The Hidden Treasure of Baldah Garden!

To me, Dhaka is nothing but a crowded city. Finding green here is like embarking on a long search! But to my surprise, I found a 100-year-old botanical garden in the very heart of Puran Dhaka! Those who know, Puran Dhaka is the most congested area inside Dhaka and is famous for aged old businesses. Merchants and traders initially crowded this city and it still carries that tradition.

The visual map of the Baldah Garden

So finding an aged-old garden here was quite a bit of a surprise for me. While entering the garden, I was amazed by its beauty! But its history surprised me the most!

History of Baldah Garden

Baldah Garden is standing near 3.38 acres of land at Wari. A nature lover soul, Narendra Narayan Roy Chaudhury, started creating this garden in 1909 and continued to add plants until he died in 1943. And by this, the garden is holding 18000 plants from different species! Now, Baldah Garden is managed as a satellite unit of the National Botanical Garden by the Department of Forestry.

This garden is divided into two parts, named “Saiki” and “Shibili”. These two names are derived from Greek mythology and have special meanings! Saiki means Soul and Shibili refers to the Goddess of Nature! Shibli Garden is open for all but to enter in Saiki, you need special permission from the authority. That garden is mainly for research purposes. We can make it through if we’re from the Botany Department!

How each branches itself becoming a tree!

Loved these little flowers!!

This is how every plants are marked with names and their spices.

The Shibili section is not only full of a variety of trees, there is a well-maintained pond named “Shonkho Nod Pukur”. It’s decorated with marble stone and colorful tiles and lots of colorful fishes! You can also give the fish feed if you want. You need to buy the food from the garden authority.


An interesting fact is, that our famous poet Rabindranath Tagor also visited here and fell in love with this place. He came and stayed here in a small little house named “Joy House”. He wrote his famous poem “Camelia” sitting in this Joy House, mesmerizing by the beauty of the flower Camelia.

But I was surprised by seeing the Water Lily ponds. I’ve only seen white and red water lilies, but these “Shapla Houses” also host blue and yellow shades! Unfortunately, we didn’t go there in the time of winter, so no water lilies were around.

There is also a restricted special plant shelter which is full of varieties of Cactuses, Orchids, Amazon lilies, Anthurium and so on!

The plant, that triggered me the most is the African Baobab tree. I had a fascination for this tree since my childhood. I came to know about the tree from African literature and films, but I never imagined that I could see this tree in my very own city!! But the sad part is, the tree is keeping here not much with care. Like the Baobab tree was tilted in the boundary wall, these types of rare plants should need much more attention.

Another plant that is rare here is the “Cannonball Flower tree”. In Bangla, the plant is called “Naglingom”. This plant was also special to me because, in our Honors Graduation Program, we planted this special tree inside our faculty garden. Back then, I didn’t have any idea what this plant or its flower looked like. Now discovering its flower here for the first time, I couldn’t hold my joy and excitement! It’s a very big giant tree and covered with pink flowers all over it! And it the flower has also a sweet and lovely smell! Wish I could show the flower to all my classmates!

How gigantic the plant is!

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Amid this wide range of rare trees, I find peace and calmness inside me! The excitement of discovering plants thrilled me like a child! I’m pretty sure the charm of Baldah Garden will bring me back again and again!

The tombstone of Narendra Narayan Roy Chaudhury and his son.

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