Pagla Bridge

Pagla Bridge constructed perhaps during the period of Mirza Moula (mir jumla) in the 1660s on the river Pagla, a former course of the Dulai river, about five miles to the east of dhaka on the road to narayanganj. Tavernier noticed it in 1666 as 'a fine brick bridge, which Mir Jumla ordered to be built' on the river that ran from the northeast. While visiting Dhaka in 1824, Bishop Heber found the Pagla Bridge in a fairly good condition and identified it as a very fine specimen of the richest Gothic architecture. He gathered from local boatmen that the bridge was built by a Frenchman, a theory not shared by many historians, as Mir Jumla had it built much earlier. Some also do not agree with the view that the pointed arches of the bridge could be called Tudor Gothic.
In Dani's description, even in its damaged condition in the 1960s, the bridge had a romantic appeal, and the construction spoke of the great Mughal taste. The bridge consisted of three open arches, each being four-centred and stilted, and two blind arches at its two ends. The spandrels of the arches were decorated with prominent rosettes and their bases were provided with semi-circular cut-waters. But of great importance were the bridge's four octagonal hollow towers, one at each corner. These towers had arched openings with multiple cusps and were relieved with deep panels while a fluted dome crowned their heads.