All it takes is a day in Bangladesh’s bustling capital Dhaka to fall in love with it—never mind its gritty countenance and unbridled urban chaos. Here are five ways to discover the charms of this city by the Buriganga River
1. For Old Times’ Sake
I’d really suggest starting your day in the city by taking in the faded—if not lost—splendour of Old Dhaka on foot. This, I learned was the best way to explore this compact precinct of the city. A visit to the pink-hued Ahsan Manzil housed at the top end of a busy alley, is an ideal way to begin. As the former official residential palace and seat of the Dhaka Nawab Family, this 144-year-old edifice is today converted into a museum with all the regalia on full display.
Dodge your way through Dhaka’s insane traffic and pay obeisance at the serene Armenian Church in the Armanitola area. Here, you can still see old gravestones inscribed in the traditional Armenian script. Just a mere 300 meters north of the church, you will find the Sitara Mosque that is distinct, in that, its four domes are entirely decorated with mosaic tiled stars. So iconic is this mosque, that it even finds a place of glory for itself on the face of a Tk10 (ten Bangladeshi taka) note.
Finish off your blast from the past with yet another walk. This time, to the magnificent 17th Century Lalbagh Fort that is famous for being unfinished after it was allegedly cursed. It houses the very beautiful Tomb of Pari Bibi, the daughter of Shaista Khan that is in the middle of the complex. Flanking it on either side is the Diwani-i-Aam hammam and the Lalbagh Fort Mosque on the eastern side, making it a veritable ‘Taj Mahal of Bangladesh’.
2. Architectural Marvels
An easy mid-day, pre-lunch walk into the city’s downtown University area is sure to reward you with serendipitous findings like the red-brick Curzon Hall. Built in the colonial-meets-Saracenic style of architecture, this 110-year-old building, that was intended to serve as the Dhaka town hall, is today part the University’s school of science.
A little further down the road you will encounter the stunning ivory Supreme Court building and its well-manicured lawns. Next, take a detour to Central Dhaka to get a glimpse of the city’s true piece de resistance—the startlingly modern and abstract looking National Assembly Building or Jatiyo Sangsad Bhaban in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar. A true architectural marvel, built from 1961 to 1982, the building is based on the designs of American Modernist architect Louis Kahn. With a moat-like water body surrounding it, thus referencing the country’s ‘water world’ moniker, the main building is made up of huge walls deeply recessed by porticoes and large openings of regular geometric shapes that let the light stream in.
4. Have an ‘Art Attack’
If the super-popular, annual Dhaka Art Summit is any indication of this city’s prowess as a repository of art, then you better believe that the art scene here is not just alive, but thriving, even! Pay a visit to the city’s various art galleries like the eclectic Dhaka Art Centre in Dhanmondi that houses pieces by both local artists like Mishuk Munier and Ruhul Karim Rumee as well as international ones.
But if kitsch art is more your scene, then take a colourful cycle rickshaw ride to the famous Bicycle Street also called Bangsal Road. This luridly decorated part of the city, along with the adjoining Kazi Alauddin Road, is lined with shops selling bicycles of all kind, as well as with stalls that do the special pop rickshaw art that you will encounter in all its gaudy glory adorning the millions of cycle rickshaws plying all over Dhaka.
In the same area, a few yards away, at the 300-year-old Hindu Street called Shankharia Bazaar tune into the sounds of workmen fashioning intricate pieces of jewellery from gold and other precious metals. Interestingly, this area is also regarded as the ‘Ground Zero’ of Dhaka’s Hindu community and come Durga Puja season, it is transformed into an open-air arts museum where pandals are set up with idols and other assorted religious iconography for you to get your fill of.
5. A Sunset Cruise Along the Buriganga River
Finish off your Dhaka day of discovery with a languid cruise down the Buriganga River sailing on a tiny wooden boat. A grey, marshy, unappealing eyesore by day, this waterbody undergoes a remarkable metamorphosis come evening as the pink rays of the evening sun slowly light it up. You can hire a wooden boat for around TK150 (Rs 116 approx.) per hour at the chaotic Sadarghat Boat Terminal in South Dhaka and ride the placid waters of this river that gets its name from the Bangla word for old lady—bhuri.
Don’t forget to take in the spectacular sight of the large, rusty multi-storied steamer ships with funny names like ‘NASA’ and ‘Hydro King’ that take passengers on journeys to other places in in the country like Chittagong and Sundarbans. Trust me, there simply couldn’t be a more perfect way to end your tryst with Dhaka—a city that will hold you in her vice-like grip, only to release you when you give in to her unconventional charms!
What to Buy and Where?
* Colourful art work paying homage to Dhaka’s famous cycle rickshaws. Try Jatra at Kemal Ataturk Avenue for all things art and kitsch.
* Superb indigenously produced fabrics like Dhakai (jamdani) muslin and tangail that take the form of sarees, curtain material etc at the Wholesale Cloth Market at Islampur.
* Readymade apparel—as Dhaka is the center of garment production for some of the world’s top high street brands. As the12th largest mall in the world, Bashundhara City in Bashundhara is your place.
* All things jute like jute bags, shoes, slippers and home décor objects. Kumudini Handicrafts in the posh Gulshan neighbourhood of the city is a great store we’d recommend.
(An edited version of this article first appeared in the March 2018 issue of Jetwings Domestic in-flight magazine of Jet Airwayshttp://www.jetairways.com/EN/IN/jetexperience/magazines.aspx)
1. For Old Times’ Sake
I’d really suggest starting your day in the city by taking in the faded—if not lost—splendour of Old Dhaka on foot. This, I learned was the best way to explore this compact precinct of the city. A visit to the pink-hued Ahsan Manzil housed at the top end of a busy alley, is an ideal way to begin. As the former official residential palace and seat of the Dhaka Nawab Family, this 144-year-old edifice is today converted into a museum with all the regalia on full display.
Dodge your way through Dhaka’s insane traffic and pay obeisance at the serene Armenian Church in the Armanitola area. Here, you can still see old gravestones inscribed in the traditional Armenian script. Just a mere 300 meters north of the church, you will find the Sitara Mosque that is distinct, in that, its four domes are entirely decorated with mosaic tiled stars. So iconic is this mosque, that it even finds a place of glory for itself on the face of a Tk10 (ten Bangladeshi taka) note.
Finish off your blast from the past with yet another walk. This time, to the magnificent 17th Century Lalbagh Fort that is famous for being unfinished after it was allegedly cursed. It houses the very beautiful Tomb of Pari Bibi, the daughter of Shaista Khan that is in the middle of the complex. Flanking it on either side is the Diwani-i-Aam hammam and the Lalbagh Fort Mosque on the eastern side, making it a veritable ‘Taj Mahal of Bangladesh’.
2. Architectural Marvels
An easy mid-day, pre-lunch walk into the city’s downtown University area is sure to reward you with serendipitous findings like the red-brick Curzon Hall. Built in the colonial-meets-Saracenic style of architecture, this 110-year-old building, that was intended to serve as the Dhaka town hall, is today part the University’s school of science.
A little further down the road you will encounter the stunning ivory Supreme Court building and its well-manicured lawns. Next, take a detour to Central Dhaka to get a glimpse of the city’s true piece de resistance—the startlingly modern and abstract looking National Assembly Building or Jatiyo Sangsad Bhaban in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar. A true architectural marvel, built from 1961 to 1982, the building is based on the designs of American Modernist architect Louis Kahn. With a moat-like water body surrounding it, thus referencing the country’s ‘water world’ moniker, the main building is made up of huge walls deeply recessed by porticoes and large openings of regular geometric shapes that let the light stream in.
4. Have an ‘Art Attack’
If the super-popular, annual Dhaka Art Summit is any indication of this city’s prowess as a repository of art, then you better believe that the art scene here is not just alive, but thriving, even! Pay a visit to the city’s various art galleries like the eclectic Dhaka Art Centre in Dhanmondi that houses pieces by both local artists like Mishuk Munier and Ruhul Karim Rumee as well as international ones.
But if kitsch art is more your scene, then take a colourful cycle rickshaw ride to the famous Bicycle Street also called Bangsal Road. This luridly decorated part of the city, along with the adjoining Kazi Alauddin Road, is lined with shops selling bicycles of all kind, as well as with stalls that do the special pop rickshaw art that you will encounter in all its gaudy glory adorning the millions of cycle rickshaws plying all over Dhaka.
In the same area, a few yards away, at the 300-year-old Hindu Street called Shankharia Bazaar tune into the sounds of workmen fashioning intricate pieces of jewellery from gold and other precious metals. Interestingly, this area is also regarded as the ‘Ground Zero’ of Dhaka’s Hindu community and come Durga Puja season, it is transformed into an open-air arts museum where pandals are set up with idols and other assorted religious iconography for you to get your fill of.
5. A Sunset Cruise Along the Buriganga River
Finish off your Dhaka day of discovery with a languid cruise down the Buriganga River sailing on a tiny wooden boat. A grey, marshy, unappealing eyesore by day, this waterbody undergoes a remarkable metamorphosis come evening as the pink rays of the evening sun slowly light it up. You can hire a wooden boat for around TK150 (Rs 116 approx.) per hour at the chaotic Sadarghat Boat Terminal in South Dhaka and ride the placid waters of this river that gets its name from the Bangla word for old lady—bhuri.
Don’t forget to take in the spectacular sight of the large, rusty multi-storied steamer ships with funny names like ‘NASA’ and ‘Hydro King’ that take passengers on journeys to other places in in the country like Chittagong and Sundarbans. Trust me, there simply couldn’t be a more perfect way to end your tryst with Dhaka—a city that will hold you in her vice-like grip, only to release you when you give in to her unconventional charms!
What to Buy and Where?
* Colourful art work paying homage to Dhaka’s famous cycle rickshaws. Try Jatra at Kemal Ataturk Avenue for all things art and kitsch.
* Superb indigenously produced fabrics like Dhakai (jamdani) muslin and tangail that take the form of sarees, curtain material etc at the Wholesale Cloth Market at Islampur.
* Readymade apparel—as Dhaka is the center of garment production for some of the world’s top high street brands. As the12th largest mall in the world, Bashundhara City in Bashundhara is your place.
* All things jute like jute bags, shoes, slippers and home décor objects. Kumudini Handicrafts in the posh Gulshan neighbourhood of the city is a great store we’d recommend.
(An edited version of this article first appeared in the March 2018 issue of Jetwings Domestic in-flight magazine of Jet Airwayshttp://www.jetairways.com/EN/IN/jetexperience/magazines.aspx)
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDelete