| Dhaka Christian cemetery | |
| Religious Affiliation: | Christian |
| Location: | Dhaka, Bangladesh |
| Established: | est. 1720[1] |
The Dhaka Christian Cemetery (also known as the Narinda Cemetery) is a graveyard situated in Wari, a district of the old town in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It was established by Portuguese traders in the 17th century and is still in use by members of the Dhaka Christian community. It contains two designated archaeological sites, the Columbo Sahib mausoleum and the tomb of Reverend Joseph Paget. Many of the oldest graves and mausoleums are in a state of disrepair and are being overtaken by unchecked vegetation growth and lack of maintenance, while other parts of the cemetery still see new burials taking place at regular intervals. It is open daily to visitors.
There are also reports that Dhaka's first church for the Christian community was established on the site of the cemetery and that priest Sebastian Manrique came to Dhaka between 1624 and 1629 and recorded that there was a church at the location of the cemetery.[2] There are further references to a church being located at this location, including French gem merchant and traveller Jean Baptiste Tavernier who visited Dhaka in 1666, and Niccolò Menucci soon after, both referring to a church at this location. It is assumed that Portuguese Augustinians built the church, and that the present burial ground was originally the burial ground adjacent to the church, commonly referred to as the "church graveyard."[2]
In 1632, ethnic conflict peaked between the Portuguese and other nationalities and most Portuguese settlers, traders and priests were ousted on the orders of Emperor Shah Jahan and they fled to Hooghly. Dhaka locals declared solidarity with the emperor and beat the parish priest, Father Bernardo, to death. It is believed that he is also buried in the cemetery.[2] A list of the Augustinian churches established in Bengal was drawn up in 1789, but the Narinda church was not listed. It is assumed that the church was destroyed sometime between 1713 and 1789, but the cemetery remained in use thereafter.[2]
The cemetery has several distinct architectural forms related to mausoleums, grave embellishments and tombstones:
The largest structure in the cemetery is a mausoleum containing three graves, all without any inscription. A painting of the mausoleum was completed by the German artist Johann Zoffany in 1786, titled "Nagaphon Ghat"[3] (translated from Bengali it means the Nagaphon mooring or dock), depicting the structure on the Dolai Khal or creek, that has since been filled back and no longer reaches as far as the cemetery. The structure was first referred to as the Columbo Sahib mausoleum by Reginald Heber, the Bishop of Calcutta[4] in an 1824 account of his visit to Dacca. Heber had consecrated the Narinda cemetery in 1824 and recorded the presence of the large imposing tomb as "....Some of the tombs are very handsome; one more particularly, resembling the buildings raised over the graves of Mussulman saints, has a high octagon gothic tower, with a cupola in the same style, and eight windows with elaborate tracer..[4] Similarly, Francis Bradley Bradley-Birt records the Columbo Sahib structure as: A high octagonal Gothic tower with eight windows, the whole surmounted by a cupola in the same style, it stands nameless, dominating the whole cemetery and jealously keeping watch over the three graves that lie within. ...Silent and impressive, the towering mausoleum keeps well the secret that it holds.. A 1950 photograph shows that the Mausoleum has declined more disastrously in the last 50 years as compared to the previous 160 years when it was painted by Johann Zoffany in 1786 as the British Royal Court artist.
The Moorish-type gateway was built during the Mughal period using thin 'jafri bricks' (these are clearly visible where the plaster has fallen off in parts).[7] The gate would previously have led into a specific section of the graveyard, but today its location and purpose are more obscure. Its position also reveals that no formal layout was maintained in the expansion of the cemetery.[2]
Graves adorned with the obelisk and urn, resemble the contemporary best-known English cemeteries in Calcutta; the Baroque character of the older and provincial cemeteries. The Indian version of the pyramid stands on a podium where the inscriptions are laid, has a less broad base, which is smoothly uplifted to an acute angled apex.[2]
The cemetery also contains a mass-grave, demarcated by a low stone fence surrounding a square area, containing the remains of Christians who succumbed to the Bengal famine of 1943. There is no plaque or reference to those interned in this grave.
The original road layout of the cemetery has faded away with time, but it can be understood that a couple of straight roads intersected to make a path system within the network with the tombs jumbled into a group to form one or two clusters, while making it hardly visible to visitors..
The cemetery expanded its borders in the early 20th century, covering 3acres.[8]
The Dhaka Department of Archaeology has declared the early-18th-century mausoleum of Columbo Sahib and the 1724 tomb of Reverend Joseph Paget as two of the city's 22 heritage sites.[9] This has however not stopped the decay and crumbling of the structures.[10] The cemetery is still in use and burials take place on a regular basis. The cemetery is maintained and managed by the Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Dhaka on behalf of numerous Christian denominations.