DHAKA

Ahsan Manzil (construction: 1859–1872; historic preservation: 1985–1989; inauguration: as a museum 1992) is to learn the colonial-era history of Dhaka. The 5.5-acre premises of this palace remain today as an architectural reminder of the elite life of the Nawabs of Dhaka during the heyday of the British Raj in the 19th and early-20th centuries. Nawab Khwaja Abdul Ghani (1813–1896), the patriarch of the Nawab family, built the family's official residence and zamindar office—Ahsan Manzil—in 1872 on the bank of the River Buriganga in Old Dhaka (Landowners were known in Bengal as zamindars, the Persian nomenclature.) He named the palace after his son, Nawab Khwaja Ahsanullah (1846–1901).

Ahsan Manzil is ostentatiously European in its architectural expression, even though the building's recessed verandahs may recall the Mughal treatment of buildings in a tropical climate. Its triple-arched portal, temple façade capped by a pediment, Greco-Roman column capitals, pilasters, and arched windows—all suggest that it is mostly a European-style building, meshed with some decorative Indian motifs. The palace's soaring dome appears to be more about impressing the viewer on the exterior, rather than within the interior.

Why did the Nawab embrace a European architectural style for his palace? Prior to the advent of British colonial rule, local elites emulated Mughal architecture as their preferred building style, particularly for religious buildings. Charles D'Oyly, the Collector of Dhaka, documented Mughal influence on local buildings with much romance in his book, Antiquities of Dacca, published in the early-19th century. However, with increasing British colonial footprints in India, building design began to reflect the influence of European styles from the last quarter of the 18th century. Many zamindars began to construct their bungalows in flamboyant European architectural styles to showcase their status, wealth, and power.

Nazimuddin Ahmed wrote in Buildings of the British Raj in Bangladesh (1986): “During the 18th and 19th centuries, the chief interests of the aristocratic feudal lords of the land—familiarly known as zamindars, who often held courtesy titles of 'Rajas' and 'Maharajas'—were not only in European dress, wine, horses and external glamours of life, but also in architectural forms and embellishments avidly emulating the West for their pretentious country houses or palaces. Often these picturesque palaces combined European Renaissance elements with the fading Mughal architectural forms.” Nawab Abdul Ghani's Ahsan Manzil is one such example.

Today, within the hyper-congested and cacophonous urban growth of Old Dhaka, it is difficult to imagine how this majestic edifice once dominated the riverfront skyline of Dhaka. Colonial-era dignitaries arrived here by luxury boats and ascended its grand flight of stairs, which led to a colourful vestibule and a domed rotunda on the second floor. Many dignitaries of the British Raj either visited or stayed at the Ahsan Manzil. Lord George Nathaniel Curzon, who took over as Viceroy or Governor General of British India in 1899, came to Dhaka to solicit support for the proposed Partition of Bengal and stayed here as a guest of Nawab Salimullah Bahadur in 1904.

Two years later, another momentous event took place in this palace that had crucial political implications for all of India. Invited by Nawab Salimullah, Muslim leaders from all over the subcontinent congregated at the Durbar Hall of Ahsan Manzil for the 20th Session of the All India Mohammedan Educational Conference in Dhaka, from December 27 to December 29, 1906. Here, on December 30, the All India Muslim League was formed, the party that later spearheaded the creation of Pakistan—a separate homeland for India's Muslims—when the British left the Indian subcontinent in 1947.

Who were the Nawabs of Dhaka? The Khwajas, the forefathers of the Nawabs, migrated to East Bengal—first to Sylhet, then to Dhaka—from Kashmir during the 1730s. When Mughal administration of Dhaka ended in 1843 with the death of Gaziuddin Haider, the last Naib Nazim (Mughal administrator) of the city, the Khwajas took over as the city's “guardians.” They occupied important positions as Commissioner of Dhaka Municipality. In 1867, Abdul Ghani became a member of the Viceroy's Council. As Syed Muhammed Taifoor chronicled in Glimpses of Old Dhaka (1956), the Nawab family played crucial roles in the modernisation of the city, particularly in the development of educational systems, healthcare, and urban infrastructure, including the filtered water supply system that served the city population. The Nawabs also patronised culture and supported poets and writers of Urdu and Persian literature. In 1875, Viceroy Thomas Northbrook participated in an evening programme at the Ahsan Manzil, when he came to Dhaka to inaugurate the city's water supply system.

Nawab Abdul Ghani emerged not only as a dynamic leader of his clan, but also as the most influential zamindar in the entire East Bengal region in the second half of the 19th century. He fortified the family's powerbase by collaborating with the colonial administration. Sir Percival Griffiths, who was appointed Chief Manager of the Dacca Nawab Estate in 1929, wrote in his book Vignettes of India (1985): “Abdul Ghani and the Moslems of East Bengal stood firmly by the Raj during the Indian Mutiny, and for his services, Abdul Ghani was not only Knighted, but also had the title of Nawab conferred upon him. He was made a Nawab in 1875 (and this title was made hereditary in 1877 for the eldest male member of the line) and Nawab Bahadur in 1892.” In exchange for his support of the colonial rulers, Abdul Ghani received many political favours. In 1861, he was appointed as an honorary magistrate; in 1866, he became a member of the Bengal Legislative Council; and in 1867, he was a member of the Viceroy's Council.

Nawab Ahsanullah judiciously followed in the footsteps of his illustrious father. Known to be a philanthropist, administrator, generous zamindar, and a learned litterateur, he was appointed to a number of important councils of the colonial administration. He is also credited with the creation of an engineering college, which later became the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet), the country's flagship engineering university. Taifoor wrote in Glimpses of Old Dhaka: “There is no mosque, mausoleum, or important public institution in Dhaka which does not bear the stamp of his [Ahsanullah's] munificence. The electric installation in Dhaka (opened in 1901) for which he contributed four lacs of rupee, has been of abiding benefit to the people of this city.”