Museum of Independence

Useful Information

Location:	Suhrawardy Udyan park, Dhaka City.
Open:	During Ramadan Sat-Wed 9-15:30. Rest of year Sat-Wed 10:30-17:30. [2020]
Fee:	Adults BDT 500, Disabled free, Children (0-2) free. Citizens of SAARC Countries: Adults BDT 300. Bangladeshi Citizens: Adults BDT 20, Children (3-12) BDT 10. [2020]
Classification:	Museum
Light:	Incandescent Electric Light System
Dimension:
Guided tours:
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:
Bibliography:
Address:	Museum of Independence, Sohrawardi Park Shahbagh, Suhrawardi Udyan Rd, Dhaka 1000, Tel: +880-2-58614842. Bangladesh National Museum, Shahbag, Dhaka 1000, Tel: +88-02-8619396-9, Tel: +88-02-8619400, Fax: +88-02-8615585. E-mail:
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

25-MAR-2015

opened to public on the 45th Independence Day of Bangladesh.

Description

The Museum of Independence is the only underground museum in Bangladesh. After the partition of British India by the Mountbatten Plan in 1947, the eastern part of Bengal named East Bengal became part of the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan. As a result Pakistan had two not conected parts, a big part one the northwestern corner of India and the much smaller East bengal at the northeastern corner of India. The Radcliffe Line established the borders of present-day Bangladesh. In the Dominion of Pakistan Bangladesh was promised freedom of religion and secular democracy. Unfortunately Pakistan practised extensive economic discrimination and ethnic and linguistic discrimination was common. After numerous incidents civil disobedience and calls for independence erupted across the country. After an election in 1971 the elected Prime Minister was prevented from taking the office. As a result Bangladesh declared its independence on 23-MAR-1971, the Pakistani military junta responded with a military assault which culminated in the Bangladesh Liberation War. The nine-months long war ended with the surrender of Pakistani armed forces to the Bangladesh-India Allied Forces on 16-DEC-1971.

The Museum of Independence has only one topic, the struggle of Bangladesh for independence. The museum was erected under the Suhrawardy Udyan, the site from where Sheikh Mujibur Rahman gave his historic speech declaring the struggle for independence, and where the Pakistani forces surrendered after the war. Beneath numerous photographs, the museum hosts the replicas of the related original documents, and a replica of the table where the surrender document was signed. The museum is a part of the Bangladesh National Museum.

The underground museum is a really impressive building, not only the fact that it is underground, but also the vast size of the chambers, and the strategically placed openings to the surface which allow light to shine in. There is even a round room with a water pool and a fountain of light and water from circular opening in the ceiling. This place is even for foreign tourists, which do not understand the language and are probably not that much interested in the war, well worth a visit.