The Bara Katra is a historical and architectural monument located in the city of Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is a palatial building dating to the reign of the Mughal dynasty in the Bengal region. It is situated to the south of Chawk Bazar close to the north bank of the river Buriganga.
History
The Bara Katra was built between 1644 and 1646 AD to be the official residence of Mughal prince Shah Shuja, who was the second son of emperor Shah Jahan. The prince endowed it to his diwan and the builder of the serai, Abul Qasim. According to an inscription composed by Mughal poet Sa'ad ud-Din Muhammad Shirazi:
"Abul Qasim al-Husaini at-Tabtaba as-Simnani built this edifice, endowing it with twenty-two shops, attached to it, on the rightful and lawful condition that the officials in charge of the endowment would expend the income derived from them upon the repairs of the building and upon the poor and that they should not take any rent from any deserving person alighting therein, so that the pious act may reflect upon the monarch in this world and that they should not act contrariwise, or else they would be called to account on the Day of Retribution."
Structure
The Bara Katra originally enclosed a quadrangular courtyard with 22 rooms on all of its four sides. Two gateways were erected, one each on the north and south. The ruins consist of an edifice having a river frontage. The southern wing of the structure was planned on a grand scale and was marked with an elaborate three-storeyed gate containing an octagonal central chamber. The remaining portion was two-storeyed and encased by projected octagonal towers.
The gateway structure is lofty in height and projected towards the river. A tall alcove rising to the second storey reduces the mass of this projection. The wall surface is relieved with panels that are square as well as rectangular and that contain a variety of decorations of four-centred, cusped, horseshoe and flat arches. Above the apex of the alcove open the windows of the third storey. Under the alcove is the main arched entrance which leads to the guardroom. Passing through the two successive archways come an octagonal domed hall, the ceiling of which is plastered and bears various net-patterns and foliaged designs. The two-storeyed structure resolves on both sides of the central entrance into a row of five vaulted rooms in the ground floor and living rooms with a continuous corridor on the upper one. The three-storeyed corner towers are hollow and can be approached from the subsidiary structures.
Architecture
The building's architecture follows the traditional pattern of the Central Asia's caravanserai and is embellished as per Mughal architecture. It originally enclosed a quadrangular courtyard surrounded by shops and was overlooked by a row of 22 living cells in each wing. Two gateways were built in the northern and southern wing. The southern wing is a two storeyed structure and extends 223' along the river. It is marked in the middle by the southern gateway -- an elaborate three storey central archway framed within a projected rectangular bay -- that provides access to the courtyard. The underside of the arched alcove of the gateway is adorned with intricate plasterwork. The wall surface around the spandrels with plastered panels in relief contain a variety of forms such as four-centred, cusped, horse shoe and flat arches. Each wing is two storeyed and the corners are marked by tall octagonal towers.
Maintenance
More than half of the Katra building was destroyed over time owing to neglect. The building remains in a dilapidated condition. The Bangladeshi government has been unable to take charge of the monument owing to litigation and resistance from its present owners. The owners have made several alterations to the original character of the building and have also started construction of a new multi-storeyed building in the area. Urban encroachment and shanty constructions envelop the palace today.
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