We went on our last sight seeing visit of our time here today to a place about an hour and a half out of Dhaka called Sonargaon. Sonargaon was the capital of East Bengal until the Mughals took power in the 17th century when they moved their capital to Dhaka which they thought was more strategic and easier to defend. The highlight of the day was a visit to Painam Nagar. This used to be a flourishing town, I think because it was a centre of trade for textiles, the area was once famous for producing and selling muslin cloth and for a particular type of weaving called Jamdani. Anyway, I can't find out much about this place but it is fascinating! It was built between 1895 and 1905 during the reign of the British Empire in India. The town is really just one long winding street with about 50 town houses that belonged to wealthy Hindu merchants. You'll see from the photos but these houses are just the most amazing old colonial houses, each one different with loads of decorative features. This whole street of houses remains but no one lives there anymore. It's a ghost town. The Lonely Planet explains why....
"At the time of Partition, many owners fled to India, leaving their elegant homes in the care of poor tenants, who did nothing to maintain them. Most of the remaining owners pulled out during the anti-Hindu riots of 1964, which led up to the 1965 Indo-Pakistan War."
So you have this road, full of incredible examples of colonial architecture and no one is really bothered about it. A few of the houses have people who live in them but the majority are just empty. Unfortunately they were boarded up so we couldn't get in them but you could walk right around the back of some of the larger ones and feel like you were properly exploring them. It is a crime really that the government aren't preserving these buildings as they are beautiful and they would make a GREAT tourist attraction if you restored them and fitted them out as they might have been (I would like that job). You can imagine the tiled floors with big pot plants and curtains blowing in the breeze, with the lady of the house having tea on the veranda! Oh I just want to go back in time and see what it was like! On the other hand, I think it's because they are decaying that they are so beautiful. The rain created amazing colours on the walls and the fact that bits are falling off all the buildings just adds to the charm and mystery of this place. It was really like stepping back in time to a deserted old colonial town. I hope the photos do it justice, it was a privilege to see it.
"At the time of Partition, many owners fled to India, leaving their elegant homes in the care of poor tenants, who did nothing to maintain them. Most of the remaining owners pulled out during the anti-Hindu riots of 1964, which led up to the 1965 Indo-Pakistan War."
So you have this road, full of incredible examples of colonial architecture and no one is really bothered about it. A few of the houses have people who live in them but the majority are just empty. Unfortunately they were boarded up so we couldn't get in them but you could walk right around the back of some of the larger ones and feel like you were properly exploring them. It is a crime really that the government aren't preserving these buildings as they are beautiful and they would make a GREAT tourist attraction if you restored them and fitted them out as they might have been (I would like that job). You can imagine the tiled floors with big pot plants and curtains blowing in the breeze, with the lady of the house having tea on the veranda! Oh I just want to go back in time and see what it was like! On the other hand, I think it's because they are decaying that they are so beautiful. The rain created amazing colours on the walls and the fact that bits are falling off all the buildings just adds to the charm and mystery of this place. It was really like stepping back in time to a deserted old colonial town. I hope the photos do it justice, it was a privilege to see it.
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| What must have been a grand hall, now roofless. |
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| One of the grander mansions that has now been turned into a folk art museum. |
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| One of the most beautiful buildings in Panaim Nagar. |
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| Look at the tiles still on the floor! And the amazing pillars! |
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| Chris found some time for a game of cricket with the local boys. |
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| After the wonder of Panaim Nagar, we popped in to see the rather less captivating Bangladeshi Taj Mahal, a small, naf, version of the real thing. Bangladeshi's were asking us all day if they could photograph us, we now feature in many family portraits!? |
Chloe
P.S. More photos on FB if you are interested!
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