The Dhanmondi Shahi Eidgah, also known as the Mughal Eidgah, is the oldest Eidgah in Dhaka. Located right on the turn from the capital's Saat Masjid Road onto Dhanmondi Road 6/A, it is a rare historical landmark that remarkably is still in use today.
People have been offering Eid prayers at the Eidgah for almost 400 years.
The Eidgah was built for the purpose of Eid prayers in 1640 AD by Mir Abul Qashim, who was the Dewan of Subedar Shah Shuja, son of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, according to an inscription on the central mihrab (the niche in the wall from where the imam leads the prayers) of the Eidgah.
Since then, the Eidgah has been under continuous usage, and hundreds of Muslims offer their Eid prayers here twice every year.
The Dhanmondi Shahi Eidgah is a listed archaeological heritage site recognised by the Department of Archaeology, which has been preserving the structure since 1981.
Originally, this ancient Eidgah was situated on the banks of the Buriganga river. But over the centuries, the river's course has shifted, according to the book "Glimpses of Old Dhaka" by Syed Muhammed Taifoor.
There is an alternate opinion that a branch of the river Pandu used to flow beside this Eidgah. The branch would meet the Buriganga near the Sat Gombuj Masjid (Seven-domed Mosque) along the northwestern reaches of Dhaka.
According to Encyclopedia of Dhaka edited by Sharif Uddin Ahmed, the Eidgah was built on four bighas of land on a platform that was about four feet high from the ground. The platform itself was 245 feet by 137 feet, and originally, the area covered by the Eidgah was 250 feet 6 inches by 147 feet.
The book adds that the Eidgah is surrounded by walls. The height of the walls to the north, south, and east is six feet, and the height of the western wall is 15 feet.
In the original design, there was a central mihrab on the western wall and six mihrabs on either side of the central mihrab, the book reads, adding that the mihrabs had quadrangular arches and that the frames of the arches were folded over themselves to give it an ornamental touch. These features are visible in the structure now as well.
While visiting the Eidgah on the 28th day of Ramadan, this correspondent found that it was getting ready to host the Eid-ul-Fitr jamaat.
People who have been offering Eid prayers here for years said that the experience of offering prayers at an ancient Eidgah fills them with happiness.
Rafiqul Alam, a banker living in Dhanmondi, said he used to come to offer Eid prayers here with his father when he was a child.
"Now I come to offer Eid prayers along with my sons, and the feeling remains the same," he added.
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