Array
(
[0] => Array
(
[name] => Shahrail Boro Bari
[post_id] => 17381
[post_link] => http://offroadbangladesh.com/bn/places/shahrail-boro-bari/
[thumb_link] => http://offroadbangladesh.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/shahrail-boro-bari-11-300x224.jpg
[post_content] =>
If you are travelling Singair Upazila of Manikganj District then there will be a significant number of options come to your hand for paying a visit. A traveler or explorer who is interested in travelling old houses, then we may suggest whenever you will reach there at Singair Bazar, you would rather take a left turn and cover a distance of around 7-8 km to get there at the old house name Shahrail Boro Bari (সাহরাইল বড় বাড়ি) situated nearby Charigram Bazar. We could not revealed actual history as it is not being well documented anywhere about this Old House.
It seems hard for ORB (Offroad Bangladesh) team to recover the elaborate background history of this place until there is any publication or thesis report being found. We observed people calling this house a zamindar Palace as it is very common trends in our country to name a Old house Zamindar Bari .
So far our experts team can assume is that this House could be a part of Zamindari estate previously as we have discovered so many palatial houses around the same district. But considering the structure, the building layout, and the decorative patterns that are still visible in open eyes we can say at best, it was possibly the residential block of the eminent officials of the estate.
Interviewing the local folks we came to know that this property belonged to two Saha brothers named Ram Mohon Saha and Koushik Saha who allegedly sold off the property to its current owner a former Member of Parliament, before migrating to India. The owner we were told is planning on dismantling the damages and renovating the building.
)
[1] => Array
(
[name] => Khelaram Datar Kotha
[post_id] => 10252
[post_link] => http://offroadbangladesh.com/bn/places/andharkotha-khelaram-datar-kotha/
[thumb_link] => http://offroadbangladesh.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/18-225x300.jpg
[post_content] =>
Previously, the actual color of Khelaram Datar Kotha (খেলারাম দাতার কোঠা) was reddish (first three photographs added). But after a renovation done by the Department of archaeology, it is colored white now.
Possibly the most intriguing, interesting and uniquely confusing archeological structures of Nawabganj is the Khelaram Daata’r Kotha, which has recently been renovated. Yet they have not put up a sign board describing the building.
It is confusing, who was Khelaram? What was he known for? What is this building all about? What is the story behind it? When was it built? One could come up with several such questions, but apparently there isn’t much available documentation. It’s hardly possibly to rely on local folklore, as that is far more fiction than facts. To start with some confusion, some say the name of the founder of this structure was Khelaram Dutta, Banglapedia mentions him as Khelaram Dada, while the locals say he was known as Khelaram Daata.
According to Banglapedia he was a Zamindar, but the locals claim he was a dacoit. Since Banglapedia mentions nothing about him apart from naming him as Zamindar Khelaram Dada. So, there isn’t any other way except relating oral history along with the information of Banglapedia.
Some 200 years ago, there lived a ferocious dacoit named Khelaram, who was dreaded by the rich, but loved by the poor, because similar to Robin Hood, he generously donated much of his spoils from each mission amongst the poor people. Hence he was known as “Daata” the beneficent. But he still retained quite a bit and needed to store the loot. So he built this structure consisting of many rooms just overnight (within a short time). The building had five floors (it now has only two) and the roof had a large tank. There still is a large pond nearby. Poor people had to come to this pond to bathe, and anything they asked for was granted.
Oral History Or Myth :
Khelaram was extremely obedient to his mother. She once wanted to drink some milk and eat some ripened bananas, so Khelaram arranged the rooftop tank to be filled to the brim with ripened bananas and pure milk, so she could swim there and eat and drink to her heart’s content. But one day something Khelaram did severely angered his mother. She sternly rebuked and cursed him and then left for a bath in the pond. But as soon as she left the building, three floors of the building simply sank into the ground, leaving only the top two floors to be seen over the surface. Khelaram was not seen any more from then. Some believe he got trapped in one of the lower floors. Some believe he drowned in the pond, trying to save his mother. Within a short time, all his belongings got stolen, leaving behind just an empty house.
)
[2] => Array
(
[name] => Ghoshal Bari Zamindar Palace
[post_id] => 11775
[post_link] => http://offroadbangladesh.com/bn/places/ghoshal-bari-zamindar-palace/
[thumb_link] => http://offroadbangladesh.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/IMG_20150527_135541718-300x169.jpg
[post_content] =>
Ghoshal Bari Zamindar Palace, About 150 years old (now rebuilt) zamindar bari is located just nearby the Radha-Krisna temple with its outstanding view at Khilpara, South Betka village, Tongibari Upazila, Munshiganj District.
[This spot needs more information. If you have information, please be advised to add in our website. Your name will be published as a Content Contributor]
)
[3] => Array
(
[name] => The Central Cooperative Bank
[post_id] => 15727
[post_link] => http://offroadbangladesh.com/bn/places/the-central-cooperative-bank-2/
[thumb_link] => http://offroadbangladesh.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/The-Central-Cooperative-Bank10-300x225.jpg
[post_content] =>
The Central Cooperative Bank was established in 1921 during the British Period, under the then British Lord [Lawrence John Lumley Dundas, 2nd Marquess of Zetland]. All the transactions of his area where held and maintained by this bank. From the architectural point of view, undoubtedly this building holds the year old history. It is considered to be the oldest bank in Natore region. The foundation of the bank was laid by The Honorable Nawab Saiyed Nawab Ali Chowdhury Khan Bahadur C. I. E. on 15th February 1921.
The condition of this building is not good, as this years old structure has not been renovated yet and remain forsaken or excluded. Also, the government has not been any precautions to preserve this building. Now, it is being using by local people for some other purposes. The local government authority should take steps to save this historical attraction.
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The splendid building still stands tall along the bank of the Kumar River beckoning the people passing by it to have a look of its grandeur and magnificence. None can resist the temptation of taking a look at the captivating old structure when one passes by it.
In the absence of proper maintenance and renovation, weeds have grown in and around the house while the mossy bricks are crumbling down from the decaying structure. The house has lost much of its charm of terracotta due to the authorities’ negligence. Locals have already taken away many of the bricks, plaques, wooden doors and windows. The house has become a safe haven for drug addicts and gamblers due to lack of proper initiatives for its preservation and maintenance. Local people use the building as their cowshed and it has turned into the public toilet.
