Suhrawardy Udyan ( bn, সোহরাওয়ার্দী উদ্যান) formerly known as Ramna Race Course ground is a national memorial located in

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest Bengali-speaking city. It is the eighth largest and sixth most densely populated city ...

, Bangladesh. It is named after

Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy ( bn, হোসেন শহীদ সোহ্‌রাওয়ার্দী; ur, ; 8 September 18925 December 1963) was a Bengali barrister and politician. He served as the Prime Minister of Pakistan from 1956 ...

. Originally it served as the military club of the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

soldiers stationed in Dhaka. It was then called the Ramna Race Course and later Ramna Gymkhana. After the end of colonial rule, the place – sometimes referred to as ''Dhaka Race Course'' – was used for legal

horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic p ...

on Sundays. It is the resting place of three great national leaders, Sher-i-Bangla A.K. Fazlul Huq (1873–1962), Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy (1892–1963) and

Khwaja Nazimuddin Sir Khawaja Nazimuddin ( bn, খাজা নাজিমুদ্দীন; ur, ; 19 July 1894 – 22 October 1964) was a Pakistani politician and one of the leading founding fathers of Pakistan. He is noted as being the first Bengali to ha ...

(1894–1964). Ramna Race Course was renamed after Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy. A Mughal structure named the Dhaka Gate was built adjacent to the park area of Suhrawardy Udyan. The gate was built by

Mir Jumla II Mir Jumla II (1591 – 30 March 1663) was a prominent subahdar of Bengal under the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. Early life Mir Jumla was born as Mir Mohammad Sayyid Ardistani in Iran in 1591 to a poor oil merchant of Isfahan named Mirza Hazaru ...

in 1660s. The

Museum of Independence, Dhaka The Museum of Independence in Dhaka, Bangladesh depicts the struggle for independence of Bangladesh. It shows the history of the nation since Mughal tenure to independence in 1971. It is the first and only underground museum in the country. The ...

is situated within the park area. The museum depicts the history of the nation since Mughal tenure to independence in 1971. The museum was opened to the public on 25 March 2015, the 45th

Independence Day An independence day is an annual event commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state, or more rarely after the end of a military occupation. Many ...

of Bangladesh.

Liberation war events

The field was an important venue for the events of 1971 liberation war: * 1969: A civic reception was organised at the Ramna Racecourse in honour of

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Sheikh Mujibur Rahman ( bn, শেখ মুজিবুর রহমান; 17 March 1920 – 15 August 1975), often shortened as Sheikh Mujib or Mujib and widely known as Bangabandhu (meaning ''Friend of Bengal''), was a Bengali polit ...

on his release from jail and he was accorded the title Bangabandhu in the reception. * 3 January 1971:

Awami League In Urdu language, Awami is the adjectival form for '' Awam'', the Urdu language word for common people. The adjective appears in the following proper names: * Awami Colony, a neighbourhood of Landhi Town in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan * Awami Front, ...

arranged a huge public meeting at Ramna Racecourse ground and all the elected members of the National Assembly, in which the party owned majority, publicly took oath of not betraying the cause of the Bengali people under any circumstances. * 7 March 1971: At a mammoth gathering, Mujibur Rahman delivered his historic 7th March speech and virtually declared independence by saying that "the struggle this time is the struggle for freedom; the struggle this time is the struggle for independence." * 26 March 1971: The Pakistani army rolled into Dhaka University for

Operation Searchlight Operation Searchlight was the codename for a planned military operation carried out by the Pakistan Army in an effort to curb the Bengali nationalist movement in former East Pakistan in March 1971. Pakistan retrospectively justified the opera ...

. * 16 December 1971: The nation achieved victory when the Pakistani army surrendered formally at the Ramna (Suhrawardy Uddyan). It is now observed as the Victory Day. * 17 March 1972: Mammoth public meeting jointly addressed by the Indian Prime Minister

Indira Gandhi Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi (; Given name, ''née'' Nehru; 19 November 1917 – 31 October 1984) was an Indian politician and a central figure of the Indian National Congress. She was elected as third prime minister of India in 1966 ...

and Mujibur Rahman was another important event that took place at Suhrawardy Uddyan. An English Couple with Nabab Sir Salimullah at Ramna Race Course Field

An English Couple with Nabab Sir Salimullah at Ramna Race Course Field

The place is also etched in history as it was here that

made his historic " This time the struggle is for our freedom" speech that inspired Bengalis to prepare for the freedom struggle. The original

Flag of Bangladesh ) , Morenicks = , Use = 111000 , Symbol = , Proportion = 3:5 , Adoption = , Design = A red disc slightly off center to the left defacing a dark green banner. , Designer = Quamrul Hassan , Type = National , ...

was also hoisted here for the second time since it was first unfurled at the

University of Dhaka The University of Dhaka (also known as Dhaka University, or DU) is a public research university located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is the oldest university in Bangladesh. The university opened its doors to students on July 1st 1921. Currently it ...

and the first time it was flown at such a large public gathering in Bangladesh. It was also the site of the centuries-old Ramna Kali Mandir, a Hindu temple and Dhaka landmark that was razed to the ground by the Pakistan Army on 27 March 1971 in a massacre that led to the death of over 100 people, mostly Hindus. Incidentally it became the setting for the surrender of the

Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army (, ) is the land service branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The roots of its modern existence trace back to the British Indian Army that ceased to exist following the Partition of British India, which occurred as a result ...

under Lt. Gen. A. A. K. Niazi on 16 December 1971 after their defeat in the

Bangladesh Liberation War The Bangladesh Liberation War ( bn, মুক্তিযুদ্ধ, , also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence, or simply the Liberation War in Bangladesh) was a revolution and War, armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Benga ...

to the Indian Army led by Lt. Gen. Jagjit Singh Aurora. The instrument of surrender was signed at this place and the date is celebrated by Bangladeshis as

Victory Day Victory Day is a commonly used name for public holidays in various countries, where it commemorates a nation's triumph over a hostile force in a war or the liberation of a country from hostile occupation. In many cases, multiple countries may ob ...

. The place is currently maintained as an historic park with an eternal flame set up in 1996 to symbolise freedom.

Features

File:Shahbaz Khan Mosque.jpg,

Shahbaz Khan Mosque Shahbaz Khan Mosque is a historic mosque located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Located near Mir Jumla’s Gate, this mosque serves as an example of late Mughal architecture in Bengal, known as the Shaista Khan architectural style. History The mosque ...

, 17th century File:Shikha Chironton @ Shohrawardi Uddyan, Dhaka 2013-12-29 17-32.jpg, Shikha Chironton, national monument File:Ramna Kalibari Dhaka racecourse Dhaka (1967).jpg, The Ramna Kali Mandir temple in 1967; it was destroyed on 27 March 1971 by the

Pakistani Army The Pakistan Army (, ) is the land service branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The roots of its modern existence trace back to the British Indian Army that ceased to exist following the Partition of British India, which occurred as a result ...

References

{{Coord, 23.733066, 90.398437, region:BD_type:landmark, display=title Sports venues in Bangladesh Bangladesh Liberation War Horse racing venues in Bangladesh Monuments and memorials in Dhaka

Liberation war events

Features

See also

References