Mission & Preservation

Dhakeshwari National Temple complex view

Our Vision

A heritage worthy of its name

The Bangladesh Cultural Heritage Trust — in partnership with cultural institutions, devotee communities, government bodies and the Indo-BIMSTEC heritage corridor — has taken up a long-term mission to preserve, revitalise, and globally re-introduce Dhakeshwari National Temple.

Our goal is not nostalgia. It is continuity. To ensure that the next generation inherits a sanctuary not merely standing, but living — vibrantly, plurally, and with full national dignity.

This mission rests on six interconnected pillars — heritage, community, youth, tourism, harmony and the digital frontier — each reinforcing the others, each indispensable to the whole.

Six Pillars

The Preservation Programme

An integrated programme uniting conservation, education, community service and global engagement.

Pillar 01

Heritage Conservation

Architectural restoration of shikhara, courtyards and inner sanctums in fidelity to original Bengali traditions. Documentation of motifs, stones, terracotta and oral histories. Long-term structural and material conservation in partnership with archaeological experts.

Pillar 02

Cultural Awareness

Sustained public outreach — through publications, lectures, exhibitions and broadcast partnerships — to position Dhakeshwari as a cornerstone of Bangladesh's plural civilisational identity, both nationally and internationally.

Pillar 03

Community Service

Lifecycle support to the devotee community: ritual services, lifecycle ceremonies, festival logistics, food distribution during major celebrations, and welfare programmes for elderly devotees and Safai Karamcharis.

Pillar 04

Youth Heritage Engagement

Internships, scholarships, heritage walks, photography fellowships, and youth ambassador programmes that connect Bangladesh's next generation — and BIMSTEC peers — to their shared sacred geography.

Pillar 05

Tourism Development

Curated heritage circuits linking Dhakeshwari with Lalbagh Fort, Shankhari Bazaar, Ahsan Manzil and the Buriganga riverfront. Multi-language guides, accessibility upgrades and respectful pilgrim infrastructure.

Pillar 06

Interfaith Harmony

Cross-faith dialogue programmes — bringing together temples, mosques, churches and viharas of Old Dhaka — to position Dhakeshwari as a shared symbol of national unity and interfaith respect.

A Civilisational Pledge

To honour, to preserve, to share

"The story of a people is told in the sanctuaries it preserves. Dhakeshwari is the story of Bangladesh — plural, resilient, and luminous with grace. To care for it is to care for the soul of the nation."

— Bangladesh Cultural Heritage Trust

The Digital Sanctum

Future Restoration & Digital Outreach

A twelve-portal digital platform reconnecting Dhakeshwari with devotees, scholars, and seekers worldwide.

Live Darshan Platform

Live-streamed daily aarti, festival broadcasts, and devotional services — bringing the sanctum to devotees who cannot travel.

Digital Heritage Archive

High-resolution scans, historical photographs, manuscripts and oral histories — a free open-access repository for scholars worldwide.

BIMSTEC Cultural Bridge

Programmes linking Dhakeshwari with sacred sites across India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bhutan — a transnational pilgrimage corridor.

Restoration Phase II

Conservation of secondary shrines, terracotta detailing, courtyard pavements, and lighting — using traditional materials and craft methods.

Twelve-Portal Platform

An integrated digital ecosystem — devotion, donation, learning, archive, gallery, broadcast, scholarship, tourism and BIMSTEC engagement.

Global Donor Network

Transparent, accountable patronage frameworks for individuals, corporates, and diaspora — preserving the temple in perpetuity.