The Buriganga lost Panorama

Buriganga River

along the Buriganga, Dhaka as soon as became one of the vital flourishing cities. The view from the river would have portrayed that, if we quite simply cared about its frontline, which elements grand palaces, mosques and many others. Instead, we abuse the river and with it, we additionally abuse its banks.

In 1830, an unknown artist did a extremely good work on the riverfront - a panorama that speaks of a magnificent Dhaka. Among the structures proven at the moment are non-existent. Although a few of them are still intact.

On this chaos, one constructing that has managed to hold its glory is the Ahsan Manzil, the condominium of the Nawabs. The purple Palace is the crowned jewel of the Buriganga's riverfront, with its majestic dome and the imposing facade nonetheless noticeable from a boat. Interestingly, the palace used to be now not like what we see today. Consistent with the ancient panorama, Ahsan Manzil was neither pink nor did it have the dome, but it surely was a grand building however.   

Ruplal house didn't enjoy the equal fate: that you can now see most effective a small component from the river, and the mansion lacks appropriate upkeep, with parts of the building now getting used as a spice market and warehouse.

Purchased from an Armenian zamindar named Aratun with the aid of the daddy of Ruplal and Raghunath Das, the affluent brothers renovated the property by means of hiring Martin and manufacturer, an architectural organization in Kolkata.  

Ruplal condominium played the host of many fundamental hobbies, including keeping the reception for Lord Dafrin in 1888. An extra candidate used to be Ahsan Manzil, however the Ruplal brothers won this competition against the Nawabs. One intent may be in view that of the mansion's ballroom, which lost sight of the gorgeous river in very shut proximity.


Devi Nibash is yet another picturesque riverfront mansion. Today, it stands in ruins. With many home windows and partitions missing from the façade, the remains loudly echo of the glory of its golden days.

“The riverfront has been the area where the elites of Dhaka had developed their mansions,” Taimur says.

The banks don't just host residences, though. Bara Katra and Choto Katra are additionally established near Buriganga.

Prince Shah Shuja (a subhedar of Bengal, son of Emperor Shah Jahan) ordered to construct Bara Katra (round 1644) as his palace. Nevertheless, he on no account lived there. Bara Katra became a caravanserai to accommodate for travelers.

Choto Katra was once constructed with the aid of Mughal subhedar Shaista Khan in round 1663. It's, in keeping with Bradley-Birt's booklet, The Romance of an eastern Capital (published in 1906), “…smaller (than Bara Katra) however scarcely less stunning, designed within the form of structure that has turn out to be popularly referred to as Shaista Khani, after the high-quality Viceroy himself.”

Photo: unknown artist, collected.

Such is the importance of this monument. It is also the ultimate resting situation of Champa Bibi, after whom the discipline is named: Champatoli (there's some debate about her identification; however she was absolutely involving Shaista Khan).

The tomb is now vague, so much so that while you move through it, you would now not even discover it. The mausoleum remains locked, with two small steel gates and a slim hall in between. The grandiosity can still be understood, in case you are fortunate enough to enter within, with the majestic dome within the ceiling.

Due to lack of proper preservation, there are spider webs throughout. The tomb will not be the one thing in Choto Katra that requires preservation, and spider webs aren't the one problem! 

What stays of the Katras are its lavish gates and bastions. A lot of its other constructions have both been destroyed or are actually encroached by using buildings.

We will have to were ready to see these monuments from Buriganga; from these monuments, the sight of Buriganga might had been loved. They're very near the river, and without doubt, they have been the gemstones of the riverfront, as mentioned in japanese Bengal District Gazetteers: Dacca (written by B C Allen, published in 1912), “When the embankment finishes the river is fringed by means of houses, some of that are both dignified and picturesque, conspicuous amongst which stand out the 2 fine historical Muhammadan ruins, the Bara and Choto Katras.”

“on the subject of heritage sites, you can not simply damage and build according to your own want. But such appears to be the case,” Taimur complains. “For any change, permission of city development Committee have to be needed. There is additionally a buffer zone around such monuments to make sure that appropriate heritage and setting that goes with such web sites is maintained.”

in the panorama, the Katras appear fantastic. Today, you is not going to be able to look it from the river.

In the meantime, that you would be able to catch some wonderful glimpses of Northbrook corridor. Sometimes called Lal Kuthi, it was elegantly built with a mixture of Mughal and European factors, and was once meant to function a city corridor. For the period of British rule, the grand building was once made in honour and to host the reception of Lord Northbrook, the Viceroy of India.

Photo: unknown artist. collected

A gigantic a part of the riverfront is occupied by means of Mitford sanatorium. Robert Mitford, who used to be a Collector at Dhaka, had left his giant property to the government of Bengal for the welfare of its humans. After a lot dispute from his heirs, Mitford clinic was once developed, in the mid-1800s. The website online on which the agency stands had been most important even earlier than the existence of the clinic: it used to be where the Dutch had established their manufacturing facility.

Back in those times, you could even see Lalbagh castle from the river, with the marvellous dome of the mausoleum of Pori Bibi in the skyline. Actually, a painting by using Charles D'Oyly (yet another Collector at Dhaka) within the yr 1816 indicates Buriganga flowing proper beside the castle.

The riverfront is dotted with history. It is sort of a museum, telling studies of aristocracies and trades and transitions. Much of it had been possible for the river itself. Oblivious to this, industrial and residential buildings are rising up, often obscuring, or usually downright replacing, these historical buildings. If this goes on, an age-old museum will be wiped away.