Loading...Once located in the village of Balda in Gazipur’s Badiya Union, the Balda Zamindar Bari now exists in a state of decay. The once grand estate has largely been destroyed, but it still holds remnants of its glorious past, including a Kali temple and a school building, which serve as reminders of the zamindari that once thrived here.
According to various sources, the zamindar of Balda was Raj Kishore Rai Chowdhury. His adopted son, Harendra Narayan Rai Chowdhury, is believed to have built the zamindar house. The house had 40 rooms and was locally known as ‘Chowdhuribari’ or ‘Chadribari’.
The estate featured a large field to the south, with a school, the Kali temple, and a pond. The school has since been relocated to the north side of the field.
Today, the ruins of the zamindar house, which appear as piles of small bricks, can still be found scattered around the site. To the east, there is a long wall measuring about 250 feet in length, two feet in width, and ranging from two to seven feet in height in different places.
It is known that the land of several mouzas in present-day Gazipur districts, including Kapasia, Shreepur, Kaliakair, and Gazipur Sadar, once belonged to the Balda Zamindar Estate. Areas like Kafrul and Tejkunipara in Dhaka were also part of this estate.
Harendra Narayan Rai Chowdhury’s zamindari extended into areas such as Dhanua and Damrai mouzas. He built several houses beyond his zamindari boundary, including two in Kolkata and Darjeeling, and one each in Lucknow and Puri. His house in Dhaka’s Wari area still stands as a testament to his legacy.
He named his house in Dhaka “Culture,” while the Balda house became widely known as Balda House. Before that, he had constructed the beautiful “Nymph House” in Tejgaon, Dhaka. He also founded a museum in Wari, Dhaka, which housed his personal collection of ancient artifacts, including coins, medieval weaponry, and clothing. During the Pakistan era, the government took over the museum and relocated its collection to the Dhaka Museum.
In addition to his interest in ancient artifacts, Harendra Narayan Rai Chowdhury established the renowned Balda Botanical Garden, collecting rare and valuable plant species from around the world.
How to Get There
Balda village is located in the Bayira Union of Gazipur Sadar Upazila, approximately 7-8 kilometers east of Gazipur city. To reach the site, you can travel by road to Shib Bari in Gazipur city, or take a train to Joydevpur Junction and then take the Joydevpur-Rajabari road to the zamindar house.
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