My tour to Lalbag Kella

Tomb of Pari Bibi

Lalbag Kella is the most important archaeological site built in Bengal during the Mughal period. The Fort is situated on the bank of Buriganga, Dhaka. It is an ancient fort located in the heart of Bangladesh's capital city. 

Lalbag Kella location: It is located in Lalbagh in old Dhaka, and that's why its name is Lalbag  Kella.

The Fort is the only historical monument of Bangladesh in the Mughal period, has been used simultaneously with stone, marble and other color tiles. Apart from the Lalbag Kella, no other historical monuments of Bangladesh have been found.

Diwani-i-Aam

The naming of Lalbagh Fort: Naturally, if anyone thinks of the reasons for its name, then it will come to his head that Lalbagh fort is named after Lalbagh. The idea is not wrong at all; it is named after the area.

But first, its name was completely different, so that the area did not affect. Initially, the name of this fort was "Kella Aurangabad." Although the name is slightly different, I think the emperors may like it.

South gate, painting by Johan Zofanny in 1787

History of Lalbag Kella: Construction of the Fort started in 1678. Mughal emperor Azam Shah started the construction work. Although Azam Shah was the Mughal emperor for a very short period. Within a short span of time, he began this extraordinary work. Note that Azam Shah was the son of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb and grandson of Emperor Shah Jahan, who was widely respected for the construction of the Taj Mahal.

About a year after the construction of this fort, he had to return to Delhi to call his father to suppress the Maratha insurgency there. After the departure of Emperor Azam Shah, the construction of the fort was temporarily stopped. Then there is a doubt that the construction work of this fort will be incomplete.

But with the end of all speculation, Nawab Shaista Khan again started the construction of Lalbagh Fort after about one year after the work stopped. The work of the Fort continues again with complete enthusiasm.

However, the construction of the fort was closed once again after four years and was not started anymore. Shaista Khan stopped construction work of Lalbagh Fort because of the death of his daughter, Pari Bibi.

Pari Bibi's another name was Rahmat Banu, But very few people know her by this name. Many people thought that Pari Bibi was pretty as beautiful as an angel. So she was called Pari Bibi. Her marriage was fixed with Prince Azam Shah. While staying in this fort, suddenly she died.

After the death of Pari Bibi, she was buried in the fort of Lalbagh, and since then it has been called the tomb of Pari Bibi. The dome of the tomb was once decorated with gold, but now it is no more, the copper plate has rolled the entire dome.

The building which was built as the monument was 20.2 meters square; It was built before 1688. It is one of the finest beauties of Mughal architecture in Dhaka. By building this, the architectural knowledge of father Shaista Khan is exposed. It is known that Shaista Khan constructed this tomb in the form of Muslim architecture with the architectural style of the tomb of Tajmahal and Emperor Humayun.

The black basalt stone was brought from Rajmahal to build the tomb. The white marble stones brought from Jaipur. White sandalwood used for door and arches. In those days it was challenging to bring such kind of materials. Because then the communication system was not very well developed. The white marble stone plaques of the tomb are the same as those that were brought in.

The flower design is cut on it. The various parts of the tomb are constructed with flower-designed jars and plaques. However, experts here say that the body of Pari Bibi is not present here.

In 1688 Shaista Khan retired to Agra. After Shaista Khan left Dhaka, the importance of Lalbagh Fort was reduced due to various reasons.

This tomb is one of the best architectural monuments of architect Shaista Khan. But sadly, there is no care of Pari Bibi Tomb of the monastery as before.

In 1844, some development work done by an NGO named Dhaka Committee. At this time the fort was known as Lalbagh Fort. In 1910 Lalbagh Fort was brought under the Department of Archeology as a historically preserved architecture. Finally, 300 years after the construction of the Lalbagh Fort, in the last decade of the last century, the earliest forms were redone and opened to the visitors. Lalbagh Fort is located in a spacious area.

What to see? In the door of the three gates of the Fort, the door which is currently opened to the public, after entering you will see the Pari Bibi grave. Usually, the picture of Lalbag Kella in Television, Newspaper, Magazine, which we see is mainly the view of Pari Bibi tombs.

Lalbagh Fort Mosque

There is a mosque in the fort before Azam Shah moved to Delhi he had built this mosque. The three-domed mosque is a unique example of Mughal mosque. If there is a time-honored prayer, then you can come forward. There are very few old mosques in Dhaka like this one.

There are several fountains in the Lalbagh Fort, I have never seen the fountains of going for some time, and I do not know whether it was ever introduced. There is a hidden path in the fort, but now it is closed.

There is a museum in the Lalbagh Fort for the public, which was formerly the residence of Nawab Shaista Khan and from there he controlled everything. There are so many things to see in the museum. You will be impressed to see the different handmade paintings of the Mughal period.

Shaista Khan's utility goods are there. Besides, there are also various war ranges, clothing, coins, and so on. This Mughal historical monument Lalbagh fort has survived the capture of the wall inside its premises. Therefore, it remains with the Mughal tradition on the chest of capital Dhaka. But not the original crafts and beauty.

This historic deployment requires more care or protection. For this, I think the administration should take some necessary steps to increase the surveillance.

There are a lot of things to see, if I say everything, then it will not be so fun. So it is best to go and see yourself.

How to go to Lalbagh fort? You will have to go through the lanes of old Dhaka, in the Lalbagh Fort. The most suitable way is to go there by rickshaw. If you are in the neighborhood around this area, you can take a rickshaw. All the rickshaw puller knows the area very well.

If your house is too far, you can come with CNG here. But if you want to come to the bus, you can take the rickshaw from there directly to Golap Shah Mazar. If you want, you can go to the Tempo in front of the Golap Shah Mazar.

Where to get the ticket? Ticket counters at the right side of the door of Lalbag Kella, each person need a ticket of Taka 10, but for a child under five, there is no need for a ticket. For any foreign visitor, the ticket price is one hundred taka.

Lalbag Kella schedule: The fort is open from 10 am to 6 pm in the summer, but it is closed for half an hour from 1 pm. In winter it is open from 9 is to 5 pm and closed from 1 pm for half an hour. And for the Jumma prayers on Friday, it is closed from 12 pm to 2 pm. Let's visit the historical Lalbag Kella with nearest and dearest one.