Arpara Munshi Bari

Type: Palace

Contributed By: Nayeem

Brief

Arpara Munshi Bari (আড়পাড়া মুন্সীবাড়ী) is located near at Arpara (আড়পাড়া) of Gopalganj district. This is situated beside a man-made straight canal named ‘Beel Route Canal‘. This is mainly a two stored building and not that much older. But due to lack of care (and also the owner shifted to new place) it is a haunted house now a days.

The windows of this house are missing, doors are gone; trees have grown over this building and started covering it. You can hear lot of chirping sounds of birds; but it is actually a hideout for the bats. Thousands of bats you can see hanging upside down from the roof, and lot of them are flying randomly around and making the noise. It looked slight scary, but an amazing thing to watch.

Probably it’s around 50-60 years of old building and built by a rich family having family/surname Minshi (মুন্সী). They are still powerful, and prominent there by status and wealth. There are few other buildings available near this one and people are living there. Possibly they have shifted from here.

How to go

This Arpara Munshi Bari is located at Arpara village which is slight far from the main Gopalganj town. We have gone there through the Nimtoli Mor (23° 2’5.37″N, 89°48’24.12″E) and returned back through another way. It will be better if you visit this place using the path that one we have used for exit. Here we go:

1) Get down from the bus at the place near Arpara on the Dhaka-Gopalganj or Tekerghat-Gopalganj highway. GPS coordinate of the dropping point is (23° 3’3.16″N, 89°49’1.04″E).

2) Cross the river (actually it’s a canal) using the boat. Its 2 taka per person. But the boatman is a handicap guy and if you pay him more, it will be helpful for him.

3) Arpara Munshi Bari is just at the other side of the canal, and GPS coordinate of the house is (23° 3’3.13″N, 89°48’50.81″E).

How To Reach: Gopalganj District

Gopalganj district is located 140 km away from Dhaka via Mawa Ferry Ghat.

By Road

1. Modhumoti Paribahan

Gopalganj to Saydabad/Gulistan via Mawa Ferry Ghat
Mobile: 01716019937 (Gopalganj)
01711900619 (Dhaka)

2. Tungipara Express

Gopalganj to Saydabad/Gulistan via Mawa Ferry Ghat
Mobile: 01716479631 (Gopalganj)
01716211642 (Dhaka)

3. dola Paribahan

Gopalganj to Saydabad/Gulistan via Mawa Ferry Ghat
mobile: 01711311756 (Gopalganj)
01199030181 (Dhaka)

4. Comfort Line
Gopalganj to Saydabad/Gulistan via Paturia Ferry Ghat
Mobile: 01716453061

Where to Stay

1. Circuit House, Gopalganj
Contact to: Nejarot ( নেজারত ) Deputy Collector
Phone: 02-6685234 & 02-6685565

2. Zilla Parishad Cottage, Gopalganj
Contact to: Chief Executive Officer, Zila Parishad
Phone: 0668-61204

3. Hotel Modhumoti, Tungipara, Gopalganj
Contact to: Mr. Sheikh Ahmed Hossain Mirza
Phone: 02-6656349
Mobile: 01712-563227

4. Hotel Rana, Chourangi, Gopalganj
Contact to: Mr. Siraj Uddin Ahmed
Phone: 02-6685172

5. Hotel Shohag, Post Office Road, Gopalganj
Contact to: Mr. Shohrab Hossain
Phone: 0668-61740

Eating Facilities

You can find many more hotels and restaurant here to stay and eating. Referred to where to eat in Gopalganj district, click here

Map

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Nawab Faizunnesa Choudhurani (1834–1903) was Zamindar of Homnabad-Pashchimgaon Estate in present-day Comilla District, Bangladesh. She is most famous for her campaign for female education and other social issues. In appreciation of her social work, in 1889 Queen Victoria awarded Faizunnesa the title of "Nawab", making her the first female Nawab in South Asia.

Early life and background: Nawab Faizunnesa Chowdhurani was born in 1834 in the village of Pashchimgaon under Laksham in the district of Comilla. Her father was Ahmed Ali Chowdhury, a descendent of the Mughal emperors and zamindar of Homnabad-Pashchimgaon estate. Faizunnessa was raised in a conservative Muslim family, where the women would maintain a strict purdah system. She received no formal education but she educated herself in her library during leisure time. She was proficient in Arabic, Persian, Sanskrit and Bengali language. In 1860, Faizunnesa was married to a distant cousin and neighboring Zamindar, Muhammad Gazi, becoming his second wife. But the couple became separated for an unknown reason and Faizunnesa began to live with her paternal family.

Career and philanthropy: After her mother's death in 1883, Faizunnesa inherited her property and became Zamindar of Pashchimgaon. She became increasingly involved in social work after becoming Zamindar. In 1873, Faizunnesa Choudhurani established a high school for girls in Comilla, which is one of the earliest female schools privately established in Indian subcontinent, which is now called Nawab Faizunnesa Government Girls' High School. She also founded a school at Pashchimgaon that was later upgraded to a college and now named as Nawab Faizunnesa Degree College.

In 1893, Faizunnesa established a charitable dispensary in her village for women in purdah, particularly destitute women. She also built a hospital for women, Faizunnesa Zenana Hospital in Comilla. In addition, she built mosques and contributed towards the development of roads and ponds. Faizunnesa patronized different newspapers and periodicals, including Bandhab, Dhaka Prakash, Musalman Bandhu, Sudhakar, and Islam Pracharak. Before her death in 1903 she donated her entire property to the nation.

) [1] => Array ( [name] => Kakina Zamindar Bari [post_id] => 4781 [post_link] => http://offroadbangladesh.com/places/kakina-zamindar-bari/ [thumb_link] => http://offroadbangladesh.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/kakina-Zamindar-Bari-1-300x216.jpg [post_content] =>

Kakina Zamindar Bari is situated about 30 km distance from Lalmonirhat district in Kakina Union at Kakina moujai. Maharaja Mod Narayan's time Kakina was a Chakla of kocabihar. Indra Narayana Chakraborty was then the cakaladara of kakina. In 1687 the Fouzdar Ebadat khan declared war against King Mod Narayan and went to koachbihar and that time two sons of Raghu Ram Raghabendo Narayan and Ram Narayan took the support of the Fouzdar. After being filed in this war of Moghals Endra Narayan was removed from the post of Chakladar and Raghabendra Narayan was elected for Porgona 62 and Ram Narayan was elected for Kakina. As this the Chakladari of Indra Narayan Chakrawarti was finished. In 1687 that estate started in time of Ram Narayan finished in the period of Mahendra Ranjon for his unforeseen costs. When he failed to back the revenue of government his estate was sold in auction in 1925 and go under court of words. After that he left Kakina as a destitute state. He breathe last in Karsiang. For image, Click here

) [2] => Array ( [name] => Boro Katra [post_id] => 9883 [post_link] => http://offroadbangladesh.com/places/boro-katra/ [thumb_link] => http://offroadbangladesh.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/P_20150610_1254411-169x300.jpg [post_content] =>

Boro Katra (বড় কাটরা) was built between 1644 and 1646 AD to be the official residence of Mughal prince Shah Shuja, the second son of emperor Shah Jahan. The prince endowed it to his diwan and the builder of the serai, Abul Qasim. The word Katra may have originated from Arabic word Katara which means colonnaded building.

It is a historical and architectural monument located in Old Dhaka, Bangladesh.‘Katra or katara’ in Arabic and Persian means ‘Caravan (Karwan) Sarai’ or simply a ‘Sarai’. It is a palatial building dating to the reign of the Mughal dynasty in the Bengal region. It is situated to the south of Chowk Bazar close to the north bank of the river Buriganga.

Words from the Second inscription of north gateway: “Sultan Shah Shuja Bahadur was famed for deeds of charity-Wherefore being hopeful of the mercy of God his slave Abul Qasim al-Husainia-Tabtaba, As Simnai, Built this sacred edifice endowing it with twenty two shops attached to it, o the rightful and lawful condition that the official in charge of the endowment should expend the income derived from them upon the repairs of the building and upon the poor, and that they should not take any rent from any deserving person alighting there in, so that the pious act may reflect upon the monarch in this world and they should not act otherwise, or else they would be called on the day of retribution. This inscription was composed by Sad-ud-din Muhammad Sherazi” (Dacca, p.193 by prof. A.H. Dani)

Architectural Property: The building's architecture follows the traditional pattern of the Central Asia's caravanserai and is embellished as per Mughal architecture. It originally enclosed a quadrangular courtyard surrounded by shops and was overlooked by a row of 22 living cells in each wing. Two gateways were built in the northern and southern wing. The southern wing is a two-storeyed structure and extends 223' along the river. It is marked in the middle by the southern gateway, an elaborate three storied central archway framed within a projected rectangular bay that provides access to the courtyard. The underside of the arched alcove of the gateway is adorned with intricate plasterwork. The wall surface around the spandrels with plastered panels in relief contain a variety of forms such as four-centred, cusped, horse shoe and flat arches. Each wing is two storied and the corners are marked by tall octagonal towers.

) [3] => Array ( [name] => {:en}Dharampasha Zamindar Bari{:}{:bn}ধর্মপাশা জমিদারবাড়ি{:} [post_id] => 6396 [post_link] => http://offroadbangladesh.com/places/dharampasha-zamindar-bari/ [thumb_link] => http://offroadbangladesh.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Dhormopasha-Jomidarbari-1-300x169.jpg [post_content] => {:en}

Dharampasha Land lord’s home/Zamindar Bari is just in the bank of the Tanguar Haor. It is an ideal place to visit once someone comes to see the beauty of Tanguar hoar. It’s a very ancient home. Currently it is very decrepit & worn out.

{:}{:bn}ধর্মপাশা জমিদারবাড়ি সুনামগঞ্জ জেলার ধর্মপাশা উপজেলায় অবস্থিত। এই জমিদারবাড়িটি টাঙ্গুয়ার হাওড়ের তীরে অবস্থিত তাই টাঙ্গুয়ার হাওড়ে বেড়াতে আসলে প্রাচীন এই জমিদার বাড়িটি দেখতে আসতে পারেন। বর্তমানে এই জমিদারবাড়িটি রক্ষণাবেক্ষণের অভাবে হুমকির মুখে রয়েছে।{:} ) )

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