Save Our Heritage Part - 3 : Chini Mahal

Gothic style of architecture always fascinates me. ..I’m not a very knowledgeable person on history or different trends of architecture ...but our rich variety of some old structures of Dhaka do catches my eye.



This is about one of the few buildings still left from early 20th Century...This unique style building…may be only one of its kind is a high class example of Gothic style architecture…probably this is the only building left in Dhaka..where still we can find direct inspiration of western Victoria and Gothic mix in its construction.
I still didn’t get a chance to photography of its Andar Mahal …but was fortunate enough to have a visit. From inside its totally a Rich Hindu atmosphere with direct Indian architecture.



The brief history is that… the owner of this building ( current Owner’s Father) was a businessman somewhere in North Bengal and during 1st world war he made huge money by trading Sugar from Kolkata to Dhaka …. and wanted to build a building similar to “Marble Palace” of Kolkata in a very posh area of Dhaka city…and he hired some architects from Kolkata and Mumbai…As he made money from Sugar …they loved to call it “Chini Mahal”….though its formal name is “44Mongalaloy”



This building was locally know as “Putul bari” ( as many statues used) was badly burnt and destroyed by the Pakistani army during ‘71….







I know this remarkable landmark will be destroy some day…may be very soon..may be after few years.…our new generation will see a multistoried building in this same place….I am confused which one should be left for our future? The multistoried building or the Chini Mahal….?