Bahadur Shah Park

Bahadur Shah Park, formerly known as Victoria Park, is a park located in Old Dhaka.  It contains a memorial dedicated to the soldiers killed by the British in the aftermath of the Indian Mutiny of 1857.  It was built in 1858 at the initiative of Nawab Khwaja Abdul Ghani (1813-96), in the Sadarghat area and named Victoria Park until 1947. After that, it was renamed after the last Mughal emperor, Bahadur Shah II (1775-1862), 

In the late 19th century Bahadur Shah Park was the center of Dhaka with European-style architecture, created by the British as a round-about park facing St Thomas church.  It was in a key position in the road network of old Dhaka.  Here the mutineers of the failed 1857 revolt were hanged; here too where Queen Victoria was proclaimed Empress of India in 1858.

The park contains important architectural features.  It has two entrances and many tall trees.  An obelisk commemorates the death of Dhaka Nawab’s son.  Another fine sculpture commemorates the 1857 martyrs.  There is an octagonal fountain within a star-shaped fountain. 

The park is a key attraction in Dhaka, attracting both the young and the old.