Shashi Lodge

Shashi Lodge was the residence of the Muktagacha zamindar family in Mymensingh town, first built late in the nineteenth century, wrecked by the great earthquake of 1897 and rebuilt between 1905 and 1911 as a two-storey mansion with a columned front, a curved central bay and a garden with a marble fountain that carried a figure of Venus, the detail everyone remembered until the statue was destroyed on 5 August 2024. The interior has a carved wooden staircase, a hall of mirrors and a bathing house at the back connected to a tank. It was used as a teachers' training college for decades, which kept the fabric standing, and it has been restored and opened as a museum. It stands near the Brahmaputra bank in the middle of the old town.

History

The Muktagacha zamindari, founded by Shri Krishna Acharya Chowdhury, passed through a line of adopted heirs to Maharaja Suryakant Acharya Chowdhury, who ran it for some 41 years and late in the 19th century built a two-storey mansion on 3.6 hectares in the heart of Mymensingh, named after his adopted son Shashikant. The earthquake of 12 June 1897 damaged it, and in 1905 Shashikant, the ninth Maharaja, rebuilt Shashi Lodge to a new design, finishing its embellishment in 1911; after the zamindari system ended it served from 1952 as a training centre for women teachers, and the Directorate of Archaeology took it over on 4 April 2015 (Wikipedia, Shashi Lodge).

Highlights

• The Venus fountain - the fountain in the front garden; its marble figure was destroyed in August 2024.
• The columned front and curved bay - the rebuilt mansion facade.
• The mirror hall and carved stair - the interior set pieces.
• The bathing house and tank - the private ghat at the back.

When to go

November to March. One to two hours. It closes on some days and Friday hours are short. Mornings are cooler. The old town around it rewards a walk.

Practical notes

The interior is sparsely furnished and interpretation is thin. Restoration is uneven in places. The garden is small. Mymensingh is a long drive or train ride from Dhaka for what is a modest set of sights.

Nearby

The Brahmaputra bank is close; Muktagacha lies west.

Key facts