Top 5 Zamindar Houses in one day,Tangail
I habitually know about old architecture and traditions or visit them. From this habit, I go here and there whenever I can explore. Old houses and large buildings of zamindars are more or less spread in almost all parts of Bangladesh. These ancient feats make us realize that once this Bengal was full of abundance. Although these are not completely wiped out it cannot be said that it is in good condition. In today’s writing, I am going to tell the story of a trip to such a traditional district. Tangail district, located near Dhaka, is the largest district in Bangladesh in terms of area. Apart from the sweets and handloom industry, this district is also still catching up in old architecture. Many old houses once owned by wealthy landlords have become the focal point of the tour. If you start your journey early in the morning from Dhaka, you can see all these houses in Tangail in just one day.
Famous Five Zamindar Houses of Tangail-
- Karatia Zamindar’s house
- Mohera zamindar house
- Pakulla Zamindar’s house
- Delduar zamindar house
- Nagarpur Zamindar House
- Pakutia Zamindar House
How to go to Tangail-
You can go to Tangail by bus and train.
Method – If you go by bus, you have to go to Mahakhali bus stand. Buses are available from Mahakhali. Nirala, Jhatika, Dhaleswari, Binimoy, etc. are regularly plying at the new bus stand in Tangail. The fare is Tk 200-250 per person. But the Nirala bus service seems better to me. It may take 2.5-3 hours. Also, buses to Tangail are available from Abdullahpur in Dhaka.
By Train- Dhumketu/Padma Express, Silk City Express, Ekota Express, Chitra Express, Drutjan Express, Lalmoni Express, Sirajganj Express, Tangail Commuter, etc. trains travel to Tangail. Fare – from 115 taka to 400 taka. Auto stands outside the station. Go to the puraton(old) bus stand by auto. You can easily reach other destinations from the Puraton bus stand. Buy tickets online
1. Karatia Zamindar House
If you want to go to Karatia in Tangail, you have to go from the new bus stand to the old bus stand. And if you come by train, you will find a direct auto at the old bus stand. The auto fare is 30 taka. Then there is a direct bus from the old bus stand to Karatia. The fare is Tk 20 per person. On reaching Karatia, take an autorickshaw from the main road and go to Karatia Zamindar’s house. As soon as I passed the main gate of the landlord’s house, a voice came from inside and said, “Unless you pay me some money, I will not allow you to enter.” I handed over 50 taka to the man who looked after the house. In exchange, he allowed us to enter. But it is better to say that this caretaker sometimes doesn’t allow visitors to enter as before. If the luck is bad, you can return empty-handed. The skulls and horns of the deer hunted by the zamindars can be seen on every wall of this old zamindarbari. And the different types of pictures were hung over the wall which were captured at that time. All the furniture in the house is made of old wood, which is still hard and strong, though some are on the way to decay. I heard that this zamindari is Bangladeshi actor Naeem’s maternal grandfather’s house. They live in Baridhara, Dhaka. There is separate accommodation for them on the second floor. Entry is strictly prohibited during the owner’s presence. The landlord’s house consists of two large buildings. The front is very beautiful, with a large pond in the middle. There are two gates. The first gate is open for tourists.
2. Mohera Zamindar House-
I planned to go from Karatia Zamindar’s house to Mahera Zamindar’s house. I got down to Mohera by bus from the main road, hired CNG, and went to Mohera Zamindar’s house. The Mohera Zamindar house was bought by the Bangladesh government and the Bangladesh Police Training Center was established here, which is open to the public with an entry ticket. The ticket fee is 80 tk. Mohera Zamindar House has a total of three big buildings, two old buildings, and a big pond in front. The buildings are Chowdhury Lodge, Maharaj Lodge, Ananda Lodge, Kalicharan Lodge, etc. respectively. Each building has a beautiful garden in front. A building of the house is being used as a dormitory as it is a police training center. I saw a mosque nearby.
3. Pakulla Zamindar House
I boarded the bus from Mahera to Pakulla. I didn’t have to go far. When I got off the bus, I saw a two-storied zamindari house. It was surrounded by red walls. In front of the house, there was a large field covered with green. The heirs of the landlord still live in this house. It is known that they are the 7th generation of this Zamindar house. Beside it, the centuries-old Shahi Jame Mosque, built by the Delduar Zamindar, is located next to the market. You can visit it if you want.
4. Delduar Zamindar House-
Departing from Pakulla, the next destination is the Zamindar house of Delduar. I took CNG from Pakulla and went directly to Delduar. If you want, you can go by bus but it is a waste of time. Seeing the road of the zamindar house, I started to smell a zamindar. There is a century-old mosque next to it and a big pond in front. There are two gates of the house. I was disappointed to see no people at either gate. After some time a caretaker came. He said that it was not possible to enter. Later, due to a lot of trouble, I managed the caretaker and was allowed to enter for a while. As soon as we entered, we saw a large open courtyard covered with green straw carpet. A huge Centenary tree has witnessed the rise and fall of each landlord of this house. A family cemetery can be seen next to the house. The graves of all the landlords of the house are here. Their birth and death years are decorated with epitaphs carved in marble. The house is named “North House”. Every brick wall of this house is old but renovated in a red-and-white color combination. The caretaker told us the zamindar of this house was a minister of the British period. Without spending more time here, I went out in search of the next zamindarbari.
5. Nagarpur Zamindar House-
Nagarpur Zamindar Bari is currently used as Nagarpur Government Women’s College. Women’s college prohibits the entry of outsiders, especially men. But it is open to all in admission time. You can also get in if someone you know is studying at this college. Fortunately, college admissions were going on at that time. Entering inside I saw a huge building, in this building, all the activities of the college are conducted. I saw faculty signboards hanging on different floors. The building has 3 floors. Classes are held on every floor. Each room has an attached balcony but they are closed. It was a strange feeling to look at the building standing in the distance. I was wondering how scary this building looks at night. I was getting an old vibe as there was no renovation by the government. But it would have been better if it had been preserved and opened to the public instead of being used as a government college. There is another destroyed building with nothing left but the stairs. There are two more buildings next to it. One is called Bagha Dalan (named because there are two tiger statues on it). Both buildings are abandoned. The stairs, windows, and doors inside are broken. However, the exterior workmanship is still quite intact. A food canteen inside the college. You can also enter the college into gate number two. Although this zamindar house stands in a comparatively small area, its history and craftsmanship will surprise you.
Cautions and Tips-
1) If you want to visit in one day, you must start the journey early in the morning. Those who come from outside Dhaka can leave at night so as not to be late in reaching Tangail. Apart from that, you can stay at Tangail Sadar overnight and start the journey the next morning at a leisurely pace.
2)Can hire CNG to save time and visit all Zamindar houses. Auto, rickshaw, and CNG ply in all upazilas in Tangail. Frequent transfers or vehicle changes are time-consuming and troublesome.
3) Most of the Zamindar houses are in very fragile condition so notice the no entry signboards.
4) Book the return ticket in advance. If you go by train, know the train schedule and if you go by bus, come to the new bus stand. From here you can go to Mohakhali in Dhaka by bus.
5) Old Zamindar houses are our heritage, so please refrain from doing anything that harms the environment or these traditions while visiting.