Haripur Palace

The Haripur Palace, located at the center of Haripur Upazila, was established by the descendants of Ghanashyam Kundu. Around the year 1400 AD, during the Muslim rule, a businessman named Ghanashyam Kundu came to Haripur to trade in handloom fabrics (known as endhi cloth). At that time, a Muslim widow named Meherunnesa was the local zamindar (landowner), residing in the village of Medinisagar. She used to pay land taxes to the Faujdar of the Tajpur Pargana. However, due to non-payment of taxes, part of her estate was auctioned off, and Ghanashyam Kundu purchased it.

One of Ghanashyam's descendants, Raghavendra Roy, began construction of the Haripur Palace in the mid-19th century during British colonial rule. However, he could not complete it during his lifetime. His son, Jagendra Narayan Roy, completed the construction in the late 19th century. In recognition of his status, the British government honored him with the title of Rajarshi (Royal Sage).

The completed two-story palace featured decorative foliage designs, and the eastern wall was adorned with 14 busts of Rajarshi Jagendra Narayan. To the east of the palace stood a Shiva temple, with a Nat Mandir (dance pavilion) in front of it. The palace once housed a large library, though it no longer exists today. The original grand entrance, or lion gate (Singhadwar), has also disappeared over time.

Around 1900, the descendants of Ghanashyam Kundu divided into separate branches, resulting in the division of Haripur Palace into two parts. The palace built by Raghavendra and Jagendra Narayan Roy became known as the Boro Torof (Greater Branch) Palace. To the west of this, in 1903, Nagendra Bihari Roy Chowdhury and Girija Ballav Roy Chowdhury constructed another palace, which came to be known as the Chhoto Torof (Lesser Branch) Palace.

At present, the abandoned Haripur Palace is no longer used as a royal residence. Instead, various rooms within the palace have been repurposed and are now used as offices by different local organizations, including the Women’s Association and the Land Officers' Association.

How to Get There

You can travel to Thakurgaon from Dhaka by both bus and train. Several bus services operate on this route.

If you prefer to travel by train, you can board the Panchagarh Express, Ekota Express, or Drutajan Express from Dhaka's Kamalapur Railway Station.

Once you reach Thakurgaon by either mode of transport, you can take a local bus or an autorickshaw to reach the Haripur Palace in Haripur Upazila.