Rose Garden: A History of Passion and Pride

Rose Garden: A History of Passion and Pride

At Kamini Mohan (K.M.) Das Lane in Tikatuli of Old Dhaka, there lies an imposing mansion called “Rose Garden”. Interestingly, it had been built to host parties by one among the prominent zamindars of Dhaka, named Hrishikesh Das. He built the garden in 1931 on a 22-bigha plot along side a famous garden that had various species of rare roses. Thus the compound earned the name “Rose Garden”. The central piece of the garden is that the elegant building.

The story of Hrishikesh Das

In the early 1900s, Hrishikesh Das became one among the distinguished zamindars in Dhaka. He had his residence within the area referred to as Hrishikesh Das Road (at present near Tanti Bazar). He led a lavish lifestyle and had a knack for lofty things. During that point , “Baldha Garden” was the place for socialites to mingle. It became a crucial element of the social lifetime of the city’s wealthier Hindus as most of the jalshas (parties) were arranged there. Unfortunately, as a member of the lower caste, Hrishikesh wasn't welcomed.

Rose Garden: A History of Passion and Pride

Rumour has it that while attending one among those parties, he was insulted for being a lower caste. Reportedly, the insult came from none aside from the famous Narendra Narayan Roy Chaudhury who was the owner of the estate of Baldha and owner of the Baldha Garden. That incident offended Hrishikesh Das in such a terrible way that he decided to create his own garden which might eclipse the Baldha Garden. Hence, he went on to create one among the foremost beautiful buildings with a garden, which we now know because the garden .

The Kazi Family

The tragedy is that Hrishikesh Das was spending excessively and lost his focus in business while desperately competing together with his counterparts. It didn’t take long for him to become bankrupt. within the end, only after a couple of years of extravagance, in 1936, a hapless Hrishikesh sold the property to Moulvi Kazi Abdur Rashid. Rashid, who was the owner of a publisher , the Provincial Library of Dhaka, named the mansion “Rashid Manzil”.

His brother Kazi Humayun Bashir acquired the property’s ownership from him in 1966. Since then the complex has been locally referred to as “Humayun Shaheber Bari”. round the 1960s, the estate was rented bent Bengal Studio and Motion Pictures Limited.

Rose Garden

Quickly it became a desired spot for filmmakers who were making movies that involved historical plots or chronicles of kings and zamindars. the primary film which was shot here was “Harano Din”. the remainder is history. The magnificent palace and therefore the lovely garden with a pond turned the place into one among the more popular studios of the town . Later, the owners started renting it out for weddings and other functions.

Formation of Awami League

Many folks might not know that the historical establishment also shares a really important political account of Bangladesh. Starting within the 1940s, Rashid Manzil became a gathering place for politicians. Moreover, Kazi Muhammad Bashir from the Kazi family was the chairman of the Dhaka City Corporation from 1953 to 1958. Many of the leaders wont to gather there, to debate political issues, especially the rights of Bengalis in Pakistan.

Consequently, Bangladesh Awami Muslim League (the word “Muslim” was subsequently dropped in 1953) was formed on Midsummer Eve , 1949, during a meeting at the garden through an initiative of a progressive a part of the Muslim League for the salvation of the Bengalis. So, garden witnessed the creation of the most important party of Bangladesh.

The Compound and Therefore The Building

The design of the structure is one among the best in Dhaka. Ten Corinthian columns round the main structure enhance the sweetness of the building. the peak of every column is about 34 feet. There are three rooms, including a central hall on its ground floor. The upper floor has another three rooms including an outsized ballroom at the centre. There are five cantilever verandahs on three sides of the building. within the yard , there's a fountain. There are several marble statues within the garden, although the garden that gave the mansion its fabled name doesn't exist anymore. At the rear of the building to the east, there's a verandah and a triple-arched entrance porch which results in a staircase for the upper storey. there's a highly ornamented tower on the front side of the building. There also are two podiums at the highest of the north and south sides.

All the openings of the building are decorated with complex geometric patterns and adorned with foliage and animal outlines in wood, coloured Belgian glass and iron. The ceiling of the ballroom of the primary floor is floral patterned and embellished with green mirrors. there's an intricately designed spiral staircase ahead of the ballroom which results in the roof.

A high boundary wall surrounds the compound with the 45-foot-high and seven ,000-square-foot palace within the middle. The front facade of the building is exceptionally designed, far more ostentatious than the opposite sides. The building is coloured during a pinkish tone mostly. thanks to ageing, a light-weight ash tone reflects from its appearance.

The Rose Garden

A marvelous dome, beautiful columns, various garden statues and decorations, cascades, decorative windows, tall crystal chandeliers, and last but not least, a luscious landscape which incorporates a fountain and a pond, make garden a structure of splendid architecture. As anticipated for a short time , the building and its surroundings were declared as a national heritage for his or her magnificent architecture on December 21, 1989 by the Department of Archaeology.

Moulvi Kazi Abdur Rashid’s son Kazi Abdur Rakib came the ownership of the structure in 1993. Two years later, his wife Laila Rakib inherited the property from him after his death. This unique series of incidents made it the sole personal property within the national heritage site list. Finally, the govt bought this majestic complex on August 9, 2018, and announced plans to show the situation into a museum, as a part of its efforts to preserve the history of the town of Dhaka. When implemented, this may be a fitting recognition of the compound within the chronicles of the urban history of our beloved city.