User:Tihamstat

Overview
The ancient building which is the behind the Asiatic society of Bangladesh building is familiar as Nimtali Gate. There was a palace also. Though the place has been demolished. The gate is left, the gate has a hall room adjacent to it. This gate and place were built by Lt. Swanton in 1766  with a great haste. Ahmed Hasan Dani contents that Nimtali Phatak was the first to have a parallel during the British reign. History It was built towards the end of the Mughal rule in Dhaka as a residence of Nabi- nazir (Deputy-Governor)  of Dhaka-Niabat  (Dhaka Province) in 1765-1766. As it was situated in the Nimtali Mahalla (ward) of the city, it was popularly called the Nimtali kuthi (Nimatali Palace). All but one gateway (Nimtali Devri) of the place have now disappeared. When the capital of subah-i-Bangala was shifted from Dhaka to Murshidabad in a about 1717, Dhaka was made the seat of a Deputy-governor of a sub-province comprising approximately the greater part of present Bangladesh. The deputy -governor, usually a close ally of nawab, decided in one of the many abandoned palaces of forts of Dhaka. In 1763, when the British Army officer Lt. Swinton stormed the city. Nawab Jasarat Khan, the naib-nazin, who lived in the main fort of Dhaka (the present central jail), was not in Dhaka. He was then a prisoner of Nawab Mir Qasim in Bihar. Nawab Mir Qasim learnt, during his hostility with the British, about the role of Jasarat Khan in saving the British at Dhaka by disregarding an order of Nawab SIRAJJUDAULA, and he ordered Dewan Muhammad Beg to imprison him. Lt- Swinton’s attack on Dhaka was actually undertaken to Save the friendly  deputy-governor  Swinton made this residence in the old fort. Swinton was, however, soon instructed by calcutta (ovnic) to build a new residence for the niab-nazim. The conslrvcton of a new place at Nimtali was hastily completed by 1766.

History
It was built towards the end of the Mughal rule in Dhaka as a residence of Nabi- nazir (Deputy-Governor)  of Dhaka-Niabat  (Dhaka Province) in 1765-1766. As it was situated in the Nimtali Mahalla (ward) of the city, it was popularly called the Nimtali kuthi (Nimatali Palace). All but one gateway (Nimtali Devri) of the place have now disappeared. When the capital of subah-i-Bangala was shifted from Dhaka to Murshidabad in a about 1717, Dhaka was made the seat of a Deputy-governor of a sub-province comprising approximately the greater part of present Bangladesh. The deputy -governor, usually a close ally of nawab, decided in one of the many abandoned palaces of forts of Dhaka. In 1763, when the British Army officer Lt. Swinton stormed the city. Nawab Jasarat Khan, the naib-nazin, who lived in the main fort of Dhaka (the present central jail), was not in Dhaka. He was then a prisoner of Nawab Mir Qasim in Bihar. Nawab Mir Qasim learnt, during his hostility with the British, about the role of Jasarat Khan in saving the British at Dhaka by disregarding an order of Nawab SIRAJJUDAULA, and he ordered Dewan Muhammad Beg to imprison him. Lt- Swinton’s attack on Dhaka was actually undertaken to Save the friendly  deputy-governor  Swinton made this residence in the old fort. Swinton was, however, soon instructed by calcutta (ovnic) to build a new residence for the niab-nazim. The conslrvcton of a new place at Nimtali was hastily completed by 1766.

Architectural Value
As the Nimtali Place is not currently present. The mixed measurement of place cannot be count but through archaeological research, it was found that Nimtali Place occupied a considerable have a on the northern side to the city between the modern Nimtali Mahalla and the ltigh court building and consisted of a number of separate building. The site was just at the periphery of the then city, mostly surrounded by woodlands. It is not possible to provide a correct or defailed description of these structures as no contemporary narrative or plan of the site has yet been found. It may, however, be assumed, judging from the only extant gate way, the Nimtali Devri, that it was built after the usual  Mughal Palace  designs with several gateways, inner court, private residences, place of prayer, thanks or water reservoirs, barracks for soldiers and quarters of staff, gardens and the like. As long as the palace remained the residence of the Naib-nazim, it played many significant role in the social and cultural life of Dhaka. It acted as the bastion of the Mugahal culture in Dhaka, patronizing classical music and dance, painting and other arts and oratts. One colorful event that took place  here regularly was the Eid procession brought out in celebration of the Eid-ul-Fitr, which use to start from Nimtali Devri  and after  parading different parts of the city, it terminated there. It played a very important pat in the Dhaka city. Bishop Heber who visited the city in 1824 left a graphic description of the palace complex although most of it was then in ruins. He mentions a “veally handsome gateway (Nimtali Deuri), with an open gallery, where the ‘No but’, or evening martial music, is performed, a mark of sovereign dignity, to which the Nawab never and a just claim, but in which Government continued to indulge him .......................`` He further mentons, “a very handsome hall, an octagon,  supported by gothic a  arches, with a verandah round it, and with high gothic window”.

Present Conditions
Thus the palace of Naib-nazims of Dhaka and the surrounding lands after passing through various vicissihdes and owners, eventually  became the property of Dhaka university. The sole Surviving gateway, now lying wits the compound of the lone witness to testify to the existence of the Nimtali palace. The gate has been taken a good care  by the authority of Asiatic society.