Sunday, June 29, 2008
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Jinjira Palace and palace tragedy
Mitford
Jinjira - other side of river
Swarighat (minaret of Shahi Chawk bazaar masjid seen)
Badamtali - paddled steamer 'ostrich' anchored
Jinjira main road towards bazaar
Municipal pond and main masjid, Jinjira
Jinjira graveyard
Palace wall, surrounded by habitation
Dilapidated walls and entrance
Narrow alley to the site
Monument for the Martyrs of the war of liberation
Jinjira Palace, situated on the southern bank of the Buriganga river opposite to the ‘Bara Katra’, Dhaka was built by the Mughal subahdar Ibrahim Khan II (1689-1697) as recreation resort. It is now in total ruins.
Narrow alley to the site
Monument for the Martyrs of the war of liberation
Jinjira Palace, situated on the southern bank of the Buriganga river opposite to the ‘Bara Katra’, Dhaka was built by the Mughal subahdar Ibrahim Khan II (1689-1697) as recreation resort. It is now in total ruins.
The palace site, once surrounded by rivers had the natural characteristics of an island, and hence the palace was named Qasr-i-Jazirah, meaning 'palace of the island'. The palace is said to have been connected with Dhaka city by a wooden bridge across the river at ‘Bara Katra’ point (see pic of Swarighat). The palace remains are dilapidated walls of octagonal side towers, the gateway (dewri) on the south and the remains of its broad foundation with the surrounding moat. The site of the palace indicated as howli (corruption of the word haveli) by the local people is encircled by dense habitation and commercial establishments making it almost inaccessible.
The palace became the residence of Murshid Quli Khan on his getting the Diwani of Bengal. Later, it had been the family residence of Husain Quli Khan, a deputy to Nawazish Mohammad Khan, absentia Naib Nazim of Dhaka.
The palace had played a tragic role during the closing years of the Murshidabad nizamat. After the fall of Nawab Sarfaraz Khan (1739-1740), his mother, wife, sister and children along with some women of his ‘harem’ were kept confined in the palace. On the murder of Husain Quli Khan (1754) in Murshidabad, his family members in Jinjira palace suffered similar fate.
The palace had played a tragic role during the closing years of the Murshidabad nizamat. After the fall of Nawab Sarfaraz Khan (1739-1740), his mother, wife, sister and children along with some women of his ‘harem’ were kept confined in the palace. On the murder of Husain Quli Khan (1754) in Murshidabad, his family members in Jinjira palace suffered similar fate.
The Battle of Plassey was fought on June 23 in 1757 between the forces of Nawab Sirajuddaula and the British forces of East India Company, in which the Nawab suffered defeat and Bengal its independence. Sirajuddaula’s wife Lutfunnesa Begum and daughter Qudsia Begum alias Umme Zohra and Alivardi Khan’s daughters Ghaseti Begum and Amena Begum were sent to the Jinjira Palace and kept under strict surveillance. Tradition goes that they were taken out in a barge and drowned into the Dhaleswari (June 1760) at the instance of Mir Sadeq Ali Khan alias Miran, son of Mir Jafar whom the British made the tituliar ruler (Ref: Banglapedia).
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Monsoon rain and pedestrians
Shaheed Tajuddin road
Eskaton
Gulshan 2
Sonargaon square
Private university near new DOHS
Kamal Ataturk Ave. Banani
Must hurry to avoid rain
Looking for transport
Looking for transport
Shelter under tree
Roadside sheds are not safe
Roadside sheds are not safe
Undaunted garment workers
Splashing water is fun to many drivers..
Anything over Dhaka sky can be trapped in wires
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