A zamindar was the collector of land revenue of a region during Mughal rule and British colonial times. There are many abandoned zamindar houses scattered throughout the country. I made a plan to explore the neglected places, as I wanted to discover the historical backgrounds of those amazing houses.

Here, I am going to talk about one of them. Haturia Zamindar Bari is located at Haturia Nakalia union of Bera upazila, about 50 km from Pabna town. The house was built by Zamindar Lord Jiten Chandra in the 19th Century.

The prime attraction of the two-storied house is its artistic gateway. The façade is vastly decorated with numerous statues and earthenware. There is a do-chala temple on the grounds which was built in the later part of the 18th Century.

Once upon a time, the zamindar bari was full of life, lights and entertainment, but in course of time the house has been left abandoned. The situation deteriorated after the partition of British India in 1947. After a law abolishing zamindari was passed in 1951, the Haturia zamindar estate came in an end.

It is a less visited place that travellers hardly explore. 

References: Historical Edifice of Pabna by Ayesha Begum (UGC, 2002), and Archaeological Survey Report of Greater Pabna District by Md Khalequzzman (DOA, 1997).

Photos: Writer