A walk through Old Dhaka
Old Dhaka still has its own unique charm and can surprise you at every corner with its own history, culture, and colour
Old Dhaka was the beginning of a lush green beautiful city, crisscrossed by canals. People could go everywhere by boat, wrote foreign merchants and writers from the past.
It was full of gardens, surrounded by big water bodies, and the city's source of life was the mighty Buriganga River.
Today, Dhaka has changed like the rest of the planet. However, Old Dhaka still has its own unique charm and can surprise you at every corner with its own history, culture and colour.
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This centuries-old city can satisfy you with delicious cuisine that cannot be found anywhere else.
I, along with a few of my friends who love history, food and colour, planned a long walk through the narrow alleys of Old Dhaka.
We planned a two-day trip because Old Dhaka is vast and you cannot possibly cover all its iconic places in one day.
First, we had to choose the days very carefully as an Old Dhaka trip during weekdays can be notoriously time consuming due to traffic congestion.
A Friday or Saturday would be the ideal day to visit Old Dhaka but on a usual Friday, you will find most of the shops closed.
Day one
Our Old Dhaka walk began early in the morning when we reached the North Brook Hall Road at Tatibazar and met others at the century-old restaurant 'Chaurangi' for breakfast as planned.
After a heavy breakfast, we began our journey.
We walked for a few minutes and reached the famous Lal Kuthi - a town hall on Farashganj Road built in 1879, mainly to make the British Indian Governor and Viceroy's visit to Dhaka more memorable.
We were overwhelmed by the beauty of its window and unique architecture.
A few more minutes' walk from there took us to the Ruplal House on Ahsanullah Road.
It was built on the river bank in 1825 by Armenian businessman Stephen Aratoon.
Later, it was bought and reconstructed by Ruplal Das - a merchant, and his brother.
Ruplal House became the talk of the town after arranging a ball dance party in the honour of the Viceroy in 1886.
Sadly, it is all memory now; all you can see is the skeleton of the palace.
Once the most decorated house of Dhaka is now used as a storage space for spices and the rooms are occupied by people.
From the rooftop you can get a certain view of the Buriganga River and its surroundings.
If you can get in, do not forget to look at the glass windows, marble columns, stairs, decorated balcony and floors. You will be able to experience the colorful past of a forgotten era.
For lunch, we went to Beauty Boarding - a hotel and restaurant by nature, but more famous for being known as the place where eminent authors, poets and politicians used to gather once .
We enjoyed fish curry and rice with several vegetable dishes at a very reasonable price. This was a good break for us as the place is still scenic and tranquil.
After lunch and tea, a short walk took us to the Brahma Temple at Bangla bazar, where our favorite poet Jibonanado Das got married in 1930.
Our last place of the day was the Sri Sri Bihari Lal Jiu Temple on B K Das road at Farashganj.
The most attractive thing there is the Hanuman deity but this temple bears a tragic history.
During the liberation war of 1971, many of its attendants were killed by the Pakistani military and their dead bodies were burned inside.
Day two
On the second day, we went to Armanitola to visit the Armenian Church, which was built in 1781 and bears witness to the deep connection of Armenian merchants with Old Dhaka.
Unfortunately, no more Armenians live in Dhaka anymore. A local family is taking care of the church and it is not used for praying.
From there, we walked to one of the most known and picturesque mosque of Bangladesh known as Tara Masjid and then visited the Hussaini Dalan, which is probably the most famous architecture among the Shia Muslim community of Bangladesh.
This shrine is 350 years old and has been reconstructed a few times but its beauty will still surprise you.
Visitors are allowed to go inside and appreciate the blue tiles and the pond.
After eating at Nanna Biriyani and drinking lassi at Nurani Cold Drink Club, we went to see the Boro Katara - a ruin from the once prosperous Mughal era.
After visiting the Lalbagh Fort and Baldha Garden, we visited the beautiful Rose Garden - a historical mansion which still stands erect with its dazzling white exterior and a neat garden at the front.
We spent our afternoon at the Narinda Christian cemetery. We especially searched for the grave of a Dutch young lady called Vantasel who was the first person in Dhaka to ride a hot air balloon.
Unfortunately, she had died during her hot air balloon adventure and was buried in this cemetery.
We thoroughly enjoyed the silence and the touch of history there and put an end to our trip.
