Bara Katra (; ) is one of the oldest historical and architectural monuments in

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; , ), List of renamed places in Bangladesh, formerly known as Dacca, is the capital city, capital and list of cities and towns in Bangladesh, largest city of Bangladesh. It is one of the list of largest cities, largest and list o ...

. The word Katra may have originated from

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

word Katara which means colonnaded building. 'Katra/ katara' in Arabic and Persian means 'Caravan (Karwan) Sarai' or simply a 'Sarai'. It is a palatial building dating to the reign of the

Mughal dynasty The Mughal dynasty () or the House of Babur (), was a Central Asian dynasty of Turco-Mongol tradition, Turco-Mongol origin that ruled large parts of the Indian subcontinent from the early 16th to the 19th century. The dynasty was a cadet branch ...

in the

Bengal Bengal ( ) is a Historical geography, historical geographical, ethnolinguistic and cultural term referring to a region in the Eastern South Asia, eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. The region of Benga ...

region. It is situated to the south of Chowk Bazaar close to the north bank of the river Buriganga. It was partially demolished in 2022.

History

Bara Katra was built between 1644 and 1646 AD by Mir Abul Qasim, the '' diwan'' (chief revenue official) of Mughal prince Shah Shuja. It was intended to be Shah Shuja's residence, but Shah Shuja endowed it to Mir Abul Qasem. Less than half of the structure remains, and it is in disrepair. The Department of Archaeology has been unable to take charge of the monument owing to litigation and resistance from its owners. The owners have altered the original building and encroached upon it with new construction.

Architecture

The building follows the traditional pattern of Central Asian ''

caravanserai A caravanserai (or caravansary; ) was an inn that provided lodging for travelers, merchants, and Caravan (travellers), caravans. They were present throughout much of the Islamic world. Depending on the region and period, they were called by a ...

s'' and is embellished as per

Mughal architecture Mughal architecture is the style of architecture developed in the Mughal Empire in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries throughout the ever-changing extent of their empire in the Indian subcontinent. It developed from the architectural styles of ea ...

. Originally it enclosed a quadrangular courtyard. Model of Bara Katra

The southern wing extends , and fronted on the Buriganga River. In the middle is an entrance set in a three-storeyed projected bay. The gateway has an arched alcove that rises to the second story, above which are the windows of the third storey. The arched main entrance is in the centre of the alcove. The underside of the alcove,

spandrel A spandrel is a roughly triangular space, usually found in pairs, between the top of an arch and a rectangular frame, between the tops of two adjacent arches, or one of the four spaces between a circle within a square. They are frequently fil ...

s, and surrounding walls are decorated with plastered panels exhibiting a variety of forms, including four-centered, cusped, horseshoe, and flat arches. The main portion of the wing is two-storeyed and bookended by tall projected octagonal towers. The northern wing was similar, but with a less elaborate gate. The east and west wings were single storey and about long. In the 19th century, Orientalist James Atkinson described the building as "a stupendous pile of grand and beautiful architecture". The southern entrance leads to a guardroom, then an octagonal domed hall (the ceiling of which is plastered and decorated with net-patters and foliage designs), and finally to the courtyard. On the ground floor of the southern wing, there are five vaulted rooms to either side of the gateway. On the upper floor, living chambers open off of a corridor. Shops and living quarters surrounded the courtyard on all four sides.

Cultural significance

During the Mughal period, Dhaka was a port city. Large merchant ship could enter into the Buriganga river. This was the major trading connection between Indonesia and Dhaka. So, it was a major hub for import and export. Bara Katra was mainly used for customs clearance and resting space for merchants and travelers. This type of Caravan Sarai which consists of so many functions and features which makes it the most unique worldwide. This increases the value of architectural and cultural heritage of Bangladesh.

References

External links

Bara Katra architecture
. {{Coord, 23.7146, N, 90.3952, E, source:wikidata-and-enwiki-cat-tree_region:BD_type:landmark, display=title Old Dhaka History of Dhaka Palaces in Bangladesh Buildings and structures in Dhaka Royal residences in Bangladesh Houses completed in 1646 1646 establishments in Asia 1640s establishments in India Tourist attractions in Dhaka Buildings and structures of the Mughal Empire

History

Architecture

Cultural significance

See also

References

Further reading

External links