On June 1, Bangladesh’s central bank introduced new currency notes.

For the first time since the country's inception, the notes do not feature the image of its founding father, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Instead, the redesign highlights natural landscapes and traditional landmarks, including Hindu and Buddhist temples, marking a symbolic shift in national imagery.

One such remarkable image used on the new 20-taka notes is of the 18th-century Kantajew temple.

Spotlight on historical architecture

According to information on the website of Bangla Bank, the central bank of Bangladesh, the obverse of the 20-taka note has the "picture of the historical architecture of Kantajew temple, Dinajpur on the left side."

On the reverse, the note features a picture of Somapura Mahavihara. Also known as the Paharpur Buddhist Monastery, located in the Naogaon district of Rajshahi division. It is one of the three designated Unesco World Heritage Sites in Bangladesh.

Along with that, it also features a picture of Bangladesh's national flower.

Kantajew Temple, a Hindu heritage site with a rich past

Also known as Kantaji Temple, it is situated in Dinajpur district, northern Bangladesh. It is one of the finest examples of terracotta temple architecture in the Indian subcontinent.

After the Partition of India and later during the 1971 Liberation War, the Kantaji temple faced neglect and occasional hostility.

This pilgrimage site draws thousands of tourists annually during the Rash Mela festival.

On December 5, 2015, during the Rash Mela festival, three homemade bombs exploded near a jatra performance on the temple grounds. Ten people were injured with splinter wounds. Although reports claimed New Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) to be responsible for the attack, they never admitted to the crime.

In March 2024, a mosque construction was initiated on the land associated with the Kantajew Temple. The construction was inaugurated by Md Zakaria Zaka, the Member of Parliament for Dinajpur-1 constituency, leading to tensions within the local Hindu community.

The current denominations of Taka

According to the newly introduced series of Bangladeshi currency notes, the denominations are 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500, and 1000.