Buriganga once flowed beside Lalbagh Kella

Illustration: Ashif Ahmed Rudro

Dhaka used to be called the 'Venice of the East'. Several canals ran across the city, making waterways a major mode of transportation. Similarly, it is hard to imagine these days that the Buriganga once brushed a part of Lalbagh Fort. Of course, the river eventually moved away further south. 

This artwork by Sir Charles D'Oyly, titled 'The Bastion of the Lal Bagh, Dacca', published in 1816, gives a rare glimpse of the past. 

The construction work of the fort began in 1678. 

References: 'Notes of the Antiquities of Dacca' by Sayid Aulad Hasan; Banglapedia