Armenian businessman Stephen Aratoon built a European-style mansion on the bank of the Buriganga River at Farashganj in 1825. It was later bought by two wealthy merchant brothers from Dhaka—Ruplal Das and Raghunath Das—in 1840. The Ruplal House was the only competitor to the Ahsan Manzil during the British colonial era.
The incomparablely beautiful building has large cylindrical columns in line with the grand architectural styles of ancient Greek buildings. The top of the building, especially the ledges, are decorated with intricate designs reminiscent of Greek architecture as well as the Victorian castles of England. It cannot exactly be determined how old the building actually is but, according to the locals, it may be around 150–200 years old.
Divided into two unequal blocks in slightly different styles, it is a two-storey edifice with 50 rooms of various sizes and the beautiful Buriganga in the front.
Ruplal Das was a Zamindar and merchant. His family left for Kolkata after the partition of India in 1947. In 1962, through a formal deed, Mohammed Siddique Jamal purchased Ruplal House and some other houses in Dhaka in exchange for their house in the posh locality of Aukland Square in Kolkata. However, most of the family members have now migrated to different countries.
Today, the Ruplal House is occupied by local spice and vegetable aratdars (wholesalers) and a colony of unauthorized squatters. The building functions both as a residential and commercial complex.
Close to 100 different shops are scattered around the house, and it is surrounded by many others. Commercial structures have been built just beside the historic mansion, and some families live inside the building as well.
Families of some members of the Ansar force have been staying on the first floor of this building for several years. The other part of the complex, known as the Raghunath Block, was handed over to a family by the descendants of Raghunath Das.
During one of my recent visits, I found a number of hoardings belonging to different organisations, including one that speaks of an Ansar camp. The Ruplal House, of immense architectural beauty, is in ruins. The major pillars were in a critical state, with the plaster falling off due to a lack of maintenance. The roof railings are broken, leaving large holes at different points. Plants have grown in several cracks in the building.
I tried to go upstairs to capture the beauty of the heritage building. Unfortunately, a caretaker prevented me from going there. The entire area is full of garbage that has not been cleared for months. The perishable spices and vegetables emit an obnoxious odour.
The road leading to the mansion is in a deplorable condition, full of potholes and dirty, stagnant water. There was indiscriminate parking by trucks and vehicles of all types. The whole area was in a terrible mess.
Action is urgently needed to preserve, protect and refurbish this artistic architectural structure from further decay. It is not possible on the part of the government alone to restore and maintain hundreds of such heritage buildings in and around Dhaka city and elsewhere. The building needs the immediate attention of all concerned.
Dr Shamim Ahmed is a senior public health and nutrition specialist, passionate traveller and photographer.