Lalbagh Fort:
Lalbagh fort
is a Mughal palace. It is one of the greatest heritage site of Dhaka,
Bangladesh. It was built in 1678 A.D. by Muhammad Azam Shah and continued the
work by his successor Nawab Shaista Khan.
It has a huge area and many hidden
passages. The fort has three important ancient buildings, Pari Bibir Mazar,
Darbar Hall and a Mosque. Memorial of Pari Bibi was designed by marbles, two
fount and different types of flora. Three domed Mosque shows the beauty of
Mughal Architecture.Now there is a museum for the visitors to have the
opportunity to see the ancient things used by the Nawab Shaista khan,
paintings, furniture as well as weapons used in wars at Mughal period. Everyday
many people come here to enjoy this beautiful and historical fort.
History:
Mughal prince Muhammad Azam, third son of
Aurangzeb started the work of the fort in 1678 during his vice-royalty in
Bengal. He stayed in Bengal for 15 months. The fort remained incomplete when he
was called away by his father Aurangzeb.
Shaista Khan was the new
subahdar of Dhaka in that time, and he did not complete the fort. In 1684, the
daughter of Shaista Khan named Iran Dukht Pari Bibi died there. After her
death, he started to think the fort as unlucky, and left the structure
incomplete.Among the three major parts of Lalbagh Fort, one is the tomb of
Pari Bibi.
After Shaista Khan left
Dhaka, it lost its popularity. The main cause was that the capital was moved
from Dhaka to Murshidabad. After the end of the royal Mughal period, the fort
became abandoned. In 1844, the area acquired its name as Lalbagh replacing
Aurangabad, and the fort became Lalbagh Fort.
Picture of Lalbagh Fort: