Burdwan House
Burdwan House also known as Bardhaman House is a historic building in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is currently used as the museum of Bangla Academy. Built in 1906 during the British colonial period, this building, deeply associated with Bangladesh's political, cultural, and language movement history, is a notable example of architecture combining Mughal and European styles. Many prominent figures, including Rabindranath Tagore, Kazi Nazrul Islam, and Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, stayed here as guests.
Etymology
Burdwan House was originally known as Sujatpur Palace. It takes its name from the Sujatpur settlement in the Ramna area, one of two communities founded during the tenure of Islam Khan I alongside Mohallah Kishtiyan. The tract now occupied by the Faculty of Arts of University of Dhaka formed part of Sujatpur, hence the palace's original designation. From 1919 to 1924, Maharaja of Burdwan Sir Bijay Chand Mahtab as a member of the Governor's Executive Council of undivided Bengal, visited Dhaka annually and lodged here as a royal guest. Over time, the building came to be referred to simply as Burdwan House.History
Construction and colonial era
Burdwan House was built in 1906 during the British colonial period. After the partition of Bengal in 1905 and Dhaka's elevation to the status of the provincial capital, construction began for residences and offices for high-ranking domestic and foreign government officials along with Old High Court Building, Curzon Hall and others. The building was then two storeys, with staff quarters behind it. In 1911 the partition of Bengal was annulled and Dhaka lost its status as provincial capital. To address the dissatisfaction of the influential Muslim leaders of East Bengal, especially the Nawabs of Dhaka, British government established the University of Dhaka and arranged for the Governor's three executive council members to hold a meeting in Dhaka once a year. To accommodate the three visiting Council members, the government constructed there official residences. Among these, Burdwan house was, according to some sources, built in 1911 for Maharaja of Burdwan. Until 1947, Burdwan House was mainly used as a guest house for high-ranking government officials. From 1919 to 1924, Maharaja Sir Bijay Chand Mahtab of Burdwan as one of the members of the Governor's Executive Council of Bengal visited Dhaka annually and stayed in this house as a royal guest.On July 1, 1921 University of Dhaka was formal inaugurated in the Ramna area and Burdwan House fell within the university's premises. Consequently, the house served as accommodation for university students and faculty members for a period.
From 1945 onward, the building was used for various cultural events and exhibitions. It continued to serve as a guesthouse until 1947.
Chief Minister's residence and language movement
From 14 August 1947 to 1954, Burdwan House served as the official residence of the Chief Minister of East Pakistan. The first two Chief Ministers of East Bengal, Khawaja Nazimuddin and Nurul Amin, lived in this house. As a result, all policies and schemes against the public interest of East Bengal were carried out from this Burdwan House. As the Chief Minister's residence, Burdwan House became a significant symbol of the Bengali language movement.On 5 December 1947, students and teachers of the University of Dhaka marched to this building and demanded that Bengali be made one of the state languages to a meeting of the Muslim League Working Committee. On the evening of 8 January 1948, the leaders of the language movement met with then-Chief Minister Khawaja Nazimuddin at Burdwan House, demanding Bengali as one of the state languages and protesting the arrest and persecution of language movement activists. Again, before the signing of the State Language agreement on 15 March 1948, a meeting was held here between Chief Minister Nazimuddin and the protesting students. On 15 March 1948 at Burdwan House, the eight-point agreement of the State Language Action Council was signed with Khawaja Nazimuddin. On 16 March, a procession marched towards Burdwan House demanding the annulment of the agreement, and during the march police attacked and injured the students.
On 13 January 1948, the East Pakistan Muslim League distributed a booklet titled "East Pakistan's unfortunate public, You must justify our demands" in front of Burdwan House. About 300 people gathered in front of the house interested in meeting with the influential ministers. As they were not permitted to enter the house, the gathering dispersed without any incident. On 30 January 1952, students and the public held a demonstration in front of this building.
During the language movement, the Chief Minister Nurul Amin resided in Burdwan House. The order to fire on the language movement protesters was issued from this building. A written order to fire on the protesters was handed over to the police from Burdwan House in a private car, accompanied by a letter expressing the students' frustration with the limited scope of the investigation and suggesting that a fair investigation might be impossible or willfully obstructed. Thus, Burdwan House as a symbol of power became the focus of public outrage and demands grew for transforming it into a research center for the Bengali language.
Post-language movement era
To contest the 1954 East Bengal Legislative Assembly election, the United Front coalition was formed. On 17 June 1954, at a public meeting in Paltan Maidan in Dhaka, the United Front announced a 21-point program demanding autonomy for East Pakistan. The 16th of these 21 points was:Following the 1954 elections, the United Front won, and the defeated incumbent Chief Minister Nurul Amin left Burdwan House.
After 1954, various cultural programs and exhibitions were organized at Burdwan House. The office of Art Council was opened in here. In 1954, Ustad Allauddin Khan stayed here for several months.
In the third week of April 1954, on the occasion of a literary conference, the language movement painting and photograph exhibition was inaugurated at Burdwan House by shilpacharya Zainul Abedin, with Professor Muhammad Abdul Hye present. In the winter of 1955, a music conference was held on the lawn of Burdwan House in Dhaka. Attending this conference were Ustad Allauddin Khan, artist Quamrul Hassan, Ustad Khadem Hossain Khan, shilpacharya Zainul Abedin, Abbasuddin Ahmed, and author Sarder Jayenuddin, Qazi Motahar Hossain among others.
The offices of the United Nations Development Programme and the United Nations Information Centre were also located here at this time.
Establishment of Bangla Academy
The demand to create a separate institution for research on the Bengali language had arisen long before and this demand gained further momentum as a result of the language movement. In order to fulfill the 21-point program, the Education Minister of the United Front cabinet, Syed Azizul Huq, initially instructed to prepare a plan to convert Burdwan House into a research center for the Bengali language. On 3 December 1955, the then Chief Minister Abu Hussain Sarkar inaugurated the Bangla Academy at Burdwan House, fulfilling that promise. On 8 December, Bangla Academy's activities began in the three rooms on the eastern side of the first floor of the building as its first office. In 1958, the entire building came under the ownership of Bangla Academy.In 1962, respecting the original structure of the house, it was expanded into a three-storied building.
During the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971, the Culture Department and the folklore collection in this building were damaged due to shelling by the Pakistani army.
Cultural activities
From 1945 to 1947, the building was used for various cultural events and exhibitions. In 1954, on the occasion of a literary conference, a Language Movement painting and photography exhibition was held at Burdwan House and in 1955, a music conference was held in Dhaka at the premises of Burdwan House. In the early 1950s, young Rafiqun Nabi attended a painting exhibition, held at the Burdwan House by his father.In 1963, as the first activity of Chhayanaut, at the initiative of Sanjida Khatun, music classes began in several verandas of Burdwan House. During this time, Sanjida Khatun and Farida Bari Malik taught Rabindra Sangeet, Sohrab Hossain taught Nazrul Geeti, Bazlul Karim taught the Tabla, and Ustad Matiur Rahman Khan taught violin, sitar, khyal, and ancient Bangla songs. S. M. Ahsan Mushahid was a student during this period. In the same year, the Chhayanaut Music School was established.
Munier Choudhury’s theatre troupe practiced a production of Michael Madhusudan Dutt’s play Krishnakumari at Burdwan House in 1965. However, the play could not be staged due to the then Governor Abdul Monem Khan’s objection to the use of the term "jobon" in reference to Muslims.
Notable guests and residents
Burdwan House was originally constructed as a guest house. During this period, the Maharaja of Burdwan stayed here. Subsequently, when it was repurposed as residential accommodation for the faculty of the University of Dhaka, Professors Ramesh Chandra Majumdar and Qazi Motahar Hossain resided in the building. Eminent literary and cultural figures such as Rabindranath Tagore, Kazi Nazrul Islam, Sarat Chandra Chattopadhya stayed here as their guest. Later, the first two Chief Ministers of East Pakistan also resided here. Over the years, the house has hosted numerous cultural events, welcoming a wide array of distinguished guests. Below is a list and description of these individuals:Architecture
Burdwan House is constructed of brick and painted white. The building exhibits traces of Victorian-style architecture. Its design is a blend of Mughal and European architectural styles, and it is an example of colonial architecture from 19th century India. The main structure of Burdwan House is rectangular and had two stories. Due to renovations over time, much of its original form has been lost. In 1962, a third floor was added, following the building's original design.Currently, in front of the main entrance on the east side, there is a broad semicircular carriage veranda with stairs. Near it on the west side is another separate semicircular veranda with stairs. These verandas are supported by equally spaced sturdy columns. On the 2nd story, these two verandas have a high-quality baluster so that morning and evening sun could be enjoyed from them. In the newly added third floor section, there are no such verandas, but it is open to the north, facing the road. A long, wide open veranda runs across both the east and west sides on all three floors. This verandas provides separate access to each room of Burdwan House. The arches throughout the building are semicircular.
Currently, inside the continuous veranda in front of the main entrance there is a glass chamber resembling a gallery, in which a sculpture of a freedom fighter with a rifle is placed, symbolizing the period from the language movement through Bangladesh's liberation war. On the west side of the building there is a pond, and also a mango tree. Behind these were once employee quarters.
Near the main entrance is a mahogany wooden staircase leading to the second floor, with finely crafted cast-iron guard rail. The staircase to the third floor is also made of wood. A fireplace and other amenities once existed on the second floor.
Originally, the wooden doors and windows of the building had colonial-style fretwork, examples of which still exist. Initially, they were all single-leaf wooden doors and windows. Later, for security, an additional wooden and glass door was installed inside each of these. In the upper portions of almost all windows, oriel windows in the Greco-Roman European style can be seen, allowing light and air to enter.
On the south side of the ground floor of Burdwan House, parts of the floor and walls of one room are covered with valuable wood. It is believed that this room was the house's dance ballroom. On the east side of the second floor, a puja room can be seen.