Array
(
[0] => Array
(
[name] => Millpara (Mohini Mill Area)
[post_id] => 22124
[post_link] => http://offroadbangladesh.com/places/millpara-mohini-mill-area/
[thumb_link] => http://offroadbangladesh.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/P_20151017_112833_1_p-300x169.jpg
[post_content] =>
Mohini mill was the largest factory compound area in the entire Indian territory during the year 1912. It was a textile industrial area to produce fine quality fabrics. Millpara (Mohini Mill Area) bears the proud memories of mass people and symbolizes the historic significance of Industrial development. The combined effort by Mohini Mohon Chakraborty, Poet Rabindranath Tagore, Jogot Kishore Chowdhury and Chomon Lal made this possible to establish this Mills in the year 1912 on an area of 99 bigha.
For the economical freedom of the people in this region Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman nationalize that Mills in the year 1972 and his directions paved the way to open a new unit of BMRE (Balancing Modernizing Reconstructing Engineering).
This mills was running well until 1982. Later onward this mills fall in great loss as a result of conspiracy and corruptions by few selfish people. On 5th of February 1982 this mills was announced to close its door and black day came for 3000 labors at that time. After the closing labors didn’t stop their movement for the re-opening of this Mills. Later by the order of Honorable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina this Mills re opened for the labors on 17th of February 2009. But the scheming and corruption didn’t stop. Which at last result in permanent closing and this Mills was sold to private sector in the April, 2013. For now being this Mills is closed and stopped working.
)
[1] => 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.
)
[2] => Array
(
[name] => Shahrail Boro Bari
[post_id] => 17381
[post_link] => http://offroadbangladesh.com/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.
)
[3] => Array
(
[name] => Alexander Castle
[post_id] => 21791
[post_link] => http://offroadbangladesh.com/places/alexander-castle/
[thumb_link] => http://offroadbangladesh.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/P_20151013_170743_1_p-300x169.jpg
[post_content] =>
Alexander Castle is one of the most amazing and renowned structure in Mymensingh District. It was built by Maharaja Suryo Kanta Acharya Chowdhury(মহারাজ সুর্যকান্ত আচার্য চৌধুরী) in 1879 in the memory of the 1st zilla magistrate of Mymensingh Mr. N .S Alexander at the time of Jubili festival. It covers an area of 27.155 acres.
It is a nice small archaic building having two Greek statue at both sides of the front gate. Though the arms of those statues are currently broken, but still those looks great. The whole building is placed over a high plinth, probably to avoid the flood from the nearness river.
It cost 45000 taka at that time. Alexander Castle is a two storied building made by metals and woods in a high concrete base. This building was used as a rest house for the guests of Maharaja Maharaja Soshi Kanta Acharya Chowdhury. Many great personalities of the world stayed at this castle when visiting Mymensingh city. Nobel Laureate poet Rabindranath Tagore arrived in Mymensingh around the midday of 15 February 1926. He stayed in the Alexander Castle as a guest for 4days. Mahatma Gandhi also stayed in this castle in 1926.
Lord carzon, Chittaranjan Das, Nawab Sir Salimullah, Kamal Pasha also visited Alexander Castle. This house was decorated by royal furnitures and items at that time. There is a big field in front of this house. You can see two fascinating silver statue which makes the place more beautiful. There is also a big garden and a pond still remains behind the castle. It is said that Maharaja used to keep big cats in his garden so he surrounded the garden with big still cages.At present this house is being used as library of teachers training college(male) in Mymensingh.
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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.
