# Dhanyakuria

Dhanyakuria (ধান্যকুড়িয়া Dhānyakuṛiẏā) is a town in the North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal. The town is best known for the Gaine Castle (গায়েন বাগানবাড়ি Gāẏen Bāgānbāṛi), an example of a blend of Indian and European architectures.

## Understand

Dhanyakuria's history is very recent, more recent than Kolkata's. The town was first settled atound 1750, and is home to three zamindar families: Mondal (মণ্ডল Maṇḍal), Sawoo (সাউ Sāu), and Gaine (গায়েন Gāẏen). As the story goes, during the Maratha attacks in Bengal, Jagannath Das and his family arrived in present-day Dhanyakuria, and he and his son cleared the forest to settle there. More people began to settle in the village through efforts by Purandar Das, and he later took the surname "Mondal".
Yadabram Sawoo and his family settled in Dhanyakuria during the political instability at the end of the Mughal Empire. His descendant Patitachandra Sawoo used to run a grocery in Kolkata (then Calcutta). His son Upendranath Sawoo educated at Free Church Institution in Calcutta, and then took over his father's business. He established zamindari estates in 24 Parganas (present-day North and South 24 Parganas), Burdwan (present-day Paschim and Purba Bardhaman), Jessore and Khulna districts.
The Gaine family settled in Dhanyakuria from Burdwan district.
All three families had contributed significantly towards Dhanyakuria's education and welfare, and they all kept close relations with the British. They also build mansions blending Indian and European architectures.

## Get in
### By car

Taki Road (SH 2) running from Barasat to Taki is the most practical way to get into the town. Its main attraction, the Gaine Castle, lies directly on the highway.

## See and do

* 22.70350288.7566721 Ballav Mansion (বল্লভ রাজবাড়ি Ballabh Rājbāṛi). A white mansion built by Shyamacharan Ballav iin the mid-19th century, and is still being maintained by the authority. (updated Jan 2025)
* 22.69100688.7581612 Gaine Castle (গায়েন বাগানবাড়ি Gāẏen Bāgānbāṛi), Taki Rd (while driving along Taki Road (SH 2), you can find a large gate with two cylindrical pillars. The house is inside the gate.). A large building surrounded by garden, now in shambles. Although it is called "castle" for its resemblance to a European castle compared to a traditional Indian building, it is a garden house previously owned by the Gaine family. It was built by Mahendranath Gaine in the 19th century, who also used to run a large jute business with the help of the British. He built the garden house to resemble the European castles, which shows his admiration to European cultures. The West Bengal Government took over the heritage building in the 1950s. There are two lakes at front and behind of the house. (updated Dec 2022)
* 22.7007388.7549073 Gaine Mansion (গায়েন রাজবাড়ি Gāẏen Rājbāṛi). A large mansion of the same Gaine family, built by Gobinda Chandra Gaine and later by his son, Mahendranath Gaine in the mid-19th century. Unlike the castle, the mansion seems to have been well-maintained by the authority. (updated Dec 2022)
* 22.701888.756324 Sawoo Mansion (সাউ রাজবাড়ি Sāu Rājbāṛi). The house of the Sawoo family, now partly in shambles and its walls being painted with election campaigns. (updated Jan 2025)