Dhaka

Gabtali and Turag river in spate

Street scene: end of July 2008

New Market

Hajaribagh

Kamrangir char

Dhobighat

Kachpur, Narayanganj

Panam-nagar and Sonargaon

Sitalakhya bride at Demra, Kachpur

Kachpur, Narayanganj

Photo of Panam Road in Sonargaon (pic taken in the 1870s by an unknown photographer)

Dulalpur bridge: (photo W.Bernnand in 1872)

ruins of an ancient bridge in 1872

Goaldi Mosque (old): (photo W. Brennand 1872)

Abdul Hamid Masjid, Goaldi, 1872

panam road, 1872

Company ka kothi (factory bldg) 1872

Old buildings of Panam

buildings during colonial period, Panam-nagar

pond with ghat

Innovative bridge by sand bags and crossing of boat

Panam bridge of Mughal era restored

Tomb of Sultan Ghiyasuddin Azam Shah, the third Iliyas Shahi ruler of Bengal who died in 1411 A.D. at Mograpara, Sonargaon.

Girl students hurry home from of Mograpara local school

"Neel Nobo-ghoney Ashaar Gogoney Teel Thai aar Nahirey.."

Picnic spot at Mograpara

view of Dhaka-Chittagong highway after rain

Panam is a locality in Sonargaon thana of Narayanganj district, about 2.5 kilometre to the north of Dhaka-Chittagong highway from Mograpara point. Sonargaon the administrative centre of eastern Bengal under the Muslim sultanate rulers of Bengal survives at present in the name of a ‘upazila’ in the Narayanganj district and the 'golden village' (its literal meaning) is now a township about 27 kilometers to the southeast of Dhaka. Sonargaon emerged as the capital of an independent Sultanate under Fakhruddin Mubarak Shah in 1338 AD. From that time down to the coming of the Mughals, it was a provincial metropolis, except for a period when it became a capital city under the house of Isa khan Masnad-i-Ala. After Isa Khan’s death it became a part of the great Mughal Empire of Akbar.

Sonargaon and its neighbourhood were famous from the early days for manufacturing and exporting Muslin, one of the finest cotton fabrics in the world. It is difficult to locate exactly the medieval city, but from the extant remains, it appears to have embraced a wide tract bounded on the east, west and south by the Meghna, the Shitalakhya and the Dhaleshwari respectively and on the north by the Brahmaputra. With the establishment of the Mughal capital of Subeh Bangla at Dhaka in the year 1608 AD, Sonargaon lost its importance. In 1858 all the territories held by the East India Company (including Dhaka) were brought under British rule. Once a thriving port and commercial centre, only the ruins of the ancient city remain; the area is buried in a dense jungle of bamboos and other trees.

In the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, Panam or Painam area grew in a part of medieval Sonargaon as a by-product of the commercial activities of the English East India Company. Panam nagar stretched in a single street 5 m wide on the average and 600 m in length. All the buildings have the character of urban street front houses and are lined up on either side of this street. 52 houses exist in dilapidated and disused condition. Panam appears to be well protected by artificial canals all around (ref: banglapedia).

In the Goaldih section there were two ancient Mosques. The 'purana' (old) mosque the oldest in Sonargaon had fallen out except the 'mihrab' stone wherein the year AH 925 (1519 AD) was inscribed. The other one located about 100 yds north is a square building with a single central dome, corner towers and entrances on all sides except the qibla wall is known as Abdul Hamid Mosque bears the date 1705 AD. The photos of both the mosques were taken in 1872 by W.Bernnand.

Also see, Heritage: Sonargaon to Panam Nagar!

Tajmahal Masjid in Dhaka

Shyamali ring road

Kallyanpur apartment block

Tajmahal look alike Masjid complex

Masjid entry

Tarbiyalul Millat Academy - Institute, Madrassah and Orphanage at Kallyanpur built in the 70's.

Street scene and fruits: July 2008

City Centre

Janata Bank

Uday Tower, Gulshan-1

Motijheel C/A

Petro centre

Motaleb tower

Heart foundation, Mirpur

Basati and Planner's tower, Sonargaon

Jiban Bima, Motijheel

Nazrul Islam Ave

Mirpur Road, Dhanmandi

Banani

Panthakunja

New Baily road

Ramna

Boat house in rain, Dhanmamdi

Maghbazar

Paribagh

Ramna park, east

Tejgaon Industrial area road

Plenty of Karamcha, Gaab, Lotkon, Kamranga, Gauva & lebu

Kadam phool

Happy peddlers with flowers

July 2008

Dhaka's tube - underpass

Postal boxes - showpiece

Garment workers waiting for turn

Road crossing en masse

Baitul Mukarram - north view

Osmany memorial

Shikkha bhaban

Overloaded school van

Collection point in Gulshan-2

Statue of a cavalryman- near Ramna Police Station

Women police on duty

View of Gandaria railway station- from west Jurain road

Convenient way of towing damaged rickshaw

Wayside stalls - Karwanbazar

Rathajatra: religious festival of Hindus & Temples

'Rath' (Chariot) of Jagannath Dev at Dhakeswari temple ready for return journey (Ulto-rath)

'Bhog' for offerings to deities by devotees

Dhakeswari Mandir

Iskon mandir gate

Iskon mandir, Swamibagh

Priest's blessings to devotees

Bookstall in ISKON Mandir complex

Loknath Mandir gate, Swamibagh, Dayaganj

Loknath mandir complex, Guest house

Probhu Jagatbandhu Mohaprakash mandir, Hatkhola

Joikali mandir, Thataribazar

Naat-mandir of Madhab Gourio Math, Narinda

Madhab Gourio Math, Narinda

‘Rathajatra Utsob’ Chariot festival, a religious festival of the Hindus which began 11 days ago amid festivity and enthusiasm, will end today with the completion of return journey of the chariot with a grand procession. In Dhaka the ‘Rath’ will make return journey from Dhakeswari Mandir to Narinda ‘ISKON’ Moth.

The festival attracts thousands of devotees from across the country.

Dhaka University: celebrates founding day

Curzon Hall - Icon of Dhaka University:

Meant to be a town hall/library, it was named after Lord Curzon, the Viceroy of India, who laid its foundation in 14 February 1904. A year later, Bengal was partitioned and Dhaka became the capital of the newly created province of East Bengal and Assam. After annulment of the province in 1911, Dhaka University was established in 1921, it became part of the university's science section and continues as such.

front view

view from west

west end

elegance and lightness of structure

view of grand corridor

central hall

front entry with cusped arch (south)

serene and tranquil surrounding

Biochemistry and microbiology buildings

cool facade

Established in 1921, under the Dacca University Act 1920 of the Indian Legislative Council, the academic activities started on July 1, 1921 with 3 faculties - art, sciences and law, 12 teaching departments, 60 teachers, 847 students and 3 residential halls. Now the university boasts with 10 Faculties, 51 departments, 9 Institutes, 18 different types of research centres, 18 residential halls with over 30,000 students and 1300 teachers.

The Partition of Bengal in 1905 provided the Muslim majority community of East Bengal and Assam new hopes and aspirations for the development of the region and advancement of its people. But its annulment, barely six years later due to stiff opposition from the powerful Hindu leadership of Calcutta, was viewed by Muslims as 'a grievous wrong'.

It is believed that a combination of political, social and economic compulsions persuaded the govt of India later to establish a university at Dhaka as an ‘imperial compensation' to Muslims for the annulment of the partition of Bengal, although many hindu leaders in Calcutta such as advocate Dr Rash Bihari Ghosh, met the Viceroy of India and expressed the apprehension that the establishment of a separate university at Dhaka would promote 'an internal partition of Bengal'. They also contended, as was recorded in the Calcutta University Commission report later, that "Muslims of Eastern Bengal were in large majority cultivators and they would benefit in no way by the foundation of a university".

A deputation of high ranking Muslim leaders, including Sir Nawab Khwaja Salimullah, Nawab Syed Nawab Ali Choudhury and A. K. Fazlul Huq met Viceroy Lord Hardinge on January 31, 1912, who was quick to perceive the dissatisfaction of Muslims and their fears how the annulment could retard the educational progress of their community.

Lord Hardinge assured that the new university would be there as a residential university opened to all (ref: wikipedia, the daily star).

Also see:

Curzon Hall as Science bldg

Dhaka university & Halls

Partition of Bengal & annulment in 1911