How to get there:
Rose Garden can be reached by rickshaw or CAG from Sadarghat, Gulistan, Motijheel or Saidabad in Dhaka.
Rose Garden is a traditional building in KM Das Lane, Tikatulist, Old Dhaka. The garden was established by the then new zamindar Rishikesh Das in the third decade of the twentieth century (probably in 1930). In the late nineteenth century, the gardens and houses of the Baldhar zamindar (now known as the Baldha Garden) became the cultural center of the aristocracy.

The zamindar of Itihas Baldhar himself was a playwright and used to have regular music festivals in his house. Hrishikesh Das, a wealthy businessman from Dhaka, was insulted when he went to a party in Baldhar one day because he was of lower caste. As a result, he is determined to take revenge by building similar gardens and houses. This is how the Rose Garden was built. It is called ‘Bose Garden’ because it is home to a unique rose garden in all of India. According to most of the data, Hrishikesh Babu started the construction of the garden in the 1930s. For this garden he planted rose seedlings with soil from China, India, Japan and various countries in Europe.

He was later forced to sell the magnificent garden house, a symbol of his honor, to Khan Bahadur Maulvi Kazi Abdur Rashid in 1936 on account of a loan. The Rose Garden was leased to Bengal Studios in the 1970s. In 1989, the Department of Archeology declared the Rose Garden a protected building. Then the first change of hand took place in 1936. In 1987, Abdur Rashid’s elder brother Kazi Humayun Bashir took ownership of the Rose Garden. At that time, the Rose Garden became known as Mr. Humayun’s house after him. Kazi Humayun rented the house to Bengal Studios and Motion Pictures Ltd., a well-known film development company in 1970. Kazi Rakib, a descendant of Mr. Humayun, finally got back the rights of the house in 1993. He and his wife Laila Rakib are the current owners of the house.

The architectural wonder is the ‘Rose Garden’. Hrishikesh Babu decorated this garden with all the rare rose trees of different countries of the world. The whole area was decorated in a European style. The astonishing construction style and mesmerizing design of the building captivates everyone. Later, the aristocracy and zamindars of the then Hindu society started gathering around the Rose Garden. At that time the names of Rishikesh and Rose Garden spread all over the country. At that time many curious people used to come to see the Rose Garden. The largest party of the country Awami League was formed here.

The spectacular part of the Rose Garden has two main gates in the middle of the west arm and the north arm. When you enter through the west gate for entry and exit, there is a wide open courtyard at first. Here are a few lovely female statues standing on the stage. There is a rectangular pond in the middle of the east. There is a paved ghat between the east and west sides of the pond. To its east is a two-storey building facing west. The name of this building is “Rashid Manzil”. A beautiful fountain made of brick and cement can be seen in the courtyard not far from the entrance of Rashid Manzil. A seven-step staircase leads to the first floor of the Rashid Manzil. It has three arched doors in front of each room in the middle part of the front. Upstairs there is a podium on each arch. Timpenams are decorated with herb designs and stained glass. In front of it there is a narrow balcony with an elliptical arch on the outside. It has a Corinthian pillar on either side. There are open doors on each floor on both sides of the pillars. The wooden planks of each of them can be seen in the blinds and tympanum of Venice. And in front there is a huge open balcony. The cornice of its upper part is curved which is decorated with balustrade design. The cornices of the other parts are the same. The middle part has a large canopy with eight corners and arches at the front of the roof. Its roof is covered by a semicircular dome. Two Corinthian pillars can be seen on either side of the building. They also have an umbrella design on top. There are a total of 13 small and large rooms on each floor of Rashid Manzil built in the land plan of the area. After entering the first floor, on the left side of the west side there is a revolving staircase for the upper floor. On the left side of the east arm of this building there is a two-storied building with two arms. Some more buildings were later built on the right side. The timpenam stained glass decoration of the arch of the building, which is completely plastered with limestone on the outside and inside, is quite interesting.

Current Status The historic Rose Garden is currently being used as a drama and telefilm shooting spot. The house was filmed ‘Lost Day’ directed by Mustafiz, a popular film of the seventies. Shabnam, Rahman and Golam Mostafa are the characters in the film. Later many more pictures were taken in this building. The breathtaking beauty of this historic Rose Garden can now be seen in various dramas and telefilms as well.

Location:
Rose Garden is a traditional building in KM Das Lane, Tikatulist, Old Dhaka.