Pilkhana is a para-military cantonment in

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; , ), List of renamed places in Bangladesh, formerly known as Dacca, is the capital city, capital and list of cities and towns in Bangladesh, largest city of Bangladesh. It is one of the list of largest cities, largest and list o ...

. It is the headquarters of

Border Guard Bangladesh Border Guard Bangladesh (abbr. BGB; ) is a paramilitary force responsible for the border security of Bangladesh. The BGB is entrusted with the responsibility to defend the border of Bangladesh with India and Myanmar. It was formerly known as t ...

, located to the

south South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both west and east. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþa ...

Dhanmondi Dhanmondi () is an upscale residential and commercial neighbourhood and a Thanas of Bangladesh, thana (police jurisdiction) in Dhaka, Bangladesh, known for its central location, cultural vibrancy and being home to the country's founding president, ...

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

Etymology

The word ''Pilkhana'' means "stable of elephants". Pilkhana is not officially named in any record of

Dhaka City Corporation Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) was the former self-governing corporation that was entrusted with the task of administering the municipal affairs of Dhaka. The incorporated area was divided into several wards. Each ward has an elected ward commiss ...

, but this is the popular name of this place as elephants are a part of its history (''pil'' means "elephant" and ''khana'' means "home").

History

During the Mughal period, the royal elephants kept in this place used to go for grazing in the nearby jungle to the east, which was later turned into Dhaka Nawab's Garden, now known as Paribagh and Shahbagh. The path between Pilkhana and the jungle, through which the elephants traversed, later became a public road named Elephant Road. After the fall of the

Mughal Empire The Mughal Empire was an Early modern period, early modern empire in South Asia. At its peak, the empire stretched from the outer fringes of the Indus River Basin in the west, northern Afghanistan in the northwest, and Kashmir in the north, to ...

, the place named Pilkhana continued to be used in the same manner and before the

British Empire The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, colonies, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, mandates, and other Dependent territory, territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It bega ...

took over the place for their military activity. In 1876,

Viceroy of India The governor-general of India (1833 to 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 in their capacity as the Emperor of ...

founded "Frontier Force" and established its headquarters in Pilkhana. This Frontier Force changed its name as Assam Bengal Rifles in the year 1920 AD. After the achievement of

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

the name of this para-military force was changed to

East Pakistan Rifles East is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fact that eas ...

(EPR), thereafter during the Independence War of 1971, the name of EPR was changed to East Pakistan Civil Armed Force (EPCAF). After the

Independence of Bangladesh The independence of Bangladesh was Proclamation of Bangladeshi Independence, declared from Pakistan on 26 March 1971, which is now celebrated as Independence Day (Bangladesh), Independence Day. The Bangladesh Liberation War started on 26 March ...

, it was changed to

Bangladesh Rifles Border Guard Bangladesh (abbr. BGB; ) is a paramilitary force responsible for the border security of Bangladesh. The BGB is entrusted with the responsibility to defend the border of Bangladesh with India and Myanmar. It was formerly known as th ...

(BDR), and after the BDR carnage on 25 February 2009, it has been changed currently as

, BGB. Although with the passage of time the name of the said para-military force was changed on a number of occasions but the headquarters of it remains in Pilkhana.

1971-present

1971, 25 March: At midnight, the Pakistan Army attacked the EPR headquarters at Pilkhana. 2009, 25–28 February: The 2009 Bangladesh Rifles revolt took place. Members of the

mutinied against senior officials of BDR who were mostly from Bangladesh Army. While the exact reasons for such a widespread mutiny largely remains unknown, words have been on the air regarding possible involvement of vested political quarters inside Bangladesh and even of forces outside Bangladesh. On that fateful day of 25 February 2009 at 9 AM Bangladesh Rifles jawans entered the "Darbar Hall" auditorium killing BDR Director General Major General Shakil Ahmed. Over the next three days, the BDR jawans killed as many as 54 officers and their family members including women and children. The conflict left as many as 57 people dead and 6 missing.

Geography

The Elephant Road now can be traced starting at BGB Gate number 3, running through the middle of New Super Market, adjacent to Dhaka New Market, touching the Gauchia Market to reach Bata signal point, and ending at Paribagh. This road is now known as Old Elephant Road.

Education

* Birshreshtha Munshi Abdur Rouf Public College * Birshreshtha Noor Mohammad Public College

References

{{reflist Neighbourhoods in Dhaka Border Guard Bangladesh Populated places established in 1876