Bara Katra
Next to Lalbagh Fort, the most important Mughal monument in the city is the Bara Katra or Large Caravanserai. This was built in 1644 by one Mir Abdul Qasem and in its day was one of the grandest of Mughal caravenserais. A caravanserai is a structure found in most important Islamic cities and were the precursors of modern hotels. They provided visiting merchants with lodging and a place to store their goods and animals. Unfortunately, the Bara Katra has not benefited from the same conservation efforts as has the Lalbagh Fort, and exists today in a delapidated condition. The Katra is illegally occupied by, and the surrounding land controlled by, a large madrassah which has resisted all efforts to try and save this building. The government has made no effort to do so, either.
The building was originally a quadrangular structure with an inner courtyard. Only the south wall of the building survives today. In Mughal times, the Buringanga used to flow past the south side of the katra. Even looking at a picture from an article from National Geographic magazine in the 1950s, there was still an unobstructed view of the building from the river. No longer the case - the katra is heavily encroached by surrounding structures, so an unobstructed view is impossible, and the river flows much further south.
Here is a picture of the outer aspect of the south (river front) from Charles D'Oyly's sketches (circa 1814; see the elephant for idea of size):
Another D'Oyly sketch which shows a portion of the northern side of the complex, which no longer survives. Note the mosque, which does not survive either
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Here is another view showing the inner aspect of the south front. This photo is from the 1870s and is taken from where the courtyard would have been. This is essentially the same part of the building which survives today, albeit in far worse condition.
Essentially the same view as the last one, but from 1982:
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The following pictures are all from 1982. Just add years of decay, and you get the katra as it looks like today. The 1stt, the outer aspect of the south gate. the 2nd: the inner aspect of the same:
