Monuments and Memory: The Architectural Works of Zamindar Haricharan Roy

Satkhira is a historically rich district of Khulna Division situated at the southwest border region in Bangladesh. As a result of the permanent settlement in 1793, a new landlord class, Zamindar, emerged in various parts of the country. Among the Zamindars in Satkhira who became more famous for their philanthropic and public welfare works, Haricharan Roy of Shyamnagar was one of them. According to local legend, despite financial difficulties in his early life, Haricharan Roy's mother found money in her dreams and owned many properties with that money. Later he got Zamindari from the British. The house of Zamindar Haricharan Roy Chowdhury, situated 2 km east of Shyamnagar police station headquarters, was built in 1888. The gigantic three-story building is standing in its dilapidated condition now. It seemed that after King Pratapaditya, Haricaran Roy was the most influential and wealthy Zamindar of the Shyamnagar region. Under his initiative many philanthropic works were done in Shyamnagar as well as in the whole of Satkhira. Like many other Zamindars, Haricharan Roy was not only intoxicated with wealth and luxury. He built roads, canals, educational institutions, bazaars, etc. Nakipur Minor School was built in 1899 AD. This is now known as Nakkipur Pilot High School. All members of this Zamindar family migrated to India in 1971 A.D. Since then the palace has become a haunted house. All the belongings of the Zamindar palace have gone into the possession of thieves and looters. However, seeing the abandoned Zamindar palace, Durgamandap, Nahawatkhana, Shiva temple, water tank, etc., anyone can easily guess its glorious past. This Zamindar palace is of immense archaeological importance in reconstructing the history of the colonial period in the Satkhira region. If the Zamindar palace is completely obliterated, there will be no archaeological source for future generations to know the colonial history of the place. Hence, government intervention is urgently needed to preserve and renovate it. All types of data have been collected through field survey and interview methods to complete this article. In this article the researcher has tried to explore the architectural achievements of Zamindar Haricharan Roy with their details and style, to create public awareness considering their archaeological importance, and to draw special attention of appropriate authorities for their preservation and conservation.