BAHADUR SHAH PARK | Shatotto

Bahadur Shah Memorial Park: Exalting the Glory

Located at the Laxmibazar area in Old Dhaka, Bahadur Shah Memorial Park stands as a witness of the history of British rule and also the first movement against colonial rulers in the Indian subcontinent. In 1857, during the “Sepoy Mutiny”, the English soldiers publicly executed the failed mutineers by hanging them from different trees in this place. Nawab Khwaja Abdul Ghani, the first Nawab of Dhaka recognized by the British Raj, took the initiative to establish this park during the first half of the 19th century. History says, from the time of its construction till 1957, the park was known as 'Victoria Park', which was named after Queen Victoria, former Queen of the British Empire and Empress of India. Right before establishment, the Armenians founded an indoor gaming club named 'Anta Ghar' in the park area which was later demolished by the English. It is also known from history that there was an open place beside the club known as 'Anta Gharer Maidan'. In 1957, the park was named after the last Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Jafar II to relive the history of the “Sepoy Mutiny” and an obelisk was built in this park in remembrance of the martyrs of the mutiny. However, with the passage of time, the park lost its glory due to negligence.  The double -layered boundary wall could not save the park from gradual dilapidation and being plagued by the vagrants and the illegal occupants. Moreover, due to the happenings of illicit activities, the accessibility of the city dwellers became limited in the park. The design decision of the revitalized project challenged the hegemonic idea of putting boundary walls and removed all the existing boundary walls to open up the park which ultimately turned the park into a 24/7 accessible place. Another important design decision was to widen the footpath by removing the illegal bus parking on the northern side of the park as well as separating the road for the large vehicles and the small vehicles for the ease of traffic management. All the old trees, around 200 trees, have been restored and to save the shaded areas under these trees from being damp due to direct penetration of the rainwater, those areas have been covered with small gravel stone as those areas are not suitable for growing grass. The aqua trench under the oval-shaped outer walkway and the inner walkways, made with 6’0”x1’6” R.C.C slabs, has solved the water management issues. Now the thousands of passersby can enjoy the shades of restored old green trees in the park while stepping on these walkways. Newly planted trees and plants together with the old trees have turned the place into a place of bouncing greenery. Besides, newly incorporated seating arrangements around the walkways and the area for physical exercise in the middle are being used by a substantial number of users day and night every day. The intentional vertical projection of 5-kilowatt LED light around the obelisk and horizontal projection of comparatively less luminous light on the walkways create a dramatic environment at night. When the obelisk becomes illuminated in bright light at night, it symbolizes the exalted glory of the heroes of the “Sepoy Mutiny”.