When we first launched the Otibeguni website, our goal was simple: to share the beautiful folktales of Bengal with anyone curious enough to read them. At the time, the site was pretty straightforward — a collection of stories and books laid out in clean tables, with links to related content we gathered from around the internet. It was a humble archive — a digital bookshelf where you could wander through Bengali folklore, one tale at a time.
But now, it’s time for something much more ambitious. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be working on a new, more interactive platform that’s designed to deepen the way people engage with mythology, history, religion, and culture — not just read stories, but explore the fascinating webs of connections behind them.
This next-generation Otibeguni site will offer:
📍 Stories Told Through Space: StoryMaps
A StoryMap is like a slideshow tied to a real (or imagined) map. Each slide takes you to a new location, showing you the next chapter in a journey.
For example, imagine you’re learning about Shah Jalal, the legendary Sufi saint whose arrival in Sylhet is wrapped in layers of myth and history. A StoryMap could walk you through:
- His departure from Yemen
- The stops he made across the Indian subcontinent
- The dramatic events during the conquest of Sylhet
- The places where his disciples spread his teachings
- Shrines and traditions that trace back to his journey
Each point is not just a pin on a map — it’s a part of the story, complete with text, images, and historical context. This format makes it easier to see how people, ideas, and legends move through landscapes, turning geography into narrative.
🕰️ Stories Told Through Time: Timelines
A Timeline is a sequence of slides organized by date — helping you trace how a place, belief, or idea evolved across history. Take Mahasthangarh, for example — one of the oldest archaeological sites in Bangladesh. A Timeline could show you:
- Its early identity as a Buddhist center of learning
- Its transformation into a Hindu religious site
- Later changes during the Muslim period, with the arrival of saints and new cultural influences Its rediscovery and protection in modern times
Each point could include ancient inscriptions, stories passed down, religious relics, or modern excavations — helping you follow the layers of belief and memory stacked on top of each other over centuries.
🧩 Stories Told Through Interconnections: Topics
We’re also introducing a powerful new feature called Topics — a way to weave together the names, places, deities, and historical events that appear across our archive. Topics are powered by Wikidata, a global knowledge system used by Wikipedia, libraries, and search engines like Google. Each Topic on our site (like Gangadevi, Sylhet, or Mahasthangarh) will be linked to its corresponding Wikidata entry — acting like a digital fingerprint. This means two big things:
Easier for Humans to Explore
Clicking on a Topic will let you:
- See all stories connected to that place, person, or idea
- Discover related maps, timelines, books, and even news articles
- Follow your curiosity across folklore, history, and myth — without getting lost
For example: Curious about Sylhet? You’ll be able to see every tale and presentation that touches that region. Want to explore where Gangadevi appears in our archive? You’ll see her across religious poetry, legends, and sacred rivers.
Easier for Search Engines to Understand
Because we’re using structured data (specifically, Google’s preferred formats for Books, Places, and People), our content will also become more discoverable and better categorized on the internet. In other words, these Topic links will help not just people — but also algorithms — understand how stories, beliefs, and cultures connect. It’s like turning our archive into part of the world’s larger cultural memory, searchable and navigable by anyone.
We’ll be rolling out the new platform in stages over the next few weeks. Along the way, we’ll keep sharing updates, ideas, and behind-the-scenes thoughts here on our blog.
