Fort and palace, Gazipur
Bhawal Rajbariভাওয়াল রাজবাড়ি
- Time needed
- Half an hour.
- Cost
- Free to see from outside.
The palace of the Bhawal Raj in Joydebpur, seat of an estate that once spread over hundreds of square miles; today it houses the district administration.
At a glance
- Estate abolished
- 1950
- Now
- District administration offices
About
The Bhawal family held one of the largest zamindaris of eastern Bengal from the early 1700s until zamindari was abolished in 1950. Their long palace in Joydebpur, with its front façade and inner courtyards, is the best-known building in Gazipur.
It is famous above all for the Bhawal sannyasi case: a prince believed dead in 1909 returned years later as a holy man and won a long court battle to prove who he was. The building is now government offices, so you see it mostly from outside on a working day.
Getting there: In Joydebpur town, a short rickshaw ride from Joydebpur railway station.
Things to do
- See the façade and read up on the sannyasi case before you go.
Good to know
- It is a working office; be polite at the gate and ask before photographing inside.
