Bahadur Shah Park, Historical park in Old Dhaka, Bangladesh
Bahadur Shah Park is an oval-shaped green space in Old Dhaka featuring iron railings, two gates positioned on the east and west sides, and paved pathways circling the perimeter. The grounds encompass several connecting roads that provide access from different directions.
In the late 18th century Armenians ran a billiards club here, called Antaghar by locals, on the adjoining Antaghar Maidan. After the 1857 uprising, sepoys were hanged from the maidan's trees, and in 1858 the Dhaka commissioner proclaimed Queen Victoria's rule there, renaming it Victoria Park. In 1957 the Dhaka Improvement Trust built a cenotaph for the mutineers and the park was renamed after Bahadur Shah II, the last Mughal emperor, in whose reign the rebellion broke out.
Locals call the site Antaghar, from the billiards balls the Armenian club members struck here; the adjoining ground became Antaghar Maidan. The park now draws 400 to 500 visitors a day, mostly students and residents who jog or sit, with separate seating for women. A star-shaped octagonal fountain stands at its centre.
The grounds are accessible daily from early morning until late evening at no charge, with multiple entry routes through the surrounding old city. Early mornings offer the most comfortable conditions for exploring.
The obelisk in the park is the Khwaja Hafizullah memorial, erected in 1884 or 1885 with funds raised by Hafizullah's English friends after his death; he was the grandson of Nawab Abdul Ghani. The granite monument was left unrepaired during the 2020 renovation of the park.
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