History & Background
Tradition holds the temple was founded in the 12th century by King Ballal Sena of the Sena dynasty after he found an idol of the goddess Dhakeshwari ("Goddess of Dhaka") hidden in a forest, and that the city itself took its name from the deity. Rebuilt and expanded many times since, it was declared the National Temple of Bangladesh in 1996. Its main deity was believed to have been moved to India during 1971 for safety and a new murti was later consecrated; the temple remains the ceremonial center of Durga Puja celebrations for the whole country.