From a very young age, I am fascinated about the ancient palaces of the royals and Jamindars. Therefore, when I got the opportunity to visit three different Jamindar estates in one day, I knew I had to sign up for it. So, when I found an event posted by a tour operator on Facebook, I called and took all the required details. Exactly on the next day, I found that my regular group has also posted a similar event with another bunch of different Jamindar estates, needless to mention that I confirmed there as well. And just like that, I visited six Jamindar houses in total at Tangail & Manikganj in just two days. Here, in brief, I will share the story of the first day here.
At about 8 am in the morning, our bus started the journey from in front of IDB Bhaban at Agargaon. After reaching Mirpur we took a short break and were given out a packet of food with a bottle of water by the organizers. Honestly, the entire trip with unknown people started to feel like a great experience just when I unpacked the breakfast Khichdi with egg curry! After that our next stoppage was at our first destination. Though, I came to know later that it was actually an excess one beyond the initial plan.
Pakulla Jamindar Bari
Perhaps the comparatively smaller size of this Jamindarbari at Pakulla of Tangail attracted me most towards it. It has a stark contrast of colors on its outer side- red on the walls with fading pastel green on the doors & windows with patches of fungus. But the main entrance of this estate captures the viewers at the very first sight. The greatest attraction inside, however, was the little garden.

The thing we liked most about this garden was the numerous green-yellow star-fruits fallen off the tree there. Here, I must share one incident. I am always confident of getting along with strangers when I am traveling and it was like this from the beginning of my life as a solo (mostly) traveler. I knew I would make friends here too. But I never imagined that I was going to be reunited with a fellow traveler on this trip who I first met months back on my first solo trip. That one was to Sajek Valley, Khagracchari.
Delduar Jamindar Bari
The next destination at Delduar was a half an hour ride straight to the south of Pakulla. The first thing that impressed the guests to this palace were the high-rise large tress standing in 2 lines on the either side of the road reminding me of the Dark Hedges of Ireland. These really brought the peace of mind back that we lose frequently while fighting our everyday stress in the urban areas. The little mosque built with mesmerizing design on the outer parts of it is the first thing one shall notice upon entering the premise. Then there is the pond, on the North of the mosque, with a concrete made stairs & sitting arrangement. The wind blowing over the entire zone was really pacifying to body & mind.
We entered the main premise of the estate after a short walk behind the main entrance. And here at the huge compound of the estate we started taking photographs to our heart’s content. Many large trees and the constant chirping of many unknown birds really made a great time for all of us at this estate. And then we took the circular iron stairs to get to the roof of the building and started a long time chatting & photography session.
Karotia Jamindar Bari
This estate of Tangail built by famous Jamindar Wazed Ali Khan Panni is familiar to many of us already. Specially those who are familiar with Bengali movies and the very common scene of an angry rich father of either the hero or the heroine coming out on the portico with a gun in hand- will recognize the palace instantly.
Some legal issues made it comparatively difficult for us to enter the premise with such a beautiful red palace inside; yet, a bunch of stubborn travelers like the lot of us made it possible for a very short time. And an extra advantage was getting to visit a family graveyard with a beautiful little mosque of yet another revered family while we entered the premise of this Jamindarbari.
Mohera Jamindar Bari
This breathtakingly beautiful ivory white palace at Natiapara of Mohera in Tangail consists of a few buildings. Currently the entire estate is being used for training the young Police force under the authority of the Government of Bangladesh. The day came to an end when we arrived at the last destination of this first day and we were welcomed by the chirping of millions of home-bound birds at the premise. Thanks to the govt. initiatives in maintaining the estate, it’s in a perfect shape right now and attracts thousands of visitors. While we were taking photographs in this premise, we befriended with some of the trainee polices who are now posted at various parts of the country.
Including my personal expenses, the total cost to visit these Jamindar estates was 1,600/- only. The entire event was organized and operated by skilled & experienced group of people. There is no need to worry about safety & security issues in such trips. But one must be very careful about physical stamina & capabilities while embarking on such trips as these require a lot of walking. Also, sunlight is usually high on such days, keep that in mind too.
Photo: Sohelee Tahmina