The palace-like house named Rose Garden is located on KM Das Lane in Tikatuli, Old Dhaka. This historic house is a short distance from Baldha Garden. Next to it is a Christian cemetery. The Bangladesh Awami League was formed in this very Rose Garden in 1949. White marble statues, artificial fountains, waterfalls, a cemented pond, and sculptures built with unique architectural styles make Rose Garden a royal garden mansion. It has been eternally connected with the history of the birth of Bangladesh. Over time, Rose Garden has become known as Rashid Manzil.
There are two main gates located between the western and northern walls of Rose Garden. If you enter through the western gate, used for entry and exit, you will first come across a spacious open courtyard. Here, several beautiful statues of women stand on a platform. There is a rectangular pond in the middle of the eastern section. On the eastern and western sides of the pond, there is a paved, concrete quay at the center of each side. To the east of it is a west-facing two-story building, currently known as ‘Rashid Manzil.’ In the courtyard in front of the entrance to Rashid Manzil, there is a beautiful fountain made of brick and cement. One has to climb a staircase that takes seven steps to reach the first floor of Rashid Manzil. In the middle part of the front side, there are three arched doors, placed beside each room. There is a podium above each arch on the upper floor.
Tympanums are decorated with leaf designs and colored glass. In front of it, there is an elliptical balcony on the outside. There is a Corinthian pillar on either side of it. Each floor has a door on either side of the pillars. The vanishing blinds and tympanums of each wooden panel are adorned with leafy patterns, with a narrow open balcony at the front. The upper part has a curved cornice, which is decorated with a balustrade design. The middle section at the front of the roof has a large octagonal pavilion with arches. Its roof is covered with a semi-circular dome. There are two Corinthian pillars at the two corners of the building, and they also have a canopy design on their tops. Each floor has a total of 13 small and large rooms. After entering the first floor, on the left side of the western side, there is a spiral staircase leading to the upper floor. This historical Rose Garden has been used as a shooting spot for dramas and telefilms.
If we search for the history of the establishment of Rose Garden, we learn that the builder of this house was a person named Hrishikesh Das, who was also a landlord in Dhaka. In the late 19th century during the time of the British Raj, he built this house as a pleasure lodge to arrange musical performances. One day, Hrishikesh Das, who belonged to the lower caste, went to Baldha Garden to attend a jalsa (party) at the Jalsha Ghar (Assembly Hall) in Baldha Garden. However, he had to return after being severely humiliated. It is said that just as Ruplal Babu built Ruplal House after seeing Ahsan Manzil, similarly, Hrishikesh Babu built the palace-like Rose Garden after being insulted at the party in Baldha Garden.
Of course, at the beginning, he did not build such a palace-like building. At first, he bought 22 bighas of land in the K.M. Das area. Then, in 1930, he created a rose garden on that land by bringing soil and roses from various countries around the world. In 1931, behind that rose garden, a palace-like building surrounded by Corinthian pillars was constructed, which, over time, became famously known as Rose Garden.
When Hrishikesh Das fell into financial difficulties a few days after constructing the building, he sold it to the businessman Khan Bahadur Kazi Abdur Rashid. Still, you can find Kazi Abdur Rashid’s name engraved on the building. The famous Provincial Library, owned by businessman Kazi Abdur Rashid, was established here. In 1966, Kazi Mohammed Bashir (Humayun), the brother of Kazi Abdur Rashid, acquired ownership of the building. Since then, the building has become famously known as the house of Humayun Sahib. In 1970, Kazi Mohammed Bashir (Humayun) rented this house to the then-film development organization Motion Pictures Limited. At that time, the building gained fame as Bengal Studio. In 1993, when Bengal Studio moved out, the house returned to the Kazi Mohammed Bashir family. By then, Kazi Mohammed Bashir was no longer alive. His descendant, Kazi Raquib, inherited the property.
If you want to visit Rose Garden, you will have to go there on any day except holidays. Access to Rose Garden is not allowed on holidays. From Gulistan or Jatrabari in Dhaka, you can go to Rose Garden, located on KM Das Lane in Tikatuli, Old Dhaka, by rickshaw. Most rickshaw pullers do not know this establishment as Rose Garden, so you will have to tell them that you want to go to Humayun Sahib’s house. Do not forget to bargain the fare before riding a rickshaw. You can take the help of a local person to know the exact fare for this destination.