The story of the Mymensingh Shoshi Lodge (Non AI)

 

The Tale of Mymensingh Shoshi Lodge

Mymensingh’s Shoshi Lodge carries more than just architectural beauty, it carries a story. Built in 1905, it was the creation of Sashikanta Acharya Choudhury, a wealthy zamindar and merchant everyone simply called Shoshi. What makes this place fascinating isn’t just its design but the friendship behind it. According to local lore, Shoshi was very close to Lord Curzon, the Viceroy of India at the time. During one of Curzon’s visits to Mymensingh, he jokingly complained that there wasn’t a proper place for Europeans to stay. Shoshi took that comment to heart. As a gesture of friendship and with the generosity he was known for, he built an elegant lodge and named it after himself. It wasn’t meant to be his private home. Instead, it became a Zamindar’s Club and a luxurious rest house for visiting British officials. In addition to being a structure, it now serves as a reminder of a singular period in history when the friendship and vision of one man brought Bengali aristocracy and British colonial power together.


                                         Statue of Venus. copyright 2011. A lonely Traveler

One morning I wanted to visit Mymensingh Shoshi lodge zamindar house. That morning was very beautiful and very sweet. It did not take me long to reach Mymensingh I reached there by twelve o clock. I fueled up with the famous Mymensingh chaap flaky, buttery, and the perfect start to any day. Stomach happy, I wandered deeper into the old town, following whispers of history until I found myself at the gate of Shoshi Lodge. Entering the Zamindars house was round fountain like space with a statue of Venus in the center which impressed me greatly. Venus was the goddess in Greek mythology best known as the goddess of love and beauty. Inside, almost every room has several chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, all looking almost identical. In addition to the general residence, the house has a dance hall and a bathroom. To my surprise there was a secret tunnel in the bath room that connected with muktagasa.


After coming to Zamindars house I felt like I was going back to those old days. It was like moving from a portrait to a private diary. The crisp lines I saw from a distance softened, showing me the gentle wear of over a century.  The wood of the once-proud windows was weathered to a silvery gray, etched by countless monsoon rains and sun-scorched days. A kind of hushed, quiet melancholy seemed to settle over the place, a feeling of deep and peaceful slumber.

Leaving Shoshi Lodge, I felt a mix of sadness and hope. To preserve the Zamindar house, it is our responsibility to take good care of it. After the change of government on 5th August some miscreants broke the statue of Venus which caused me lot of pain. Through this we are destroying our own culture.


References

Ganguli, S. (2023). THE ZAMINDARS AND NAWABS OF BENGAL. Blue Rose Publishers. https://books.google.com/books/about/THE_ZAMINDARS_AND_NAWABS_OF_BENGAL.html?id=ezvaEAAAQBAJ


Image references

Lonely Traveler. (2011). Statue of Venus, Shoshi Lodge, Mymensingh [Photograph].
Note: Original photograph cited in blog post caption.

Lonely Traveler. (2011). Mymensingh Zamindar Bari (Shoshi Lodge) front view [Photograph].


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

“The story of the ShakhariBazar Sakha”

Image
                                                 “ The story of the ShakhariBazar Sakha” Shankha is very precious to the followers of Sanatan Dharma. The “shakha” is a traditional ornament made from white conch shell, worn mainly by married Bengali Hindu women. Shakha are generally used by the people of West Bengal, Bangladesh, Assam and Odisha. Marriage is impossible for the followers of Sanatan Dharma without Shankha. It is believed that conch shell is sacred to Lord Vishnu, so wearing shakha brings divine blessings and protection. It has a wonderful ancient story behind it.Tulsi Devi husband was Shankhasur and she was an ascetic women who believed in lord Narayana. Shankhasur was a godless tyrant.So God killed him and floated hin in the Indian Ocean. Tulsi Devi, unable to bear it, prayed to God for her husband's and her own immortality.God accepted her p...
Read more

A journey to Puthia Rajbari (AI)

Image
  Whispers of a Golden Age: A Journey to Puthia Rajbari, Rajshahi There’s a certain magic in the silence of old places. It’s not an empty silence, but a heavy, thoughtful one, filled with the echoes of laughter, the rustle of silk, and the footsteps of a bygone era. I found this magic in its most potent form during my recent trip to the Puthia Rajbari, nestled in the heart of Rajshahi, Bangladesh. Before I dive into my journey, let’s rewind the clock. The Puthia Temple Complex is the largest in Bangladesh, and its story is intrinsically linked to the Puthia Raj family, who were Zamindars (landlords) under the British Raj and the Mughals before them. The most prominent figure in its history is Rani Hemanta Kumari Devi, who became the estate's ruler in the late 19th century after the untimely death of her husband. In a time when women rulers were a rarity, she was a force of nature—educated, philanthropic, and a visionary builder. It was she who commissioned many of the stunning str...
Read more