Bangabhaban
| Bangabhaban | |
|---|---|
বঙ্গভবন | |
 | |
  Location inDhaka,Bangladesh | |
| Former names | Governor's House |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Indo-Islamic |
| Location | Bangabhabhan Road,Dhaka,Bangladesh |
| Coordinates | 23°43′24″N90°25′04″E/ 23.723302°N 90.417820°E |
| Current tenants | |
| Opened | 1905 |
| Technical details | |
| Size | 50acre |
| Floor area | 202,300 m2(2,178,000 sq ft) |
| Website | |
| https://bangabhaban.gov.bd/ | |
TheBangabhaban(Bengali:বঙ্গভবনBôngobhôbôn,lit.House of Bengal) is theofficial residenceand principal workplace of thepresident of Bangladesh,located on Bangabhaban Road, and short road connectingDilkusha Avenue,Dhaka.It is surrounded by the Bangabhaban Gardens (formerly Nawab's Dilkusha Gardens).
The site hosted the Dilkusha Government House duringBritishrule which was used by theviceroy of Indiaand thegovernor of Bengal.The house was the official governor's residence ofEast Pakistanafter the creation of Pakistan. PresidentAbu Sayeed Chowdhurybecame the first Bangladeshi president to reside there after taking oath on 12 January 1972. ThePresident Guard Regimentunit is responsible for the palace's security.
History
[edit]
During the period of thesultanate of Bengal,aSufisaint,Hazrat Shahjalal DakhiniofDhaka,and his followers were killed by agents of the sultan and buried on the site of Bangabhaban. The site soon became famous as amazhar(mausoleum) for the devotees of the saint. It is conjectured that it belonged to azamindarduring the early period ofBritishrule. Later Nawab of Dhaka SirKhwaja Abdul Ghanibought the site and built a bungalow there, which he named asDilkusha Garden.
With thepartition of Bengalin 1905 byLord Curzon,the government ofEast BengalandAssambought the site and constructed a palatial house which served as a temporary residence for theViceroy of Indiauntil 1911. On 14 February 1906, SirJoseph Bamfylde Fuller,the first Lieutenant-Governor of the then province of East Bengal and Assam started his official work at the Darbar Hall of the Bangabhaban during British Rule.[1]From 1911 to 1947, the palace was called the Governor's House, and served as the official residence of thegovernor of Bengal.Following the departure of the British and the independence of the Dominion of Pakistan and Dominian of India in 1947, Bengal province officially became part of Pakistan and was known as East Bengal, the palace became the residence of thegovernor of East Bengal.In 1955 the province ofEast BengalbecameEast Pakistan.The building was damaged by a storm in 1961; substantial reconstruction was completed by 1964.
A book,Hundred Years of Bangabhaban,on the history of the Bangabhaban was published in 2006.[2]
Status
[edit]
One of the most important symbols of the Bangladeshi government, the Bangabhaban holds a status akin to the official residence and office of heads of states around the world. The palace is an important historical landmark and the centre of media and tourist attraction. Special public ceremonies are held duringIndependence Dayof Bangladesh on 26 March every year. The Bangladesh president frequently holds meetings, conferences and state dinners for all occasions representing Bangladesh, including national leaders, intellectuals and visiting foreign heads of states and ambassadors. The traditions and pomp of the palace are a symbolic indication of the presidency's ceremonial superiority to other public and national institutions.
Structure
[edit]
The Bangabhaban is a mix of Moghul architecture with touches of British era designs that typify numerous buildings of the British-era (1857–1947) in Dhaka. With the reconstruction between 1961 and 1964, many elements ofIslamic architectureand Bangla styles were incorporated. The palace has high boundary walls on all four sides. The main building is a three-storeyed palatial complex, around which stands extensive greenery and tree cover. The floorspace of the ground floor is 7000 square metres. The president's residence is on the north-east corner, comprising two storeys of two suites along with five well-furnished spacious bedrooms.
The president's office, the office of the civil and military secretaries and other presidential officials, and separate rooms for audience with local and foreign visitors are also located in the ground floor. In addition, there is a cabinet room, banquet hall,darbarhall (court), state dining hall, a small auditorium and a lounge for local visitors. In addition to the president's residence, there are five rooms for officials, a control room and a studio in the first floor. In the second floor, there are four suites for foreign heads of state and government.
The Bangabhaban has an open compound of 50 acres (20 ha) of land. The security office, post office, bank, cafeteria hall, tailoring shop, a three-domed mosque and barracks of the president's guard regiment are located in the vicinity of the main gate of the Bangabhaban. The residential quarters for officers and staff of the President's office are located in three outlying areas of Bangabhaban. There are also two bungalows one for the military secretary and the other for the assistant military secretary.
See also
[edit]- Politics of Bangladesh
- President of Bangladesh
- Prime Minister of Bangladesh
- List of presidents of Bangladesh
References
[edit]- ^"'Hundred Yrs of Bangabhaban' launched ".The Daily Star.15 February 2006. Archived fromthe originalon 4 March 2016.Retrieved13 March2014.
- ^Morshedi, Helal (27 June 2007)."Book Review: Hundred Years of Bangabhaban"(PDF).bangla-sydney.
- Bangabhabanon Banglapedia
- 100 years of Bangabhaban
- 100 years of Bangabhaban Book
