Historic Sonakanda fort now dump yard

Bengal once experienced vibrant business, commerce and trade in the 16th century. The rivers Padma (Ganges), Meghna and the Brahmaputra were the major maritime trading routes for business. A typical delta with hundreds of rivers, tributaries and canals made a unique place for the riverine-robbers and pirates. The Bengal delta was a unique period for river piracy, especially in the monsoon.

The pirates and robbers plundered the cargo boats, killed and maimed the sailors and looted cash and everything found in the boat. Aggrieved traders and business community raised private army to defend the maritime trade routes, but that approach went in vain. Finally, their grievances were heard by the Mughals. During the period of Mughals (1575-1717), the maritime trade boomed in Bengal.

The Mughal erected three fortresses to deter pirates and robbers at strategic locations in Naryanganj and Munshiganj to ensure the security measurements of the ships moving in and out of Sonargaon and later Dhaka. There are several myths regarding how the name of Sonakanda name was established. The story is about a princess who was abandoned by his father Kedar Roy. Princess Swarnamoyee was the daughter of Kedar Roy, a king of Bikrampur. She went to the Shitalakhya River with her barge to perform a sacred bath. Unfortunately, the pirates attacked her barge that day and looted all the valuables she possessed. They also kidnapped the Princess.
However, the Princess was later rescued by Isa Khan, the ruler of Sonargaon. Isa Khan brought her to the Sonakanda Fort and requested her father Kedar Roy to take her back. Kedar Roy refused to take her daughter back as she lost her caste by spending a night in a tent of a Muslim ruler.

The Princess Swarnamoyee, shocked by the incident and cried for several days in her tent of Sonakanda Fort. According to a popular belief, the name of the fort derived from this incident as the Swarnamoyee in other words 'Sona', cried a lot in this fort. The Bangla meaning of crying is 'kanda'. Therefore, the fort was renamed as Sonakanda. There is no record of the original name of the fort.

A different version of the story says that Isa Khan forcefully married Sona Bibi, a widowed daughter of Kedar Roy. She was brought to this fort and was put under confinement by the soldiers of Isa Khan. She cried a lot following the incident and the name of the fort derived from that incident.

Today, Shonakanda Fort (eastern side) and Hajiganj Fort (western) on the bank of Shitalkhya River in Narayanganj and Idrakpur Fort on Buriganga River in Munshiganj are the archaeological sites and places for visitors. Sonakanda Fort is a river fort which is situated on the eastern bank of Shitalakhya River in Narayanganj. Although the actual time of its establishment could not be ascertained and the historians believe that the river fort was built by Mir Jumla II, a Subahdar of Bengal under the Mughal Empire to defend Dhaka and Narayanganj from the pirates.
On our recent visit to the fort, no sign of protection has been found there by the respective museum authorities. Local youth and students are using the premise of the fort as their playground. Youth are found there playing cards, smoking and hanging around in different corners of the fort.

The entrance of the gate is unguarded. Nobody could answer whether there was any guard to protect the fort during off hours. Several residential buildings are found at close proximity of the fort, which seems have encroached the fort properties. But there is none to take care of the Mughal fort. Shonakanda Fort is popularly known as Kella for locals. Therefore, if you are having any difficulty in finding the fortress, just ask anyone about the Kella instead of Sonakanda Fort.

There is a simple direction that will be useful for you to reach at the fort. Once you arrive at Chashara of Narayanganj by BRTC AC vehicle (fare 48 taka) or any non-AC buses from Gulistan (around 36 taka per person). Take a rickshaw and go to Bondor Ghat, also known as Narayanganj Launch Terminal. It will cost around 20-25 taka if you go by rickshaw. Cross the river using the plying boats which will cost 2 taka per person. Hire or shared battery-operated auto to reach the desired destination. The driver will drop the visitor somewhere adjacent to the Kella. The distance from Dhaka to Narayanganj is 28.1 km, which is around 47 minutes travel (only on holidays and Friday's) from Dhaka.