Dhaka CITYWALK (Part II) | Colonial Memories in Pink

When the British East India Company effectively controlled North India and the Bengal region, the declining Mughal Empire gradually exited the historical stage. In Bengal, the British began to support the large landlord families that were close to them—the Khwaja family from Dhaka. This family originally migrated from the Kashmir region as merchants and, after a century of wealth accumulation, became one of the largest landlords in Bengal. In 1843, Queen Elizabeth of England granted the family patriarch Khwaja Alimullah the hereditary title of nawab and bestowed great privileges upon the family. Although they had no ruling power, the nawabs of Dhaka played an important role in the political ecology of Bengal and even South Asia at the time, and actively participated in the municipal construction of Dhaka during the British Indian period. The Ahsan Manzil Pink Palace is a symbol of the wealth and power of the nawabs of colonial Dhaka. This Indian Saracenic-style building is known as the 'Pink Palace' because of its pink-painted exterior. Khwaja Alimullah bought it from the French in 1830 and converted it into his residence. His son Abdul Ghani inherited it and carried out extensive renovations, naming it Ahsan Manzil after his son Ahsanullah; however, a tornado in 1888 almost completely destroyed the most luxurious building in Dhaka at the time, prompting father and son to rebuild it. The Ahsan Manzil we see today is essentially the result of that reconstruction. It was the most important venue for the elite of Dhaka, hosting almost all the British viceroys and government dignitaries, and witnessed the birth of the All-India Muslim League, which later facilitated the partition of India and Pakistan. After Ahsanullah's death, the nawab family declined due to internal strife, and Ahsan Manzil even became a slum. In 1952, the government of Bangladesh purchased the dilapidated Ahsan Manzil, and in 1985, the National Museum restored it based on old photographs left by a British journalist, and opened it as a museum. Copies of these photographs, as well as before-and-after comparison photos of the restoration of Ahsan Manzil, can be seen in the exhibition hall. Ahsan Manzil tells the story of the building and the memories of its past owners, as well as the luxurious life of Dhaka's high society. This huge mansion has countless rooms, such as the vault, dining room, billiard hall, master bedroom, reception room, staircase, ballroom, guest rooms, etc., displaying the Nawab's personal belongings, including daily necessities, weapons, porcelain, sports equipment, and even the huge skull of his favorite elephant named Feroz Jung. Another building from that era worth seeing is the Rose Garden Palace. This Indian Saracenic-style garden villa is not as large as Ahsan Manzil but is more exquisite. It was built by a low-caste Hindu landlord named Hrishikesh Das at the end of the 19th century. It is said that he was humiliated because of his low caste and built this luxurious villa in a fit of pique, which ultimately led to his financial ruin and the sale of the villa. Interestingly, in 1949, the Awami League was formed here to counter the All-India Muslim League, and it remains a major force in the politics of Bangladesh to this day. When I visited, the mansion was still private property, but the government bought it in 2018 and will further convert it into a museum.