Suhrawardy Udyan (Bengali: সোহরাওয়ার্দী উদ্যান)

Suhrawardy Udyan (Bengali: সোহরাওয়ার্দী উদ্যান) formerly known as Ramna Racecourse ground is a national memorial located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Once known as ‘‘Bagh-e-Badshahi’’ during the Mughal rule, it is named after Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy. Originally it served as the military club of the British soldiers stationed in Dhaka. It was then called the Ramna Racecourse and later Ramna Gymkhana. After the end of colonial rule, the place – sometimes referred to as Dhaka Racecourse – was used for legal horse racing on Sundays.

Tombs of A. K. Fazlul Huq, Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy and Khwaja Nazimuddin at Suhrawardy Udyan, Dhaka

It is the resting place of three great national leaders, Sher-e-Bangla A.K. Fazlul Huq (1873-1962), Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy (1892-1963) and Khwaja Nazimuddin (1894-1964). Ramna Racecourse was renamed after Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy.
The place is also etched in history as it was here that Sheikh Mujibur Rahman made his historic "This time the struggle is for our freedom" speech that inspired Bengalis to prepare for the freedom struggle. The original Flag of Bangladesh was also hoisted here for the second time since it was first unfurled at the University of Dhaka and the first time it was flown at such a large public gathering in Bangladesh. It was also the site of the centuries old Ramna Kali Mandir, a Hindu temple and Dhaka landmark that was razed to the ground by the Pakistan Army on March 27, 1971 in a massacre that led to the death of over 100 people.
Incidentally it became the setting for the surrender of Pakistan Army under Lt. Gen. A. A. K. Niazi on December 16, 1971 after their defeat in the Bangladesh Liberation War to the allied forces of Mitro Bahini led by Jagjit Singh Aurora. The instrument of surrender was signed at this place and the date is celebrated by Bangladeshis as Victory Day. The place is currently maintained as historic park with an eternal flame setup in 1996 to symbolise freedom.

Contents 1 History 2 The Kali Mandir 3 After the Partition (1947) 4 Victory Day 5 Kazi Nazrul Islam’s Funeral Procession 6 The Swadhinata Stambha 7 Present Condition

History

The history of the Ramna Racecourse Ground dates back to 1610 AD during the Mughal rule, when Mughal Subehdar Islam Khan Chistia founded Dhaka as the Capital of Subeh Bengal and developed Ramna as a place for the rich. They made many gardens there, thus the place was referred as Bagh-e-Badshahi. New residential houses, gardens, mosques, tombs and temples were built in this area during that period. After the fall of the Mughal rule, the ground gradually lost much of its glory. It transformed into a barren area with bushes and abandoned buildings. In 1825, When Mr. Dowes, a British collector of Dhaka initiated a series of steps for development of the city, Ramna started to regain its glory. Suhrawardy Udyan (then the Ramna Racecourse ground) was part of Ramna Park. After intense clearing of jungles for several months, Dowes demolished the ruins, tombs and monuments that stood there, except the Greek tomb structure, which is now inside TSC, Ramna Kali Mandir on the south and Shahbaz Khan Mosque that stands by the western side of Old High Court building behind Tin Netar Mausoleum. A large oval shaped area was recovered and its periphery was protected by white wooden fence encircling the entire ground, punctuated by high watch-towers erected at equal intervals all around the racing path. The ground was used for horse racing and other games.
The horse races became very popular in Dhaka under the patronisation of the Nawabs of Dhaka. The Nawabs developed the racecourse area as a beautiful garden and named a part of it as Shahbagh, the royal garden.

The Kali Mandir

Main article: Ramna Kali Mandir

The old Ramna Kali Mandir located at the centre of the Racecourse was later repaired and renovated by Rani Bilasmoni Debi of Bhawal. It was totally destroyed by the Pakistani Army in the night of 25 March 1971, in a massacre by the programme of Operation Searchlight that led to the death of over 100 people.

After the Partition (1947)

After the partition of 1947, the first ever public meeting of Mohammad Ali Jinnah was held here on 23 March 1948.
In 1969, a civic reception was organized at the Ramna Racecourse in honor of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on his release from jail and he was accorded the title Bangabandhu in the reception. Awami League arranged a huge public meeting at Ramna Racecourse ground on 3 January 1971 and all the elected members of the Jatiya Sangsad (National Assembly), in which the party owned majority, publicly took oath of not betraying the cause of the Bengali people under any circumstances.
It was again the Ramna Racecourse ground, where, at a gathering on 7 March 1971, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman delivered his historic speech and virtually declared independence by saying that "This time the struggle is for our freedom, this time the struggle is for our independence."

Victory Day

Main article: Victory Day (Bangladesh)

After nine months of fighting bravely, the Bengali nation achieved victory and the Pakistani army surrendered formally at the Ramna Racecourse ground on 16 December 1971, which is known as the Victory Day.
On the 16th of December, 1971, Lt. General Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi, the commander of the Eastern Command of Pakistan received Lt. General Jagjit Singh Aurora, the commander of the Eastern Command of India and the GOC-in-chief of the Indian and Bangadeshi forces at the Dhaka airport with a small military salute. They then drove to the Racecourse ground where a small contingent of the Pakistan army presented a guard of honor to the Indian Commander and at 4:00 pm both the Generals signed the Instrument of Surrender. With this ended the war in 1971 and came the formal inauguration of Bangladesh. The mammoth public meeting jointly addressed by the Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on 17 March 1972 was another important event that took place at Suhrawardy Udyan. By that time, it became an important place of public and political gathering. The huge ground, however, was converted after 1975 into a park with greens and walkways.

Kazi Nazrul Islam’s Funeral Procession

Kazi Nazrul Islam, the National Poet of Bangladesh, died August 29, 1976 at 10.10 in the morning. At 4.30PM the mourners in a procession moved to the Suhrawardy Udyan to attend the prayer before the dead body was laid to rest. Over 200,000 mourners took part in that prayer, including the President of the country, Chiefs of the armed forces and the diplomats from different countries.

The Swadhinata Stambha

The Swadhinata Stambha (The Independence Monument), has been constructed at the Suhrawardy Udyan, in the memory of the people who sacrificed their lives for the country between 1948 and 1971. The project began in February 1997 and it included an underground museum, terracotta murals on heroes and events of the Bangladesh Liberation War, a 2000 seat auditorium, an open air theatre and a water body. The unfinished Swadhinata Stambha finally opened on 7 March 2011.

The Swadhinata Stambha, 2011

Present Condition

After the independence of Bangladesh, the Racecourse ground gradually started to fade from its eminence. During President Ziaur Rahman's time, almost a third of its area was taken up by the National Children’s Park (Shishu Park). The remaining part was fenced out all around to protect it from vagrants and vandals. At the same time, as part of the tree plantation drive going on at that time, innumerable tree saplings of various kinds were planted all over the newly named Suhrawardy Udyan. In 1996, the Bangladesh government set up an Eternal Flame at the Suhrawardy Udyan to honor the important events that took place here and the role of this historic ground in the movements of the nation for independence.