Buckland bund
Encyclopedia
Buckland Bundis a historically significant architectural creation situated by the Buriganga
river bank of Old Dhaka, Bangladesh
. It was first created by C.T. Buckland in 1864 who was the commissioner of Dhaka
during that period.
period, it was Mr. Buckland who was the first to take the initiative to build a metalled road over it. That’s how the road by the riverbank came to be known as the Buckland Bund which lengths almost one mile starting from Forashgonj to Babubazaar.
Initially Mr. Buckland collected the funds to build the bund from Dhaka’s well established and rich people amongst whom the names highlighted in news are Abdul Gani
, Kali Narayan Rai, Jagannath Rai Chowdhury and Mohinimohon Dash. In Nazir Hossain’s Book “Kingbodontir Dhakai” he mentioned Bhutto Hazi as well as one of the financial contributors. Mr. Buckland started the construction work with the collection of tk.65, 000 but unfortunately he could not finish the work during his reign of 5 years as the commissioner as he had to leave Dhaka and as believe by many, it was probably Mr. Simson the next commissioner finished the work of Buckland Bund. It is said that the fund collected by Mr. Buckland was not enough to finish the construction
work, hence his successor Mr. Simson arranged more tk.10,000 from the local fund and borrowed tk.8,000 from Khwaja Abdul Gani Miyah to continue the work even though there was still a little financial shortage. Seeing this, Khwaja Abdul Ghani
donated Tk.2,000 more to help the cause and tk.2, 000 more was collected as tax from Mohini mohon Dash to arrange the rest of the fund.
A few more information was collected from the autobiography of Hridoynath Mojumder. According to him, during the first year of construction the road was built from Northbrook Hall
to Owaiz Ghat and in the next year it was built from Ruplal House
to Badamtoli Ghat. The east side was completed with the donation of Ruplal Dash and the west side was completed with the donation of Nawab Abdul Gani whereas the middle part was built with the donation of the government
.
During C. T. Buckland’s period, under government initiative a lot of buildings and significant architectural creations took place in Dhaka. In fact, during the time of his leaving he was offered an “Appreciation Certificate” from the communities of Muslim
s, Hindu
s, Armenia
ns and English
which unfortunately he could not accept due to not having such permission from the government. Buckland Bund was a new gathering place for the people of Dhaka as the view of the river was an amazing piece of recreation for them. According to the autobiography of Ridoai Nath Mojhumder, 12 steel bench
es were provided there at first which were not sufficient so 8 more benches were added. The crowd visiting the Buckland Bund at that time proved that it was a very refreshing place and even today after almost 300 years the place is still used as a social gathering place by the local people. The construction of the bund quickly transformed the area into a very posh place and a lot of zamindar
s started to erect their mansions on and around this bund. The embankment was fortified with stone, and the top laid with bricks. Near Sadarghat
, part of the strand was left green, and was later turned into a miniature park with a raised dais where visiting dignitaries could be received on landing from steamers and where a local regimental band played daily in the afternoon for the entertainment of the people. The strand became an attraction to the city and a boon and was used as a promenade overlooking the river with its busy traffic, where people could stroll in the afternoon and evening while enjoying the cool breeze from the river.
of Dhaka in the 1900 but the current situation is not something to write about proudly. During the reign of Ayuub Khan, once the rights of the bund was transferred to the government from the public in 1963, the bund’s maintenance and beauty started to deteriorate and the bund that once was Dhaka’s pride and very dear, a place which was used as a source of recreation and entertainment has now lost all its glory and attraction under the government’s responsibility.
Buriganga River
The Buriganga River is the main river flowing beside Dhaka city, capital of Bangladesh. The average depth is and maximum depth is .-History:...
river bank of Old Dhaka, Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
. It was first created by C.T. Buckland in 1864 who was the commissioner of Dhaka
Dhaka
Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh and the principal city of Dhaka Division. Dhaka is a megacity and one of the major cities of South Asia. Located on the banks of the Buriganga River, Dhaka, along with its metropolitan area, had a population of over 15 million in 2010, making it the largest city...
during that period.
History
C.T. Buckland was appointed the commissioner of Dhaka 1864 and he had a very successful tenure at this post for 5 years. Even though there was already bund by the Buriganga riverbank from the MughalMughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
period, it was Mr. Buckland who was the first to take the initiative to build a metalled road over it. That’s how the road by the riverbank came to be known as the Buckland Bund which lengths almost one mile starting from Forashgonj to Babubazaar.
Initially Mr. Buckland collected the funds to build the bund from Dhaka’s well established and rich people amongst whom the names highlighted in news are Abdul Gani
Abdul Gani
Major Abdul Gani was a Bengali military officer.-Early life:Gani was born in Burichang Upazila of Comilla District, Bengal . He studied in Comilla, and later in Calcutta, where, in 1940, he graduated from Calcutta Islamia College.-Military career:Abdul Gani joined the British Indian Army in 1941,...
, Kali Narayan Rai, Jagannath Rai Chowdhury and Mohinimohon Dash. In Nazir Hossain’s Book “Kingbodontir Dhakai” he mentioned Bhutto Hazi as well as one of the financial contributors. Mr. Buckland started the construction work with the collection of tk.65, 000 but unfortunately he could not finish the work during his reign of 5 years as the commissioner as he had to leave Dhaka and as believe by many, it was probably Mr. Simson the next commissioner finished the work of Buckland Bund. It is said that the fund collected by Mr. Buckland was not enough to finish the construction
Construction
In the fields of architecture and civil engineering, construction is a process that consists of the building or assembling of infrastructure. Far from being a single activity, large scale construction is a feat of human multitasking...
work, hence his successor Mr. Simson arranged more tk.10,000 from the local fund and borrowed tk.8,000 from Khwaja Abdul Gani Miyah to continue the work even though there was still a little financial shortage. Seeing this, Khwaja Abdul Ghani
Khwaja Abdul Ghani
Nawab Bahadur Sir Khwaja Abdul Ghani Mian KCSI was the first Nawab of Dhaka recognized by the British Raj.He introduced the panchayat system, gaslights, water works, newspaper, and the zoological garden to Dhaka...
donated Tk.2,000 more to help the cause and tk.2, 000 more was collected as tax from Mohini mohon Dash to arrange the rest of the fund.
A few more information was collected from the autobiography of Hridoynath Mojumder. According to him, during the first year of construction the road was built from Northbrook Hall
Northbrook Hall
Northbrook Hall also known as “Lalkuthi” or red house because of its deep red colour, was originally built as a town hall during the British period...
to Owaiz Ghat and in the next year it was built from Ruplal House
Ruplal House
Ruplal House is a grand 19th century building or mansion in Old Dhaka, Bangladesh. It was erected jointly by two Hindu affluent merchant brothers named Ruplal Das and Raghunath, sons of Swarup Chandra, on the northern bank of Buriganga overlooking a riverfront promenade along the buckland bund in...
to Badamtoli Ghat. The east side was completed with the donation of Ruplal Dash and the west side was completed with the donation of Nawab Abdul Gani whereas the middle part was built with the donation of the government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
.
Architectural Significance
Buckland Bund was a place for recreation and passing time for local people not only in the 19th century but also in the beginning decades of the 20th century. It was a very attractive place to visit for the middle class local people of that time.During C. T. Buckland’s period, under government initiative a lot of buildings and significant architectural creations took place in Dhaka. In fact, during the time of his leaving he was offered an “Appreciation Certificate” from the communities of Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
s, Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
s, Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
ns and English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
which unfortunately he could not accept due to not having such permission from the government. Buckland Bund was a new gathering place for the people of Dhaka as the view of the river was an amazing piece of recreation for them. According to the autobiography of Ridoai Nath Mojhumder, 12 steel bench
Bench
Bench or The Bench can refer to:* Bench , a piece of furniture, which typically offers seating for several people.* In Yiddish, to bench means to bless, from Latin benedīcere...
es were provided there at first which were not sufficient so 8 more benches were added. The crowd visiting the Buckland Bund at that time proved that it was a very refreshing place and even today after almost 300 years the place is still used as a social gathering place by the local people. The construction of the bund quickly transformed the area into a very posh place and a lot of zamindar
Zamindar
A Zamindar or zemindar , was an aristocrat, typically hereditary, who held enormous tracts of land and ruled over and taxed the bhikaaris who lived on batavaslam. Over time, they took princely and royal titles such as Maharaja , Raja , Nawab , and Mirza , Chowdhury , among others...
s started to erect their mansions on and around this bund. The embankment was fortified with stone, and the top laid with bricks. Near Sadarghat
Sadarghat
Sadarghat River Front, located in the southern part of Dhaka, on the river Buriganga, is one of the most dynamic places in Dhaka. Here, the Sadarghat Lunch Terminal is one of the largest river ports in the world. About 200 large and small passenger launches depart and arrive at the terminal every...
, part of the strand was left green, and was later turned into a miniature park with a raised dais where visiting dignitaries could be received on landing from steamers and where a local regimental band played daily in the afternoon for the entertainment of the people. The strand became an attraction to the city and a boon and was used as a promenade overlooking the river with its busy traffic, where people could stroll in the afternoon and evening while enjoying the cool breeze from the river.
Present Condition
Buckland Bund was a very elegant riverfrontRiverfront
A riverfront is a region along a river; often in larger cities that border a river, the riverfront will be lined with marinas, docks, parks, trees, or minor attractions. Today many riverfronts are a staple of modernism and city beautification....
of Dhaka in the 1900 but the current situation is not something to write about proudly. During the reign of Ayuub Khan, once the rights of the bund was transferred to the government from the public in 1963, the bund’s maintenance and beauty started to deteriorate and the bund that once was Dhaka’s pride and very dear, a place which was used as a source of recreation and entertainment has now lost all its glory and attraction under the government’s responsibility.