, the most well-known Zaminder of Bengal, also referred to as “Bara Bhuiyas.”
He said that Sonargaon was six miles from Sripur and was well-known throughout the subcontinent for producing the finest cotton fabrics, or “Muslin,” available.
It is common knowledge that Isa Khan and his successor bravely resisted the Mughal governor and generals. Islam Khan relocated to Dhaka in the early seventeenth century (1610) from Rajmahal.
Even after British authority was established, Sonargaon’s commercial dominance persisted for a considerable amount of time, but its significance as an administrative hub declined. Even though Sonargaon shows no indications of pre-Muslim remains, the region is home to several ancient artifacts and architectural remnants, some of which date back to the early fifteenth century A.D.
These include the tombs of Hazrat Shaikh Muhammad, the single-domed mosque at Mograpara constructed in 1486 during the reign of Sultan Patch Shah, and the tomb of Sultan Gyasuddin Azam Shah of the Elyas Shahi Dynasty, which was constructed in 1410.
The most important ones include the Goaldi mosque (erected in 1519 by Alauddin Hossain Shah), the arched bridge at Panam, the tombs of Manah Shah and the five Pirs, and the Damdam fort. The weavers used the 365 x 182.5 m Khasnagar Dighi to wash their cotton threads in order to create finer Muslin cloth.
The Ain-I-Akbari spoke about the pond’s unique water condition, which gave the muslin threads an unusually brighter and whiter appearance.
