Opinion in savar

Fantasy Kingdom brings a little bit of Disneyland to Bangladesh. It is one of the most spectacularamusement parks in the country and has become a great tourist attraction in Dhaka. South Asia had never before experienced an amusement park of such a grand scale and it took the creativity, dedication and commitment from hundreds of workers, artists and sculptors to bring this world ofentertainment and thrills to life.

Located on the Dhaka-Ashulia Highway, the park is just outside the city center of Dhaka, in a village named Ashulia. Beyond the massive pink walls of the entrance, lies a world of landscaped gardens, walkways, lakes, statues and plenty of adventure rides. The Santa Maria Viking Ship, Giant Plume Ride, bumper cars, Ferris Wheel, giant dinosaur park and the Rollercoaster are just a few of the joy rides that await visitors to the park. Visitors to the park find the rides to be safe and clean and there is ample parking available. To foreign visitors, Fantasy Kingdom amusement park is reasonably priced and allows children a welcomed break from being dragged along by their parents to every historical building and noteworthy attraction in Bangladesh.

The Fantasy Kingdom Park is not only used as a tourist attraction and for fun, but also hosts events, such as the Banglalink Desh Music Festival 2007 that was held here on 17 and 18 August. During the festival, the park opened its doors to musicians such as The Trap, Warfaze, James, Scarecrow, Tahsan and Friends, Metal Maze, Mila, Nemesis and Tomosh. This event was in aid of relief for flood victims and was supported by some of the biggest names in the Bangladeshi music industry.

Visitors to the Fantasy Kingdom amusement park will also find a four-star luxury hotel at the park that has two hundred rooms, condominiums and its very own resort city. Souvenir shops, merchandise stores and food vendors are all located inside the park walls, so visitors are able to browse after they have enjoyed their adventure rides. Unfortunately, not many of the locals of Bangladesh are able to afford the entry fee into the park. Most of the community has never even set foot past the entrance, and many of the visitors that get to enjoy Fantasy Kingdom are foreigners. But hopefully the influx of foreigners to the park will boost the tourism industry and economy of the region, so that one day, everyone will be able to enjoy the excitement and adventure of Fantasy Kingdom

The "Harishchandra Rajar Dhibi" in Savar may appear to the visitors as a dump, garage, poultry farm or any sleazy place, but obviously never a 'protected' archaeological site.

The way the Department of Archaeology maintains the site only 32 kilometres off from the capital would definitely take visitors, if there is any, by surprise. They might even wonder what is happening to those sites scattered elsewhere across the country. But it's really no wonder the scenario is the same in almost everywhere in Bangladesh.

The government has not yet conducted a nationwide survey to trace or detect how many ancient sites are there in the country.

As many as 391 archaeological sites, many of which have already been encroached, have so far been announced "protected" since the British rule here. "Harishchandra Rajar Dhibi" in Savar is one of those.

A metalled road crosses a part of "Harishchandra Rajar Dhibi" on which heavy vehicles including goods-laden trucks ply all day long. A brick-built room stands at one point where a deep tube-well was installed once. Now people use the building for drying cow dung.