Mahera Zamindar Bari

The Mahera estate was built in the early twentieth century by a family of landowners and consists of three mansions standing in a row in a large walled garden with a tank in front of them, each in a different arrangement of the same broad manner: high plastered facades with columns, arches and decorative parapets, painted in strong colours. The setting is the difference from most surviving zamindar houses, since the garden is maintained with lawns, palms and flower beds and the buildings are in good repair. The property became a police training centre after 1971, which is why it is kept up, and visitors are admitted to the grounds and to parts of the buildings, with the working parts of the academy closed.

What you actually see

• Three mansions in a row - the linked houses across the garden front.
• A maintained garden and tank - lawns and water in front of the facades.
• Painted plaster facades - columns, arches and decorative parapets.
• Buildings in good repair - the effect of the academy's occupation.

When to go

November to March. Two hours. Access depends on the academy and parts are closed; it is sometimes shut entirely for training. Weekends bring Bangladeshi visitors in numbers.

Honest expectations

It is a working police academy and access can be refused without notice. Interior access is limited to a few rooms. Photography of some areas is not permitted. The drive from Dhaka is long and slow.

Nearby

Tangail is north; Atia Mosque lies north-east.