Old High Court Building, Dhaka
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The Old High Court Building 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 ...
is situated at High Court Street, opposite the picturesque
Curzon Hall The Curzon Hall is a British Raj-era building and home of the Faculty of Sciences at the University of Dhaka. The building was originally intended to be a town hall and is named after Lord Curzon, the Viceroy of India who laid its foundation st ...
. It was constructed in the beginning of the 20th century in
Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...
architectural style. It served as an official residence and governmental office before coming the High Court Building after the division of
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
in 1947.


History

The governor's house at the south end of Ramna Oval (green), popularly known as the Old High Court Buildings, was built as the official residence of the governor of the newly created province of
East Bengal and Assam Eastern Bengal and Assam was an administrative subdivision (province) of British India between 1905 and 1912. Headquartered in the city of Dacca, it covered territories in what are now Bangladesh, Northeast India and Northern West Bengal. Hist ...
in 1905, though he never really lived there. Its location was selected by (Lieutenant) Governor Designate Sir Joseph Bampfylde Fuller himself, who saw it only befitting to put the building opposite the ongoing
Curzon Hall The Curzon Hall is a British Raj-era building and home of the Faculty of Sciences at the University of Dhaka. The building was originally intended to be a town hall and is named after Lord Curzon, the Viceroy of India who laid its foundation st ...
building at the edge of expansive Ramna Plains, while the new Secretarial Building (the present
Dhaka Medical College and Hospital Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (abbreviated DMCH) is a public medical college and hospital located in Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh. It houses medical school as well as a tertiary care hospital on one campus. The country's first ev ...
) was under construction on the west after triangular
Dhaka College Dhaka College ( bn, ঢাকা কলেজ also known as DC) is the oldest secular educational institution of Bangladesh located in Dhaka. It offers higher secondary education ( HSC). It has Honours and Masters programs as well which are aff ...
field (current Dhaka University Stadium). Until 1853 the
Governor-General of India The Governor-General of India (1773–1950, from 1858 to 1947 the Viceroy and Governor-General of India, commonly shortened to Viceroy of India) was the representative of the monarch of the United Kingdom and after Indian independence in 1 ...
, appointed by the
East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...
, was also acting as the Governor of
Bengal Presidency The Bengal Presidency, officially the Presidency of Fort William and later Bengal Province, was a subdivision of the British Empire in India. At the height of its territorial jurisdiction, it covered large parts of what is now South Asia and ...
. From year till 1911, the position of a
Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...
was introduced for the provinces including for Bengal. However, the position of Governor-General of India was changed to Viceroy to be appointed by the British Parliament. It was again a Governor for ruling reunited Bengal since after 1911. The present
Dhaka University 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 i ...
VC's house was built as the residence of the lieutenant governor. Approached through an elegant triple arched gateway and formal garden, the mansion had series of rooms of various sizes, aligned on four symmetrically laid out wings over looking a square inner court and connected double storied corridors. It is entered through porch under a triangular pediment supported on Corinthian columns. A graceful lantern dome, found in many such civic buildings of the period in England, and also in
Ahsan Manzil Ahsan Manzil is the erstwhile official residential palace and seat of the Nawab of Dhaka. The building is situated at Kumartoli along the banks of the Buriganga River in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Construction was started in 1859 and was completed in ...
, rising behind the pediment in the south elevation, crowns the building. In plan the building is nearly symmetrical with a square entrance hall, a number of drawing rooms and a ballroom. A broad bifurcated staircase from the entrance hall leads to the second floor that has four large bedrooms with wide verandas on both the north and south sides. In all, the building is a fine example of the Renaissance style of architecture. By the time it was completed, annulment of the partition of Bengal was very much in the air, and hence the authority including the chief architect was not sure how to furnish it. Thus it ended up set up with minimum office furniture, and therefore Lieutenant Governor Bailey did not like it. Hence the building either lay vacant or carried some official business before along with several other major buildings around (initially built to house administration) being given to Dhaka University. The Governor himself preferred to stay at the temporary lodge further east in Dilkusha. The original governor's house was used by the (Dhaka) Intermediate College, while the University was occupying the Curzon Hall and the adjacent chemistry laboratory, first given to the college. Across the street College road to the east of Curzon hall area reminds us that the largest original tenant of the area was the Dhaka College to build a bad University. Dhaka College started in 1841 as Dhaka Central College at the premises of an English Seminary School(Collegiate School) in its extended first floor, within 5 years a new building was built for it, which in 1908. It gave way to the Curzon Hall. When Dhaka University started, the college was shifted to the High Court Building . During the Second World War, it was shifted to an old structure in Siddique Bazar, and later to its current location near the new market. After the college was shifted, the Governor's house saw many changes in use Dhaka University council (Senate) building, next as the High Court Building, later in the 1980s as the Defence Ministry office. For sometime after 1947, Brigadier Ayub Khan had his camp behind this building. With the construction of a larger facility in the 1960s nearby that now houses the Supreme Court of Bangladesh and Attorney General's office, the High Court was shifted from here in 1967. Currently this building serves as the office of the Ministry of law and Parliamentary affairs and the Law Council.


Architectural significance

This is the finest example in Dhaka of the European Renaissance style with few or no Mughal features. It has a prominent central porch under a triangular pediment which is supported on
Corinthian Corinthian or Corinthians may refer to: *Several Pauline epistles, books of the New Testament of the Bible: **First Epistle to the Corinthians **Second Epistle to the Corinthians **Third Epistle to the Corinthians (Orthodox) *A demonym relating to ...
columns. The building is surmounted by a graceful dome which rests on a ring of columns. On entering the building through this porch there are two wide
veranda A veranda or verandah is a roofed, open-air gallery or porch, attached to the outside of a building. A veranda is often partly enclosed by a railing and frequently extends across the front and sides of the structure. Although the form ''veran ...
hs on either side of the 28 foot square entrance hall, which is paved with white
marble Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite. Marble is typically not Foliation (geology), foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the ...
. Beyond is a broad staircase, also flagged with white marble which leads to the upper storey. On the west of the entrance hall are a couple of drawing rooms of similar dimensions, measuring 25 by 34 feet, and these rooms are terminated by a north–south oriented
veranda A veranda or verandah is a roofed, open-air gallery or porch, attached to the outside of a building. A veranda is often partly enclosed by a railing and frequently extends across the front and sides of the structure. Although the form ''veran ...
h and a long corridor around a large rectangular inner courtyard. On the east, there is a ball room which measures 60 by 55’-0” and is fronted by a verandah on the south. The inner central courtyard is overlooked on both the east and west wings by long covered corridors and a circular projection in the centre of each wing, whilst the two-storeyed northern wing facing south, accommodates four large bedrooms measuring 28’-0” x 17”-8” and 25’-0” x 16”-0” with dressing rooms and bathrooms between them. These also are flanked by two 9’-8” wide verandahs on both the front and back. A staircase through the middle of the north wing leads to the upper storey. There are two spiral staircases at the corners of the quadrilateral blocks. The entire flooring on the ground floor is of white marble except for ballroom which is of polished teak timber planks. The edifice presents a graceful example of the European Renaissance style as adapted to suit this country.


Present condition

It is now under the control of Supreme Court. Now it is divided into two parts, one part is being used for crime tribunal and the other part for law commission.


Address

The Old High Court is situated at High Court Street, opposite the picturesque Curzon Hall, and skirting the Ramna Green, Dhaka.


References

* Rahman Mahbubur, City Of An Architect, p. 199-201, , Publisher: Delvista Foundation, first published in 2011 * Ahmed Nazimuddin, Edited by Sanday John, Buildings Of The British Raj In Bangladesh, p. 41, , University Press Limited * McAdam Marika,
Lonely Planet Lonely Planet is a travel guide book publisher. Founded in Australia in 1973, the company has printed over 150 million books. History Early years Lonely Planet was founded by married couple Maureen and Tony Wheeler. In 1972, they embarked ...
Bangladesh (Country) Travel (Guide), p. 50, , Published By Lonely Planet, 5th ed * Mamun Muntasir, Dhaka Smirti Bismritir Nagari, p. 154, , Published by Monirul Hoque, 4rd ed, January 2004 * {{Coord, 23.7294, N, 90.4023, E, region:BD_type_landmark, display=title Old Dhaka Buildings and structures in Dhaka Courthouses