The Role of Museums and Communities in Sustainable Heritage Site Management in Bangladesh: The Case Study of Mahasthangarh

Mahasthangarh in Bogura district, Bangladesh, is a historic fortified city of fourth-century BCE, considered an important reference site for the ancient metropolis of South Asia. The Department of Archaeology (DoA) of the Government of Bangladesh is the only authority responsible for managing cultural heritage. However, sites are facing several threats and challenges and unfortunately, there is no effective management plan developed. Mahasthangarh as a case study, this research aims to demonstrate the roles and potentialities of site museums and local communities in forming sustainable heritage management by using qualitative and quantitative methods and SPSS software. In this study, 250 individual respondents were interviewed from various sectors with formatted questionnaires.