Uttara Ganabhaban & Natore Rajbari

On the outskirts of Natore town, a magnificent white edifice rises from the plain, its grand clock tower a landmark visible for miles. This is the Uttara Ganabhaban, but its soul remains the Dighapatia Palace, the opulent 18th-century seat of the Dighapatia Raj, one of the most powerful and wealthy landed estates in British Bengal. The estate was founded by Raja Dayaram Roy, who was rewarded for his service by the Nawab of Bengal. Today, the palace serves as the official northern residence of the Bangladeshi Prime Minister, but its grounds and architectural splendor tell a far older story of aristocratic grandeur.

The palace complex is a beautiful fusion of European and classical Indian architectural styles. The main building, an elegant two-storey structure in the Indo-Saracenic style, features a distinctive round clock on its front gate with a large bell and clock room. The interior is no less grand, with a reception hall whose ceiling soars to over 7.6 meters, a testament to the lavish lifestyle of the zamindars. The surrounding gardens, dotted with statues of classical Roman figures carved from Italian marble and planted with exotic foreign trees, add to the stately, cosmopolitan atmosphere. While the Natore Rajbari (the older residence of the Rani Bhabani) lies in the town center, the Dighapatia Palace is a different kind of experience. It offers a rare glimpse into the world of Bengal's 19th-century landed gentry, who blended their local power with a taste for European luxury, all while navigating the twilight years of the British Raj.