Folktales and legends of Old Dhaka

In the heart of old Dhaka, a tale of ancient mystique shrouds the Char Mazaar, a series of four shrines lying next to each other in Nandalal Dutta lane of Laxmi Bazar where the chilling embrace of the unknown beckons. 

Shawkat Ali, a weathered resident, recalls his childhood days when Monju, a woodcutter, was tasked with felling a mango tree near his nani bari, standing sentinel by the four enigmatic shrines. 

Locals whispered about these shrines that seemingly rise from the earth, a vision of an elderly pious man's dream. But when Monju severed the tree, a feverish spectre of dread seized him, leading to his untimely demise. 

"I was just a ten-year-old when it happened, and the fear still haunts me. We'd play football near Mazar Sharif, making sure our feet never grazed the graves," Shawkat Ali recounted with a solemn gaze.

Old Dhaka, a city renowned for its rich heritage, culture, bustling streets, cuisine, and vitality, has lots of mystery and supernatural folktales. These stories, though strange and perhaps even absurd, have never been documented in books but are etched into the memories of Dhakaites. It's important to note that the events recounted in this article are drawn from the tales, traditions, and beliefs of the local people and novels, and they are not presented as facts.

The famous Char Mazar baari is still untouched at the isle of Nandalal Dutta Lane. Photo - Md. Imran 

A cursed tale of an idol Lilith in Bangshal Road: 

In the humid weather of the rainy season of 1974, a two-story building on Alauddin Road named 'Lilith House' happened to be a cursed house for some residents. The almost two-hundred-year-old is a Syrian house owned by a rich landlord named Ashwini Chowdhury, who bought that house through an auction in 1921. 

Hertiage residance Bangshal. Photo - Rakib Hossain

On the first floor of the house where Ashwini used to live found a closet. The closet was covered and sealed with a wooden plate and a marble slab. While reconstructing the building, Ashwini found an Idol of Lilith. 

Lilith is a mythological character found in old Bibles and Middle-Eastern folk tales. She is a demon of greed and lust who traps her worshipers with lavish lifestyles and lures them into the trap of desire, fantasy, and lust. People who worship the idol soon become sick with several unknown diseases and end up dead. 

After discovering the idol, Ashwini was mesmerised by the beauty of Lilith. The idol has a magical effect; people coming close to the idol become successful and rich. 

Through his luck in business and connection with the British, Ashwini soon became rich and started worshipping the idol. Like others, he also fell victim to Lilith and died miserably in his apartment. The whole story is claimed to be true and shared through a letter that later got published in the book of Muhammad Alamgir Toimoor titled 'Bongshaler Bonolota.' 

In this book, it is claimed that the Lilith House was originally founded by a British Jew, Isac Cohen, who used to work as a horse bookie and has several connections with the Baijis and the landlord of old Dhaka. His ancestors belong to Syria, where their clan used to worship Lilith. 

Khan Mridha Mosque of Lalbagh: 

"The mosque is under construction by the government; in the last Ramadan, we arranged tarawih prayer. Many people come here to pray, sometimes jinns also," said Mohammed Shahidullah, the associate Imam and the Muazzin (who call the prayer) of the mosque. 

For more than three decades, Mohammed Shahidullah has been of service to this three-century-old Mughal mosque. 

Steep Kazi Alauddin Road. Photo - Rakib Hossain

The mosque happened to be built in 1704-1705 at the Aatish Khana of Lalbagh. "The Mughal army had its war ammunition depot there," said historian Hashem Sufi. 

In the era of Emperor Aurangzeb, the ruler of Bengal was Farrukhsiyar, who later became the Mughal emperor and died quite miserably. In his memory, Khan Mohammed Meerdha built that mosque.

Locals believe, for some reason, the mosque couldn't get its foundation, and every time the workers tried to build the mosque, it collapsed. Then, one fine morning, they saw the mosque was built. Legends say the Jinns had built the mosque over a night. Since then, the Jinns have had a special connection with the mosque. 

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