The Rose Garden Palace is a mansion and garden in Old Dhaka. Built in the late 19th century, it became birthplace of the Awami League in 1949, when East Bengali liberal and social democrats converged in Dhaka to form an alternative political force against the Muslim League in Pakistan. The property is situated on K.M. Das Lane in Tikatully of Old Dhaka, near the modern business district of Motijheel. The mansion was built by a landlord Hrikesh Das. He lived in the mansion for a decade. Later in 1927, he became bankrupt and sold the mansion to landlords of Nabinagar and Brahmanbaria. Due to the death of Zamidar Boshuruddin Sarkar of Nabinagar, the family had to sell the mansion to a businessman.
History
The Rose Garden Palace was built by a Hinduzamindar Hrishikesh Das in the late 19th century. Around that time jalsas held at Baldha Garden were an important part of the social life of the city's wealthier Hindu residents. The story goes that Hrishikesh, a zamindar of lower caste background, being insulted on this account by someone at one of the jalsas at Baldha Garden, decided to create his own garden to outshine that of Baldha. Here he staged jalsas of his own. The centerpiece of the garden is an elegant pavilion. However, this was not created as a residence, but rather a setting for entertainment such as musical performances. This extravagant lifestyle caused Hrikesh to go bankrupt and he was forced to sell the property. The palace was bought by Khan BahadurKazi Abdur Rashid from Hrikesh in 1936 and renamed the building Rashid Manzil. His eldest son Kazi Mohammed Bashir who carried his name and fame until this generation. The building had been renovated by its previous owners while keeping the original character fully maintained. The Government bought the building for ৳331.7 crore in a purchase announced on 9 August 2018. The government has since announced plans to turn the location into a museum
Location
The Rose Garden Palace is situated at Tikatuli near the Baldha Garden which is in Gopibug area. The exact location is at the K.M Das Lane of Tikatuli.
Architecture
The lodge contains on the ground floor eight apartments including a 30’-0” + 15’-0” central hall whilst the upper floor has a further five apartments including a large dance hall measuring 45’-0” + 15’-0” in the middle. At the back of the building to the east there is a verandahanda triple-arched entrance porch which leads to a staircase for the upper storey. Originally there was an ornamental fountain in the garden, the structure of which still remains. There are several classical marble statues in the garden, although the rose garden that gave the mansion its name does not exist anymore.
Present condition
The government has revealed plans to turn the location into a museum and now in 2020, it is closed till further notice.
Hamiduzzaman Khan, a sculptor and painter, has illustrated a book called Rose Garden. The book contains sketches in pen-and-ink, crayon and watercolor of this landmark property. The text has been written in English by Kazi Ahmed Sajed.
