Situated on a low hilltop in Chittagong, the Central Railway Building (CRB) is a perfect blend of British colonial architecture and picturesque beauty.
Bangladesh Railway (BR) is divided into two zones in Chittagong - East and West. The head office of the East zone is now housed in the bright red-colored building.
It was completed in 1872 as the headquarters of the then Assam-Bengal Railway.
In 1760, the British rulers took over the control of Chittagong from Nawab Mir Qasim and ruled it until 1947 before the Partition of India. During their rule, the British built several buildings to ease their administrative works; CRB is one of those buildings.
The architectural beauty of the old building and peaceful ambience attracts a lot of visitors every day, particularly in the afternoon. The surrounding hill slopes covered with various kinds of flowering trees makes a picturesque backdrop to the building.
The adjacent CRB Shirish Tala is also a centre of Pahela Baishakh revelry in Chittagong city. Hundreds of people gather here to enjoy Bolikhela (wrestling competition) on the occasion of the first day of Bangla calendar.
According to railway sources, originally the building was a two-storey structure having thirty four rooms on the ground floor and thirty three in the first. In 1918, the southern portion was raised to a three storey structure and in the East and North it was raised up to a four-storey height.
With many rooms, halls, spiraling stairways, domes, porticos, the building is divided into many sections - administration, engineering, estate and audit.
There is a steam locomotive displayed in front of the spectacular building. There are bungalows for railway officials, staff quarters, rest house and lodges here. Besides, the CRB houses a branch of Sonali Bank and a post office.
During the War of Liberation in 1971, a portion of the building was damaged by aerial bombing. It was later rebuilt keeping its original design.
According to the Antiquities Act, 1968 (amended in 1976), the government may declare any antiquity to be a protected antiquity through an official gazette.
However, the age-old building has not been declared protected yet by the archeology department.
Speaking to Dhaka Tribune, Shamshul Hossain, historian and former curator of Chittagong University Museum, said: “The historical building is not in a good shape. Rainwater leaks through the roof in some places of the building. We should protect the building for the progeny.”
Dr Ataur Rahman, regional director, Department of Archeology told Dhaka Tribune that a survey was underway to identify the ancient structures of the region.
“Currently we are conducting a survey at Ramu of Cox’s Bazar. The other areas of Chittagong region will be surveyed in phases. As a general rule, any century-old historically important building deserves to be protected,” said Dr Ataur.