Ahsan Manzil situated on the bank of Buriganga, was the residence & main kachari of the nawabs of Dhaka. According to the historians this was at first the bagan bari of Sheikh Enayetullah, who was the zamindar of Jamalpur pargana during the time of Mughals. After his death, his son Matiullah sold this property to the French who have made it their trade center. In 1830, Khwaja Alimullah bought it from French and after proper renovation & reconstruction, converted it to his residence. Nawab Khwaja Abdul Ghani gave the responsibility of making a master plan for their residence to a Martin & Company. Though there are controversies regarding the naming of the palace, according to most of the historians, Nawab Khwaja Abdul Ghani named it Ahsan Manzil after his son Khwaja Ahsanullah.
The construction of the palace was started in 1859 by Khwaja Abdul Ghani and was completed in 1872. The newly built palace was known as Rang Mahal & the earlier establishment was known as Andar Mahal. Ahsan Manzil was severely damaged during the terrible tornado of 1888 and the massive earthquake of 1897.
After the massive destruction of the terrible tornado, Nawab Abdul Ghani & Ahsanullah could no longer rely on the locally made bricks as the building was built only few years ago. So they brought 1 lakh bricks from Raniganj Burn Company to Dhaka spending 5/7 times more money per thousand bricks. Where good quality bricks were available at the rate of 7 taka per thousand, they spent 11 taka to hire boats for bringing thousand bricks to Dhaka. Nawab didn’t just lose faith in local bricks, he lost his confidence in the English engineers of Martin & Company who had earlier built the Rang Mahal. The responsibility of the reconstruction of the palace was handed over to the famous local engineer, Babu Gobindo Chandra. He was well known for building the royal palace of Cooch Bihar. The biggest attraction of the palace, the tall dome was added to the Rang Mahal during this renovation work. It took about 3 years to complete the total renovation.
Adjacent to the round room below the dome, there is a large and attractive wooden staircase. During the glory days of Nawab family, a beautiful gold binded visitor book used to be kept in the stairwell. High dignitaries visiting the palace used to write comments on it.
Ahsan Manzil is one of the most significant architectural establishment in this subcontinent which is following the European architectural pattern. Established on a raised platform of 1 meter, two-storied palace measures 125.4m by 28.75m. An open spacious stairway has come down from the southern portico, extending upto the bank of the river through the front garden. Previously there was a fountain in the front garden, which doesn’t exist now. The spacious north & south verandas of both the floors rest on semicircular arches. The floor is covered with marble. Internally Ahsan Manzil is divided into two symmetrical halves on either side of the dome.
Apart from its architectural beauty, Ahsan Manzil played a vital role in Muslim leadership of East Bengal from the end of 19th century to the initial years of Pakistan. Nawabs of Dhaka used to conduct their court affairs being the head of the panchayat. They had huge influence on the lives of the people of Dhaka, which actually saved thousands of lives during riots. Almost all the viceroys & governors who visited Dhaka, took the hospitality of Dhaka Nawab family, at Ahsan Manzil at least once. In 1874 Lord Northbrook, in 1888 Lord Duffrin, in 1904 Lord Curzon, visited Ahsan Manzil while visiting Dhaka.
All the political activities of Nawab Khwaja Salimullah was centered around Ahsan Manzil. Muslim League was founded through a meeting held at Ahsan Manzil. After the death of Nawab Khwaja Ahsanullah in 1901, the tide of prosperity of Ahsan Manzil came to an end. Nawab Salimullah, burdened with mounting debts, was forced to hand over the management of his zamindari to the Court of Wards in 1907. It became impossible for the successors of the nawab family to maintain this huge palace, when Nawab State was acquired under the East Bengal Estate Acquisition Act in 1952. They started renting out rooms of the palace which actually made the condition of the palace more vulnerable.
Keeping in consideration the historical & architectural importance of Ahsan Manzil, the government of Bangladesh took the initiative to renovate it. In 1985 Ahsan Manzil & its surroundings were acquired. On September 20, 1992, after proper renovation, Ahsan Manzil Museum was opened for the visitors. Ahsan Manzil Museum remains close on Thursday. You can have a tour to this magnificent architectural beauty and can learn our about our enriched heritage as each brick of this palace is the witness of the historical incidents of this subcontinent.