Dinajpur Rajbari (in english Dinajpur palace) is located at the north-east part of the town. The name of the location is Raj Batika, just near to the village Rajarampur. It is quite unsure who was the owner of the place earlier. They were very wealthy and had plenty of land around. They were mainly the Zamidar of that area who used to collect tax from the local people. Compared to the local poor people they were gigantically rich and powerful. That’s why they were called kings (although they are not). And their residence is known as Rajbari (king’s house) to local people. The whole area is around 16 acres in size. Although most of the area is not accessible.
Condition in current days
In current days most of the beauties of this Dinajpur rajbari are gone. Major portion of the edifices are in ruin and dilapidated condition. However, it has two temples inside the area. One temple inside the rajbari is well managed and actively functioning. You’d see several statues of the god and goddess of Hindu religion. The main gate (entrance) of the premise has a statue of a lion atop. That’s why it is known as Lion’s gate amongst the local people. This place has another entrance which is white in colour, possibly built later.
To my knowledge and till that day, this place was not acquired by the Bangladesh Government. That’s why no care is taken for this Rajbari. Inside the ruins of the older part of the Rajbari few people are still living. They are throwing waste there as well. This could have been an iconic historical heritage if it got a bit of care from us. We still have time for it I think.
How to Go to rajbari
This Dinajpur rajbari is located in the village Rajarampur of Dinajpur town. Public transport would be too difficult to handle. That’s why it is better to hire a rickshaw or a battery driven three wheeler. Just ask the driver where you want to go. Most of the drivers from the town know about this place. And should not take much time to go as well. The GPS coordinate of the Dinajpur rajbari is (25°38’48.8″N, 88°39’20.2″E).
To go to Dinajpur we have several bus services available from Dhaka. Most of the buses leave for Dinajpur from Kalyanpur of Dhaka. Few quality bus services are Nabil Enterprise, Shayamoli Poribahan, etc. It takes an 8-10 hours overnight journey based on the traffic condition. The distance between Dhaka and Dinajpur is approximately 350 kilometer.
Where to stay in Dinajpur
It would be best if you can stay in the Parjatan hotel of Dinajpur which is owned by the government (requires advance booking). Otherwise there are several quality hotels in the town. To save money I’ve stayed in the Al Rashid hotel (which is one of the oldest in the town). It was only 200 Taka per night.
What else is nearby
The two big water tanks (or pond) are very near from the area. One is Shukh Sagar, another one is Mata Sagar. Both of those are worth a visit as it doesn’t take much time to explore the ponds.
If you are looking for more photos from Dinajpur, please feel free to visit the Dinajpur photo gallery.
Dinajpur Rajbari,
Village: Rajarampur,
District: Dinajpur,
Country: Bangladesh,
GPS coordinate (25°38’48.8″N, 88°39’20.2″E)
Written by Lonely Traveler,
For blog alonelytraveler.com
Saturday, 22nd May 2010
Very interesting blog