Dhanyakuria, Palaces and a Cinderella styled Castle
Dhanyakuria
Palaces and a Cinderella styled Castle
If you are travelling on the Barasat – Basirat road about 7 km after the Berachampa crossing (known for Chandraketugarh) you will come across a magnificent gate way, which seems to come straight out of the pages of the fairy tales of Cinderella.

Gayen Garden House (Gayen Bagan Bari), Dhanyakuria
Sadly the gates generally remains closed but a peep inside revels a Cinderella styled castle, complete with tower, turrets, battlements and oriel windows. The castle is surrounded by a huge open space, which was once a manicured lawn intercepted by tree line pathways. The compound was once complete with decorative fountains and huge ponds.

Gateway of Gayen Garden House
The place is called Dhanyakuria and the the castle styled building is the Gayen Garden House or Gayen Bagan Bari.
But the Gayen Garden House is not the only place of attraction in Dhanhyakuria, which is best described as a village of palaces.
Welcome to the non descript village of Dhanyakuria, located near Barasat in 24 Parganas (North), West Bengal. It is home to several palatial mansions belonging to landlords and merchants of yesteryear.
The palaces were built as outhouses in this village, so that the family members could spent time out of Kolkata, in utmost luxury.
So the Gayens, Sahoos (Sahus), Ballavs, Mondals and a few more constructed fantastic mansions to turn the non descriptive village into a village of palaces, which is probably one of its kind in the whole of West Bengal.
The Gayen Garden House dates back little over a century and was constructed by Mahendranath Gayen and covered an area of 30 acres. The building has remarkable resembles with the Tagore Castle in Kolkata. Unlike the heavily encroached Tagore Castle the Gayen Garden House has maintained its true elegance and grace.

Gayen Garden House (Gayen Bagan Bari), Dhanyakuria
For the last few decades a home for unprivileged girls is running within the complex and in the process entry in the complex is totally prohibited. In the end of 2018 the authorities have decided to move the orphanage out of the complex and entry permits can now be obtained form the local police station.

Ornamental stucco work, Gayen Garden House, Dhanyakuria
The gate of the Gayen Garden House is itself a prime source of attraction and is flanked on both sides by two domed towers. The arched entrance is crowned with the stone figures of two two English men fighting a lion bare handed.

Gayen Bari, Dhanyakuria
Sadly the interiors are in a sorry state with lawns overgrown with weeds. The decorative fountains have long stopped working and are overgrown with vegetation the ponds are also in similar dilapidated condition.

Thakurdalan, Gayen Bari, Dhanyakuria
The castle itself is also overgrown with vegetation and portions of railings and battlements have fallen off but the it seems structurally intact.
Apart from an amazing assortment of towers and turrets the Gayen Castle, approached by a flight of stairs, also contains a portico, oriel windows and a series of intricate stucco work.
Although things are in a sorry state but since the structure is stable it can be easily restored in its original glory. With the removal of the girls orphanage and hopeful positive steps from the government the Gayen Garden House may soon be restored back to its original glory.

Sahoo Bari, Dhanyakuria
Bidding farewell to the garden house it is best to head inside the village. Take the lane adjacent to the garden house and head inside the village of Dhankuria.
The road zig zag past the semi urban landscape and leads to the Gayen Bari (the house of the Gayens).
Built by Gopichand Gayne in the middle of the 19th century, it still serves as a residence of the Gaynes.
Monojit Gayen, a school teacher, stays in this majestic mansion along with his family and elderly father. Durga Puja is celebrated in the mansion attracting Gayens not only from Kolkata but also from rest of India and abroad.

Intricate stucco work of Sahoo Bari littered with political graffiti
The light pink coloured two storied building is L shaped and has a series of ionic columns. A three storied domed pavilion stands at one corner. Known as the nazar minar (watch tower) it probably never served as a watch tower but was used for recreational spot.

Ballav Bari, Dhanyakuria
The Gayens were in joint business with the Sahoos, Ballavs and the Mondals and they traded in jute, jaggery and many other commodities. Each of these built magnificent mansions in Dhanyakuria.

Nazar Minar, Sahoo Bari, Dhanyakuria
From the Gayen Bari, retrace your steps towards the main road, after a few steps take a left turn leading to the Sahoo Bari.
An amazing structure with Victorian windows and intricate stucco work, sadly during my visit it was under lock and key and we had no option but to admire its exterior only.
The road meanders to the Ballav Bari also known as Doll House (Putul Bari), the name originates from the statues placed above the pediment of the house.
Sadly a fresh coat of paints have ruined the grace and elegance of not only the statues but of the whole building.

Ras Mancha, Dhanyakuria
At the far end and just outside the walled complex of the Sahoo bari is a Nazar Minar, similar to that of the Gayen Bari. Although the Ballav Bari is in excellent condition but the Nazar Minar seems a bit run down.

Dhanyakuri Boys School
A short walk past the Nazar Minar leads to the magnificent Ras Mancha of the Ballav’s. Shaped like a nava ratna temple, the ras mancha has five arched entrance on each of the four sides.
Apart from the Gayen, Ballav and Sahoo the Mandoals also have their share of mansions in Dhanyakuria but they lack in grandeur but do have their share of elegance.
Apart from building mansion the Gayens and the Ballavs were also involved in various philanthropic activities involving building of schools and hospitals.
The Dhanyakuri Boys School was established in 1885 under the patronage of Mahendranath Gayen and Upendranath Sahoo. The girls school came up in 1889 and both the schools have been running to this day.

Mondal Mansions, Dhanyakuria
Getting there by road: Dhanyakuria is located on the Barasat – Basirhat road. It is 7 km after Barachampa crossing. The gate on the left is bound to attracts once attention
Getting there by rail: Kankra Mirzanagar Station is the nearest railway station on the Hasnabad line. Autos are available from the station to the Gayen Garden House
Getting around: Walking is the best option
Places to eat: Only basic eateries are available

Gayen Garden House (Gayen Bagan Bari), Dhanyakuria
Photography Permission: For the Gayen Gareden House permission is required from the police station and may not be an easy task. For the mansions permission is required from the respective family members
Add on: A trip to Dhanyakuria can be clubbed with a visit to the archeological sites of Chandraketugarh
Special Thanks: A special thanks to Amitabha Gupta and Utsab Basu, who not only accompanied me but also arranged for the required permissions. Amitabh arranged the permission for the Gayen Garden House while the Gayen Bari permission was arranged by Utsav
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How interesting! Didn’t know such a place existed so close to Kolkata. This reminds me of Chettinad in Tamil Nadu which is dotted with now crumbling grand palaces of the Chettiars.
Thanks, Calcutta and is surroundings is dotted with many such colonial styled buildings. Thans for sharing the info on Chettinad, would love to visit the place
Agree. Calcutta is itself is a treasure trove of history. Alas, lot of such heritage houses in Kolkata are in pitiable state and are being torn down to make make way for shining new residential complexes and offices. Sharing my post on Chettinad. You might find it interesting to read: https://wanderfulweekendz.com/2016/11/03/chettinadu-chaska/
Amar bari Barasaat, yet I never knew about the existence of this place. The only regret the places are not promoted for tourism. The graffiti on the sahoo bari wall is so disgusting. The Ras mancha is a replic of Dakshineswar temple it seem. Beautiful post Rangan Da.
Thanks Balak, do visit the place
Wow…i get to see so many hidden treasures of Kolkata through ur articles… thank you 😊
Thanks
The famous Bollywood film Sahab, Bibi aur Ghulam (1962) was filmed at the Gayen House, Dhanyakuria….
Thanks Saranya, for the added info
“non descript”, not “non descriptive”. Also, it seems to me many of these houses could become successful resorts which might bring in money to aid their maintenance
Thanks for pointing out the mistake, it has been rectified. The entire village has immense tourism potential but nothing is happening.
Rangan da, the surroundings of Kolkata has so many places worth a visit. Unfortunately, we hardly see any promotion related to tourism for such places. Very informative article.
Thanks Sonia, it is really true, hope things develop in our state
Prottek ta rajbari te ki dhokar onumoti ache?ghure dekhar jonno?
Ar oder bongshoshor ra ki akhono ache?
Plz reply..
Dear Soumya, most of the jamidar bari’s allow people to a certain limit. In some houses the family members still live, others are managed by caretakers.
It is difficult to get a entry into the Gayen Castle compound
Could you please mention any contact person there? Or how I can contact to visit there with some demand.
Hi, great post. Could you please help with the contact numbers of the persons who obtained the permissions for you? Thanks.
The permission is obtained from the local police station. They don’t share the contact.
I need some contact details for this place.
Do mail me at rangan@rangan-datta.info
Beautifully described! Didn’t know about the place. If authorities make this permission thing little easier than people from far away place may actually plan a trip to this beautiful place. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks, you are right thgings should be more visitor friendly