Description:

Every person in the world is different, one person's taste is different from another's. In the same way, the attraction of each tourist is also different. Some like nature and some like architecture. As Bangladesh is rich in natural beauty, it also has several architectural masterpieces, among which the “Rose Garden Palace” is one of them. Rose Garden Palace also known as Rose Garden.

Location:

Rose Garden is located in Tikatuli, Dhaka. It will take 20 minutes by rickshaw from Motijheel bus stand and 35 minutes by foot.
This ancient building is preserved by the Bangladesh government as a historical antiquities of Bangladesh. The Archeology Department of Bangladesh declared the Rose Garden as a protected building in 1989. It is one of the most visited places in Dhaka for local and foreign tourists. The Rose Garden has been used as a drama and telefilm shooting spot since the 1970s.

History:

Rishikesh Das was a nouveau riche businessman during the British period. However, since he came from a common family, the Khandani families of Dhaka did not pay much attention to Rishikesh Das. It is said that once he went to a jalsa in Baldha Garden, the garden house of zamindar Narendra Narayan Roy Chowdhury, and was forced to return after being humiliated. He then decided to build the Rose Garden Palace. According to the decision, in 1931, a garden house was built on Rishikesh Das Road in Old Dhaka. The garden is named Rose Garden because of its many rose trees. Before the decoration of the building was completed, businessman Rishikesh Das became financially bankrupt. In 1937 he was forced to sell the Rose Garden Palace to Khan Bahadur Abdur Rashid. The palace was renamed Hara “Rashid Manzil”. Maulvi Kazi Abdur Rashid died in 1944, after his death the ownership of the Rose Garden went to his eldest son Kazi Mohammad Bashir (Humayun Sahib). In 1970, shortly before Bangladesh became independent, Bengal Studios and Motion Pictures Limited took the lease of the Rose Garden Palace. The popular movie "Lost Days" was shot in this house. Due to this the building came to be known as "Humayun Saheb's House" at that time. The Department of Archeology declared the Rose Garden as a protected building in 1989. But in 1993, Kazi Abdur Raqib, the son of Kazi Abdur Rashid, regained the ownership by suing in court. He passed away in 1995. Since then, this building is owned by his wife Laila Rakib. In 2018, the government of Bangladesh decided to purchase this building at a price of 331 crore 70 lakh two thousand 900 taka.



Size and Architecture:

Rose Garden Palace was built on 22 bighas of land. The total area of the building is seven thousand square feet. Forty-five feet in height. The palace is built on six strong pillars. Crafting foliage at each stop. The architecture of the palace follows the Corinthian-Greek style. Besides, the garden was decorated with beautiful fountains, stone statues etc. The second floor of the main building has five rooms and a large ballroom. There are eight rooms on the ground floor. The Rose Garden Palace has two main gates between the western and northern walls. Entering through the western gate for entry and exit, there is first a wide open courtyard. Here standing female idols are placed on the stage. There is a rectangular pond in the middle of the eastern part. Between the eastern and western sides of the pond there is a paved ghat. On its eastern side there is a two-storied building facing west whose present name is 'Rashid Manzil'. There is a beautiful brick and cement fountain in the forecourt of Rashid Manzil's entrance. A seven-step staircase leads to the first floor of Rashid Manzil. It has three arched doorways in each side of the central part of the front. On the upper floor there is a podium on each arch. The tympanums are decorated with foliage designs and stained glass made in Belgium. In front of it there is an external hanging balcony. It has a Corinthian pillar on either side. There is a door on each floor on either side of the pillars. Each of them has wood-framed vanishing blinds and tympanum with foliage designs, and a spacious open-hanging verandah in front. Above it is curved cornice decorated with balustrade design. The front part of the central portion of the roof has large canopies with eight corners and arches. It is roofed in a hemispherical dome. The two corners of the building have two Corinthian pillars with umbrella design on top. Each floor has a total of 13 small and large kothas. After entering the first floor there is a circular staircase to the left of the west wing leading to the upper floor.

Awami League and Rose Garden Palace:

Bangladesh Awami League was founded in this building. On June 23, 1949, the East Pakistan Awami Muslim League (now Awami League) was planned to be formed in this house. The "East Pakistan Awami Muslim League" was established on June 23, 1949 at the Rose Garden Palace, KM Das Lane Road, Tikatuli, Dhaka through a conference of a section of the then Bengal Provincial Muslim League led by Hossain Shaheed Suhrawardy and Abul Hashem. Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhasani became its president, Shamsul Haque was elected general secretary. Later in 1955, with the initiative of Maulana Bhasani, the word 'Muslim' was removed from the name of the organization and the name was changed to "East Pakistan Awami League" with the aim of establishing secularism and non-communal spirit.

Conclusion:

Tourists enjoy visiting the “Rose Garden” surrounded by a wonderful panoramic environment. Especially those tourists who are more interested in construction or architecture get more pleasure.