Hello Everyone
How are you all? I hope you are doing well. Today I have come to you with another travel post. There is a lot of silent history scattered across the land of Bengal. Among those silent histories, Amdabi Neelkuthi is a unique example. You all know that British imperialism was once widespread worldwide. Bangladesh was no exception. So the museum and the hut that I am going to show you today carries a horrific picture of British rule. In the thumbnail picture, you may see an ordinary hut or landlord's house standing, but inside it lies a cruel history of indigo cultivation. In today's travel blog, I will describe that cruel history. The history in which the story of the oppression of the farmers of Bengal is embedded. Let's get started.
Entrance and Ticket Collection
My friend and I set off on a motorcycle for Amdhupi Nil Kuti. Amdhupi Nil Kuti is located in the Amdhupi region of Meherpur district, the second smallest district of Bangladesh. Meherpur district is located in the western part of Bangladesh. We went and got down at the gate of Nil Kuti. When we got down at the main gate, we saw an iconic gate built there. Although it was not an old gate, it was newly built by the district administration. Still, we were very happy to see the gate. Then we slowly moved forward. Going forward, we saw the main Nil Kuti building. Seeing that iconic building, our eyes were filled with joy. Then we found a ticket counter next to the entrance of that Nil Kuti building, which you can see in the picture above. My friend and I bought tickets from the ticket counter. The price of each ticket was 10 taka. But if people from outside the country come to visit here, they will charge 50 taka per ticket. Then we entered through the second gate. Entering through the gate, we saw the beauty of the iconic building where the British used to live. The structure of the building looks like a landlord's house. But inside this building is hidden a story of centuries-old oppression. The story of the barbaric tyranny perpetrated on the farmers of Bangladesh by the British rulers. For some reason, I feel like the cries of those oppressed farmers are still being heard today.
Then we continued to look around the house. Since this house is now under the jurisdiction of the Department of Antiquities in Bangladesh, this security is provided by the Bangladesh government. Therefore, the Bangladesh government has taken the initiative to create many flower gardens around this house to beautify it. We saw many types of flowers inside the flower garden. Also, a place has been made for visitors to sit inside the flower garden. In addition, the entire house is surrounded by a boundary, and a road has been made along the boundary. We continued to walk along the boundary. While walking, I noticed that the Bangladesh government has appointed security guards to provide security to this establishment and a house has been built here for the security guards. In fact, anyone will feel good if they see the place decorated with flower plants in such a way.
Then we slowly walked along the side of the hut and went behind the hut and saw a beautiful coconut garden. A silent river flows by it. The river is called the Kajla River. This river is a witness to a lot of history. The English used to come to this hut by ship through this river and force the farmers of Bengal to cultivate indigo. At that time, there was no road. At that time, the river was the main road of Bengal. So the English used to come to this hut through this river. Going a little further, I saw the back side of the hut and the hut looked very beautiful from the back. Right behind the hut, there is a railing path that goes down into the river by stairs. It was heard from people that earlier the English used to use these stairs to board ships. The ships would come directly to the top of those stairs. If you look at the pictures above, you will understand which stairs I am talking about. Then I noticed the beauty from the back of the house. The house looked incredibly beautiful from the direct rear.
Then we saw a wonderful thing, which is some information about this Nilkuthi from the Bangladesh Archaeological Department, I have taken a picture of it, although it is in Bengali, I will still describe it to you. Then we continued to move towards the back of this hut and went to the other side and saw that it was decorated with many flowers and fruit trees and the most important thing we saw here was the wire house that carried the mail at that time. This wire house was used to carry letters at that time. The British used it to exchange letters at that time. My friend and I touched it with our own hands. Later, we took a photo of this hut from that position to share with you. Because from this position, the hut looks like a landlord's house. In fact, it does not seem to me that it is any less than a landlord's house or a royal palace.
Kuthibari Museum Interior Design
Then we entered the museum to see what was there. Upon entering, I was fascinated by the interior design of this museum. A hundred-year-old museum, a hundred-year-old building, and then it felt like a touch of nobility. Every wall of this building, from the ceiling to the overhead fan, took me to a world of imagination. It took me to a noble room from a hundred years ago. I was surprised to see a cow or buffalo horn in one of these rooms. The English were preserving it. Which is very beautiful. The most important thing that struck me was that almost every room in this room had a fireplace. At that time, when it was winter, the English would light a fire in these fireplaces to heat the room. This shows how expensive this room was even though it was a hundred years old.
I was repeatedly fascinated by the interior design of the museum. Now, if you look at the picture above, the room shown in this picture, the flora here, you will understand how luxurious these are. And on the walls of each room, photographs or hand-painted pictures related to this mansion are preserved. I will come to the pictures later, but first let me share with you about the interior design.
Then we went inside the next room where various questioning materials were arranged and the floor was beautifully decorated with wood which was very beautiful. Then we went to the veranda of this hut and our eyes were captivated by the veranda. There is no roof on the veranda but you are bound to be impressed when you see such a beautiful scene made of tin. It seems like a royal veranda.
Various Materials Kept inside the Museum
Among the museum's materials, the first thing I saw was a solid iron object. I waved it with my hand and saw that it was an ancient solid object of solid iron. But I didn't understand if it was correct, but I heard from many people that it was an iron stove through which cooking was done in the past. Then I saw two solid black wooden boards. Then the most notable thing I saw was a rattan chair that was considered luxurious in the past. I saw that chair is kept here. Then I saw another important thing, a tubewell used by the British to draw water. The tubewell is made of very thick and hard metal.
Then we saw a plus-shaped structure in the Amjhupi Nilkuthi, which was probably used for indigo processing earlier. Also, various clay utensils used in the past are kept inside. Various clay utensils, pots, etc. from the past have been preserved here with great care.
There is also a picture of the iconic indigo tree. For the cultivation of indigo, the farmers of our country endured so much oppression. I also saw two boards here, one board narrates the story of indigo cultivation in Bengal. Another board describes the story of "Pary Sundari". It is believed that Pary Sundari came to this Kuthi house at that time. There are also many paintings on the walls such as Bhatpara Neelkuthi, Khalishpur Neelkuthi etc.
I also saw many pictures that were tied up, such as the Sonaikundu Indigo House, the Kajla River, the indigo manufacturing factory, and the indigo being lifted in a bullock cart.
Various paintings made of indigo are preserved here. Paintings of important structures of Bangladesh, ancient structures of Bangladesh, and earlier traditional coins, etc., are kept on the walls.
Now I came out of the Neelkuthi building and looked around it. Now I will describe this experience with you about the beauty of its surroundings and whether there are any other ancient structures around it.
Then we went a little to the side and saw a round-shaped room. It can be assumed that earlier the British security guards used to guard this room. Then moving a little further, we saw another ancient structure. Although it is a very ancient building, it is still standing as a witness to history. We kept looking around that building and kept thinking how beautiful the ancient structure was before. Then we went to the back of that building and saw that there is a picnic spot here where the district administration has made a stove for cooking.
Then we went a little further and saw another ancient landlord's house. Seeing this landlord's house filled my heart. It seems that the landlord's dominance is still standing as a witness to history. The building is dilapidated and fragile but it still looks like it has a touch of nobility. We went to the landlord's house and kept looking at the interior design and surroundings. We captured them on camera and shared them with you. You will understand if you see the pictures above.
Then we noticed something in front of the landlord's house, a round structure, we could not understand whether it was correct and we could not collect any correct information about it. However, it is believed that it could be some kind of equipment used in indigo cultivation. Then we went a little further and saw another broken house by the river. The architecture of the house is very old and it is also related to indigo cultivation. One wall of the house is left and the rest has broken and merged with the ground. This was my detailed experience of visiting the Amsupi Neelkuthi Museum.
In this article, I have uploaded several pictures of Amjhupi Neelkuthi Museum and described the experience in detail. I hope you all who have taken so much time and patiently read my blog have enjoyed it very much. How did you feel after finishing my entire blog? Please comment. Your every comment will be an inspiration for me. Today, I am ending my blog like this. I feel blessed to be with #Worldmappin.
Thank you very much for reading our blog so attentively. See you again someday on a new travel blog.
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