Gouripur Lodge

Type: Building / Skyscraper

Contributed By: ,Nayeem

Brief

Gouripur Lodge (গৌরীপুর লজ) is a signature of golden Zamindari period and an old edifice in Mymensingh town. This archaic building is located near the main town. One can go there using rickshaw easily. It is very near to the Boro Bazar. Though, the purpose and time of establishment is not known to all; however, it can be discovered if further research is conducted there.

It was made using iron, tin and wood. Structure of the building is similar to the Zamindar Mansion of that period. History tells that it was built by Brozendra Kishor Ray Chowdhury (ব্রজেন্দ্র কিশোর রায় চৌধুরী).

Now it is being used as Sonali Bank Corporate office of Mymensingh city. Government officers and few of their subordinates are currently living at that mansion. It has around 20 rooms inside. Anyone can visit there at anytime. You may not have the permission to enter inside, but easily can get access to the mansion premises.

How to go

It is located near Mymensingh Zero Point and Boro Bazar area. You may Just ask to the local people for Sonali Bank and they will direct you to it.

How To Reach: Mymensingh District

Mymensingh city is located about 120 km (75 mi) north of Dhaka which is the capital of the country. There is no airport in Mymensingh. Dhaka airport is approximately 110 km (4.00 hours drive) from Mymensingh by bus. There are several bus services from Dhaka to Mymensingh. Buses leave from the Mohakhali bus stand (10 km south of Dhaka Airport) in Dhaka to the Mashkanda bus stand in Mymensingh. You can get on any of the following buses from the Mohakhali bus stand in Dhaka, which will cost around Tk. 350 ($4):

1. Shoukhin
2. Ena
3. SEPL

There are several train services from Dhaka to Mymensingh. It takes almost 3 hours to reach Mymensingh from Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. You can get on from the Dhaka Airport or you could go to the main train station-Komlapur Rail Station.

By Road
By Train

The main bus terminal is Mahstandar bus station, 3km from the Station Rd Circle. Between 6am and 6pm you can get a bus to a zillion places including Tangail (Tk 80, 2½ hours), Madhupur (Tk 40, 45 minutes), Dhaka (Tk 80, 4½ hours) and Bogra (Tk 140, 4½ hours).

The bus stand for Haluaghat and other destinations on the other side of the Brahmaputra River is, logically, at the bridge. Buses to Haluaghat (Tk 45, 1½ hours) leave regularly between 8am and 7pm.

Every day from the capital Dhaka to Mymensingh, a total of 7 mail trains comes in till 11:00 am. Four of the seven are intercity express train, others are local. These trains come to Mymensingh through to Tongi-gaffargaon from Dhaka. 3 out of 4 go to Tarakandi and 1 go to Dhaka-mohanganj. Per day 3 local train arrives at Mymensingh from Dhaka. 1 in 3 of the local trains come to Mymensingh via Bhairab-Kisorganj-gauripur, the other two comes Mymensingh via gaffargaon.

Where to Stay

1. Hotel Hera
Address: 36/B S. K. Moharaja Road
Phone: +8801711167880, +8801714414212
24 hours internet facility at the lobbey of the Hotel Hera. Internet is absolutely free for the people staying at the hotel.

2. Hotel Amir International
Address:Palika Shopping Centre, 46 Station Rd Mymensingh
Phone: 01711167948, 09151500

3. Hotel Mustafiz International
Address: 6/B Gangadas Guha Rd, Mymensingh
Phone: 09163870

4. Nirala Rest House
Address: 67 Chotto Bazar Mymensingh
Phone: 091 67384

Eating Facilities

The place is near Shambhugonj Bridge. There are a lot of local restaurants in here.

Travel Tips

Walk ahead and visit the Pourashabha Building too.

Map

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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.

) [1] => Array ( [name] => Niyogi House [post_id] => 16728 [post_link] => http://offroadbangladesh.com/places/niyogi-house/ [thumb_link] => http://offroadbangladesh.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/niyogee-house-8-300x200.jpg [post_content] =>

The Niyogi House (নিয়গি বাড়ি) is located at Pukur Para (পুকুর পাড়া) of Singair Upazila. It is a old house built by Ganesh Chandra Niyogi more than 100 years ago. The household comprises of three structures, the principal and largest one is in severe ruins. Not only has the entire roof fallen down, anything that once formed this roof has now disappeared. The large arched doors and windows including their frames too are not to be found anywhere. It had a spacious corridor running the length of the building inside.

Another large building, though too in a dilapidated state is currently being used as the hostel of the local college. The smallest structure that once served as the kitchen has been renovated and is currently being used as accommodation by the Head of the Department of Economics of the same institution. He was there to proudly show us around the premises.

Within the inner compound of the buildings, there is an old well, which shows more waste than water some fifteen feet below. Date inscribed there 1334 Falgun (ফালগুণ) on the wall of this well, declaring this to be at least 87 years old.

) [2] => Array ( [name] => Judge Bari and Ukil Bari [post_id] => 10277 [post_link] => http://offroadbangladesh.com/places/judge-bari-and-ukil-bari/ [thumb_link] => http://offroadbangladesh.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/110-300x169.jpg [post_content] =>

Traveling Nawabganj without paying a visit to Judge Bari and Ukil Bari (জজ বাড়ি এবং উকিল বাড়ি) (formerly known as Brojo Kutir) is nearly incomplete trip. Originally it was built as the residence of a Zamindar over a century ago, the Brojo Niketan was acquired by a judge in 1984, and henceforth became known locally as the judge bari, the residence of the judge.

Next door to the judge bari, on a corner of a sprawling playground made famous by the sheer attendance of Mahatma Gandhi in 1940, is another Zamindar’s house, which has been acquired by a lawyer, and thus taken the new name Ukil Bari.

In a small shrine between these two old palatial houses, one will come across a statue whose head has been knocked down, allegedly by the Pakistan Army during our Liberation War in 1971, supposedly of Gautama Buddha. A little inside the Ansar controlled areas, one would come across the Brojo Kutir - the older palace of the Zamindar, and yet another palatial house of Kokil Peyari. It has now turned into a local picnic spot.

) [3] => Array ( [name] => Shoshi Lodge ( Women Teachers Training College) [post_id] => 22126 [post_link] => http://offroadbangladesh.com/places/shoshi-lodge/ [thumb_link] => http://offroadbangladesh.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Shoshi-Lodge-4-300x169.jpg [post_content] =>

Shoshi Lodge (শশী লজ) is located at the center of Mymensingh city which is also known as the Residential Palace of Moharaja Shoshi Kanto Acharya (মহারাজা শশীকান্ত আচার্য). This palace is very close to the river Brahmaputra which is being used as Women Teachers Training College from the year 1952.

According to the history, most of the rulers from Zamindar family have adopted babies in different era and those adopted child ruled the area later. For example Gourikanta(গৌরীকান্ত) was adopted by Roghunondon(রঘুনন্দন). Son of Gourikanta was Shashikanta(শশীকান্ত) and his wife adopted Surjokanta (সূর্য্যকান্ত) as she was childless. Later, Surjokanto became the prominent Zamindar of Mymensingh district. People used to call him as Moharaja(মহারাজা).

Moharaja Surjokanto Acharya was the Zamindar in Mymensingh region for long 41 years. During the reign of his Zamindari he did so many work for social welfare and made a remarkable change in infrastructural development.

He started to build an unique two storied building on an area of nine acre at the end of nineteenth century. Childless Zamindar Surjokanto named after this building in the name of his adopted son Shoshi Kanto Acharya. After completion of construction this building was extensively damaged by a destructive earth quake on the year 1897. Zamindar Surjokanto was immensely worried at this great loss.

Later Zamindar Shoshi Kanto Acharya re-built this building with many additional features in the year 1905 and did more renovation work in 1911. This unique classical architecture and its surrounding will certainly attract a traveler to explore this place recurrently.

) )

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