Tajhat Zamindar Bari of Rangpur District
Tajhat Zamindar also known as Tajhat Rajbari is located in Mahiganj, Rangpur district, Bangladesh. It is a historic palace. The location is about three kilometers southeast of Rangpur City. It is a lovely tourist destination. In 1980, the Bangladesh government used it as a courthouse. It is now functioning as a museum.
History of Tajhat Zamindar Bari
Kumar Gopal Lal Roy, a jeweler by profession, built Tajhat Palace. The name Tajhat came from his profession. Taj means ‘Crown’, and hat means ‘Local Market’. He became the zamindar of the Tajhat estate after the death of his father, Manna Lal Roy.
At the beginning of the 20th century, Gopal Roy began making the Zamindar Bari. He assigned 2000 laborers to finish the construction of his royal palace. Tajhat Zamindar Bari has a “U” shape. It looks stunning with its white stones, marble stones, limestone, and red bricks. A majestic central staircase built of imported white marble stands in front. The railing once held marble statues of ancient Roman figures, but these have now disappeared.
Museum of Tajhat Zamindar Bari
From 1984 to 1991, the Rangpur High Court Branch of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh used it as a courthouse. In 1995, the department of Archeology declared the palace a protected monument.
Recognizing the building’s high architectural importance, the government of Bangladesh relocated the Rangpur museum to the second floor of Tajhat Zamindar Bari in 2005. The main chamber at the top of the marble steps houses various exhibit cases with terracotta objects from the 10th and 11th centuries. On the second and third levels of the structure, visitors can find private materials belonging to Maharaja Gopal.
Several fine examples of Sanskrit and Arabic manuscripts can be found here, including copies of the Mahabharat and Ramayan. Also, there is a Quran, whose origin is attributed to none other than the Mughal Aurangzeb. The back rooms have several examples of black stone Hindu cravings in their back rooms, mainly of the deity Vishnu.
Visiting Hour
Tajhat Zamindar Bari is open to the public from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day of the week. However, the museum will be closed on Sunday. So it’s best to avoid going on Sunday. Zamindar Bari will be closed to tourists during Eid and the preceding day. It will be closed at 4 p.m. during Ramadan.
For locals, entry fees will be 20TK; for foreigners, it will be 200TK.
How to go
Travel to Rangpur City via rail or bus from any place in Bangladesh. Take an auto rickshaw from the city to Tajhat Zamindar Bari. It is about 3 kilometers outside of Rangpur.
For Google Maps location, click here.
To read about Panthumai Waterfall, click here.
