The culture of Bangladesh is more than twelve hundred years old. Modern Bangladesh once was a part of the Bengal province of undivided India, which is why many similarities exist between the cultures of Bangladesh and the state of West Bengal in India.

Bengali literature

The oldest known Bengali literature is in the form of poems related to the Buddhist faith, which date back to the eighth century. It was called the Charyapada and was an example of the oldest known form of Bengali language. Other such works of Bengali literature that can be traced up to the twelfth century.

Bengali literature got a big boost in the nineteenth century when great scholars like Raja Ram Mohan Roy and Ishwar Chandra Bandopadhyaya started creating new works. The other famous contributors of Bengali literature also include Michael Madhusudan Datta and Bankim Chandra Chatterjee. Michael Madhusudan Datta, a famous poet in those days, had his own distinct style of writing poems in blank verse. His most highly regarded work of that period is the Meghnavadhkavya, which is related to the life of Hindu god ‘Ram.’

Above all the poet, novelist, dramatist and critic of highest repute was Rabindranath Tagaore, who created works of literature that no other Bengali author could match. It was due to this exemplary work that Rabindranath Tagaore was awarded Nobel Prize for his poem entitled “Gitanjali.” It is widely accepted fact that Bengali literature was highly influenced by the work of Rabindranath Tagaore, to an extent that even today his works are most sought after by the readers of Bengali literature.

Kazi Nazrul Islam, the national poet by Bangladesh, had some very revolutionary poems that were very common among people of Bangladesh during their liberation movement. It is believed that he had written several songs related to both the Islamic and Hindu faith.

Bengali music

Bengali music has been one of the integral parts of culture in Bangladesh. Though there have been several developments in Bengali music over time, it has not been extensively influenced by Western music. The different types of music found in Bangladesh include but are not limited to: classical, folk music, music based on works of Rabindranath Tagaore, and Kazi Nazrul Islam. In modern times, a young generation of music composers have revitalized traditional folk music, which has become very popular with the people of Bangladesh. This has made several western music composers shift their attention towards the traditional forms of music in Bangladesh.