Ahsan Manzil - The House of Concubines

Designated as a national museum, sometimes known as the Pink Palace, "Ahsan Manzil" is an attractive tourist spot in Dhaka. It is one of the most meaningful architectural heritage of Bangladesh. It is situated in Old Dhaka on the bank of the river Buriganga.

"Ahsan Manzil" Photo: M.S. Niloy

Officially Ahsan Manzil was the residential palace and seat of the Nawab of Dhaka but Ahsan Manzil’s Rang Mahal was originally a house of concubines. In Mughal era, there was a garden house of Sheikh Enayet Ullah, the landlord of Jalalpur Porgona, in this place. He acquired a very big area in Kumortuli and included it in his garden house. Here he built a beautiful palace and named it "Rongmohol". He used to enjoy here keeping beautiful girls collected from the country and abroad, dressing them with gorgeous dresses and expensive ornaments.

Ahsan Manzil, the palace was constructed in the Indo-Saracenic Revival architecture. It takes 13 long years just to construction of this palace form 1859 to 1872. In 1874, Lord Northbrook, Governor General of India attended an evening function in the palace when he came to lay the foundation of a water works installed by Nawab Abdul Ghani.

"View of the riverfront facade" Photo: Barbara J. Anello

In 1888, Lord Dufferin also accepted the hospitality offered at Ahsan Manzil. In 1904 Lord Curzon, on a visit to East Bengal, stayed in this palace on 18 and 19 February to win public support for the proposed Partition of Bengal. In 1952, the Dhaka Nawab State was acquired under the East Bengal Estate Acquisition Act; it became impossible for the successors of the Nawabs to maintain the palace due to financial constraints.

"Entrance to Ahsan Mazil, before restoration" Photo: Aminur Rahman

On 1974, the owners of the palace decided to put it up for auction. In 1985, Ahsan Manzil and its surroundings were acquired. After the completion of the renovation work in 1992 under the supervision of the Directorate of Public Works and Architecture, it was brought under the control of Bangladesh National Museum (20 September 1992).

There is a saying that, the foujdar of Dhaka (representative of mughal emperor) in that time was attracted to one of the beautiful girls among them. He invited Sheikh Enayet Ullah in a party one night and killed him in a conspiracy when he was returning home. That girl also committed suicide in anger and sorrow. There was a grave of Sheikh Enayet Ullah in the north-east corner of the palace yard which was ruined in the beginning of the 20th century.

Reference:

 Alamgir Mohammad (2012). "Ahsan Manzil". 

Ahsan Manzil (2016). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahsan_Manzil

In Sirajul Islam and Ahmed A. Jamal. Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.).

Taifoor,S.M. Glimpses of Old Dacca, Dhaka, 1956

Ahsan Manzil – History and visiting hours of the Old Dhaka Palace. Retrieved from http://nijhoom.com/ahsan-manzil-pink-palace/

Dani, A.H. Muslim Architecture of Bengal, Dhaka 1961