Women Teachers' Training College, also known as Teachers' Training College (Female) is an educational institution in

Mymensingh Mymensingh ( bn, ময়মনসিংহ) is the capital of Mymensingh Division, Bangladesh. Located on the bank of Brahmaputra River, about north of the national capital Dhaka, it is a major financial center and educational hub of north- ...

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

. It is the only school of its kind in Bangladesh.Shashi Lodge: In need of a face-lift
''The Daily Star'', 17 July 2008 As of 1978, it offered bachelor's and

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

s in Education.

Shashi Lodge

Suryakanta Acharya Chowdhury, the successor of Muktagacha Zamindar dynasty built a luxurious two-storied palace named Shashi Lodge in the city of Mymensingh after the name of his adopted son Shoshikanta. This magnificent building was decorated with different types of fancy goods which were brought from different places of Paris and Europe. This original place was destructed by the massive earthquake in the 1897 AD. Then this palace was rebuilt in one storied between 1905 and 1911 by Shoshikanta. It is fairly a large area, occupying about nine acres of land, and approached through an imposing semi-circular arched gateway. There is a large grassy lawn with an ornamental marble fountain containing a beautiful classical statue in between the palace and the gateway. There is an old pond on the west side of the central building. There is a two storied bathing pavilion made by marble stone situated in the middle of the pond from the north corner. On entering the palace through the central porch, there is a foyer which leads into large hall with timber floor, which was used originally as a ballroom. Elaborate glass chandeliers were hanged for lighting. The doors and windows were beautifully decorated with the colorful glass. For its outstanding archaeological significance the Department of Archaeology (DOA) declared the monument as a protected monument in 1989 AD.

Campus

Since 1952, the college has been housed in Shashi Lodge, a landmark building that sits on a property.Mymensingh Museum in a derelict state
''The Daily Star'', 15 September 2010 The current Shashi Lodge is the second building by this name. The original was built by

Maharaja Mahārāja (; also spelled Maharajah, Maharaj) is a Sanskrit title for a "great ruler", "great king" or " high king". A few ruled states informally called empires, including ruler raja Sri Gupta, founder of the ancient Indian Gupta Empire, a ...

Shurjokanto Acharya Chowdhury and named for his son, Shashikanto Acharya Chowdhury. After the original lodge was destroyed by fire due to the

1897 Assam earthquake The Assam earthquake of 1897 occurred on 12 June 1897, in Assam, British India at 11:06 UTC, and had an estimated moment magnitude of 8.2–8.3. It resulted in approximate 1,542 human casualties and caused catastrophic damage to infrastructur ...

, Shashikanto had it rebuilt at a cost of Taka 3 lakh, using materials and instruments imported from

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

. An unusual feature of the 24-room building is a musical staircase. On the grounds in front of the lodge there is a

fountain A fountain, from the Latin "fons" (genitive "fontis"), meaning source or spring, is a decorative reservoir used for discharging water. It is also a structure that jets water into the air for a decorative or dramatic effect. Fountains were ori ...

that has as its centerpiece a stone statue of

Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is sometimes called Earth's "sister" or "twin" planet as it is almost as large and has a similar composition. As an interior planet to Earth, Venus (like Mercury) appears in Earth's sky never f ...

bathing.Pitiful state of ‘lodge’ turned college
''The Daily Star Heritage'', 20 September 2004 Shashi Lodge has been used as a filming location for

movie A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

s and television plays.

Recent deterioration

The Lodge building is now deteriorated and is no longer used for classrooms. Modern brick buildings have also been erected on the Shashi Lodge property for the school's use. The national Ministry for Cultural Affairs and Education Ministry agreed in 1995 that Shashi Lodge would be transferred to the Ministry for Cultural Affairs for better preservation and for use by the Mymensingh Museum after new college buildings were built, but this did not occur.Aminul Islam
Mymensingh museum: Woeful preservation
''The Daily Star'', 24 July 2009 Snan Ghor at Shashi Lodge

References

{{Commons category, Shashi Lodge Mymensingh Teacher training colleges in Bangladesh Women's universities and colleges in Bangladesh Archaeological sites in Mymensingh district