An Overview of the Heritage of Kalicharan Shaha Street: Approach to the Area Conservation

Abstract

Dhaka is a successor of a rich cultural inheritance of 400 years. Dhaka’s glorious history passed through many phases of architectural development, keeps some traces of almost all types of progression. But it continued to survive by making remarkable adjustments with the new challenges. With the assuming political and economic dynamics, rapid urbanization, uncontrolled development and lack of awareness, these heritages of historic Dhaka are destroying day by day. Beside the mighty river of Buriganga initiates such an old neighborhood just around the 550 feet Long Street named Kalicharan Shaha Street, reflecting the organic settlement pattern started to develop during the Mughal and Colonial era. The study has outlined the direction to provide some data, information and documentation of the neighborhood along Kalicharan Shaha Street to identify historical, cultural and planning aspects of that episode. It is an approach to show how the indigenous culture was blended with the colonial one and reflection of it over the forms and features of the neighborhood. Therefore it deals with some key aspects of built form, facade treatment and ornamentation, occidental and oriental relationship of the buildings, and along with the spatial order of morphological change, as the cultural heritage element for conserving this area. Thus, this paper is an approach to emphasize the heritage of Kalicharan Shaha Street in a public eye, so as to make people aware of the conservation of the heritage of our city.