Dhrubo Alam writes about the early European immigrants who settled in Dhaka.
Technically, the Portuguese were not only the first Europeans to arrive in Bengal but also in Dhaka. Already infamous for their piracy and other adventures on the coastal areas, Sundarbans, and along the big rivers, the Portuguese invoke various narratives in Bengal. We know from the descriptions of Portuguese missionary and traveller Fray Sebastien Manrique (1590-1669), who visited Dhaka in 1640, that there was a Magh raid in 1626 during which they (the Magh) had a few Portuguese working for their naval fleet. The Portuguese in Dhaka are not to be confused with the ones who were engaged in piracy and pillaging together with the Maghs along the coast of Bengal, Swandip and Arakan (present day Myanmar). In Dhaka, the Portuguese were mostly missionaries and merchants coming primarily from their main base in Hooghly.
The church at Tejgaon, the oldest existing Portuguese structure in Dhaka, was thought to be built in 1599 by the Portuguese missionaries, as observed by James Taylor in 1840. He thought it was probably erected by the merchants even earlier, like the other older churches around the subcontinent. Taylor was the civil surgeon of Dhaka district who compiled “Topography of Dhaka” with respect to the government guidelines issued in 1807.
According to some sources, the church at Tejgaon was perhaps built quite a few years later, in the early seventeenth century. According to Ahmad Hasan Dani (writer of the Dacca: A Record of Its Changing Fortunes and curator of Dacca Museum in the 1950s) stated that the present church was built much later in 1677 (in 1679, according to the book, Glimpses of Old Dhaka, by Syed Muhammed Taifoor). Perhaps there was a Portuguese settlement in that area and a smaller church in the 1600s, as described by Basil Copleston Allen, an Indian Civil Service officer of Dhaka who produced the Dacca District Gazetteer of 1912, based on the travels of Ralph Fitch in 1586 and Francis Fernandez in 1599. Fitch was a merchant from London. He was one of the earliest English travellers or traders to India and Southeast Asia, and Fernandez was the first Portuguese missionary in Bengal. This was the first documented proof of encounter with the Portuguese in the vicinity of Dhaka. According to Joaquim Joseph A. Campos (writer of the book Portuguese in Bengal, 1919), they settled here in 1580. Although the Portuguese were rebels against Emperor Akbar at that time, they bought two villages in Bhowal, and most importantly bought a piece of land in present day Narinda. They definitely built a church in Narinda in the early 17th century. Today, there is no trace of that church, probably the first church in Dhaka, but most likely it was situated at the site of the Christian cemetery. The Portuguese officially established a mission in Dhaka in 1616, about 50 years before the viceroyalty of Shaista Khan (1664–1688).
In 1632, Emperor Shahjahan was outraged by the human trafficking, unabated trade, heavy armament of forts, and the power of the naval fleets of the Portuguese, and started to drive them out of Bengal (with the siege of Hooghly). The church in Narinda was abandoned during this period but was not damaged, as both Tavernier and Manucci found when they came to the city[1,8]. Jean-Baptiste Tavernier was a French gem merchant and traveller, and Niccolao Manucci was an Italian writer and traveller, who worked in the Mughal court. They were both from the 17th century, and visited Dhaka in the 1660s. The Portuguese had recovered very well through shifting their political allegiance to the Mughals. In his conquest of Chittagong from the Arakanis (1665–1666), Shaista Khan even received 40 ships from them for his naval fleet. In return he allowed a Portuguese settlement and trading post on the bank of Ichamoti river (about 25 km south of Dhaka) at the present day
Muktarpur–Mirkadim area, Munshiganj, which still bears its historical name of ‘Firingibazar’ .
The Portuguese were mainly involved in the salt trade. Father Anthony Barbier in his visit to Dhaka in 1713, spent the Christmas at the church at Narinda. But in 1789, the only church mentioned in documents was the one at Tejgaon, then a village four miles north of Dhaka’s centre. Apparently, the church at Narinda had been deserted by this time and the activities had been shifted to Tejgaon. Nonetheless, the Portuguese settlers in Dhaka were still at the proximity of the old church (present day Narinda-Laxmibazar-Banglabazar area), as seen in Rennell’s map (1780).
Major James Rennell, was an English geographer, historian and pioneer of oceanography. He produced some of the first accurate maps of Bengal. The Portuguese had a factory in Sangattola, in close proximity to present Banglabazar used for trading purposes like other European trading communities. The headquarters was there even in 1905, although in ruins by then, as described by Francis Bradley-Birt (1914). Bradley-Birt, diplomat and writer, an English member of the Indian Civil Service, was stationed in Dhaka for a while and published The Romance of an Eastern Capital as his accounts of the city. A Portuguese garden north of the Tejgaon church was also depicted in the map.
The Portuguese essentially paved the way for other European traders for doing business in Bengal. They were the first, and as a result had to wrestle their way into Bengal, clashing not only with the Mughals, but also with Pathans and Arakanis. The two main reasons for their decline were competition from other European trading powers and the initial hostility between them and the Mughals. Other European powers started to receive firman (a grant or permit) for trading from the Mughals from the 1620s. Each European power wanted to create a trade monopoly and the competition between them was toxic.
The siege and ransacking of Hooghli in 1632 by the Mughals dealt a severe blow to the Portuguese. After that, becoming an ally of the Mughals in 1665 proved to be fatal for the Portuguese, since the Mughals started losing power to the English in the eighteenth century. Moreover, when the Portuguese joined the Mughal army and naval forces, they had stopped raiding the coast of Bengal, and were even engaged in protecting their fellow countrymen from piracy and plunder. Most of them became merchants, and few became mercenaries. They were no longer a political or military force.
After giving up their political entity and integrating as common people, they survived as tradesmen even in 18th century Dhaka, as depicted in Rennell’s map (1780). But slowly, they lost their footing in business to others, first to the Dutch, then to the English, almost within a century (1665–1765). By the early 18th century they did not possess any real financial power to overthrow the Dutch of their trading supremacy in Bengal. It is unknown when the Portuguese factory was closed down in Dhaka, though their missionaries established another church in Dhaka district in 1815. These churches, the names of some places where they settled and the epitaphs in the cemeteries are the last reminisces of the Portuguese in Dhaka.
The Armenians most probably came to Bengal even before any other European merchants, and played an important part in the export-import business of not only Bengal but also India. But, it was in Bengal where they were most active. They reached Bengal-Bihar in the early 17th century if not earlier, as there are inscriptions (now preserved in Kolkata Museum) found in Bihar which dates back to 1630-1640s.
According to Dani, Armenians settled and founded a colony in Dhaka in the early part of the 18th century at Tejgaon based on the fact that graves of some Armenians who died between 1714 and 1795, were found in the Portuguese church[4,12]. On the contrary, Anne Basil (writer of the book Armenian Settlements) states that the first Armenian traders of Dhaka are reported to have reached the city in 1613. In addition, a letter from the company in London to Mumbai in 1689 asked the English company to help the Armenians while procuring clothes, raw silk and other fine goods from Bengal, including Dhaka as they had a better trade network, capital, logistics and connections that included their homeland, Julfa in Persia (Iran). It is said that, they settled in Saidabad (a locality in the vicinity of Murshidabad, in present day West Bengal) after getting permission (firman) from emperor Aurangzeb in 1665, and also built a church there[1,4]. There is a grave of a lady in the Armenian church in Kolkata (established in 1724) bearing the date 1630. So, it can be said that even if they did not settle in Dhaka in the 17th century, they certainly had their business and trade network in this part of Bengal.
The Armenians settled in the present day Armanitola, still bearing trace of their presence in the name of the locality. They were at first a small community but were unmatchable in textile trading and in some cases had monopoly in saltpetre, betelnut, opium and salt trades. According to James Taylor, in 1747, Armenians were the largest exporter of Dhaka cloth, far ahead of English, Dutch or French companies. With these profits and huge resources, they became very influential and rich, resulting in the construction of a church of their own and other private mansions.
Prior to the construction of the present church in Armanitola, they worshipped at a small chapel which they had built in the same locality. In 1781, the present beautiful church of the Holy Resurrection was erected on the site of the old chapel, by subscriptions from Michael Sarkies, Astwasatoor Gavork, (George) Margar Pogose and Khojah Petrus. In 1837, a beautiful steeple, which was to serve as a clock-tower, was erected on the west of the church, near the belfry, but it fell down during the severe earthquake in 1897. There was an oil painting of the bishop in the Dacca Armenian Church, by a well-known European artist, but it was taken away by the Archbishop Sahak Ayvadian in 1907[4,7].
The Armenians were famous as a merchant from ancient times, and their main philosophy was to get involved with any business which brings profit. They have brought the jute business here in the second half on 19th century. They were the pioneers in jute trades, the name of 12 eminent merchants of Bengal engaged in jute trading in Dhaka and Narayanganj in the late 19th and early 20th century can be found. Some of the most prominents were Abraham Pogose, Margar David, J. C. Sarkies, M. Catchatoor, A. Thomas, J.G.N. Pogose, Michael Sarkies and P. Aratoon. Among them, M. David & Co. was so advanced that they sometimes bypassed Kolkata and started to export jute direct to London through Chittagong. They also owned 12 motor launches which carried goods. Other than the jute trade, Armenians were also involved in internal trading and local logistical support because of their huge trade network.
Also the Armenians introduced hackney carriages (টিক্কা গাড়ি) in Dhaka. The founder of the G. M. Shircore & Sons, Mr. Shircore brought them to Dhaka, and it was the first means of public transport in the city. It became such a success many other Armenian and local businessmen followed suit. The Armenians were the first to introduce European and British goods in the city and setting up departmental stores similar to those of today. C. J. Manook, G. M. Shircore etc. were few of the businessmen in this business. Incidentally, these stores provided the supply of tea in those days and popularised it as a drink to the elites.
An interesting case was that the Armenians were always competing with the English so they have to explore many businesses to start from scratch and at one time they started to buy ‘Zamindari’ unlike any other places in India. There were only three Armenian zamindars in 1836-38, paying more than 1,000 rupees a year, but their number grew rapidly in the later half of that century. Families of Michael, Sarkies, Aratoon, Stephens, Lazarus, etc., became zamindars. Khoja Michael, Aratoon and Lucas were the zamindars of South Shahbazpur (Bhola), Pargana Hussain Shahi and Doulat Khan respectively.
The Armenian community contributed a lot to the civil society and the life of the city. Nicholas Pogos in the early 19th century established the Pogos School, which was only one of the three English school in Dhaka back then. He was also a founder member of the Dhaka Municipality (established in 1864) and was active for a long time. Furthermore, they had a big impact not only in Dhaka but also neighbouring towns, e. g., Narayanganj, Mymensingh. Herbert Michael Shircore, son of Stephen Aratoon Shircore, became the chairman of Narayanganj Municipality. Presently a school and a road is named after him.
India has always been deemed as a heaven for various businesses to the European traders. For ages it has been renowned for its prosperity and has been popular for spices. Since 15th century European traders started to appear in the Indian Ocean and the subcontinent apart from the traders from Arab, Iran or China. First came the Portuguese, afterwards, more than a century later came the Dutch. We generally called them ‘Olondaj’ in Bengali (comes from the word ‘Hollandia’). In 1602 few Dutch businessmen founded Dutch East India Company (Dutch: Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie, VOC, ‘United East India Company’ in English) in order to establish trade routes and links with the orient (defunct in 1799).
In a short period of time, the Dutch could expand to various corners of the world, especially in East Asia and South Africa. They reached Bengal in 1607, but settled and built a trading post in Chinsura, Hooghly a bit later in 1635 after getting a firman from the Mughal ‘subedar’ (governor). As a matter of fact, the Dutch governor of Coromandel (present day Karnataka in South India) sent few persons to set up a trade centre in Bengal. On the other hand, the Dutch were probably involved in piracy and slave trading like the Portuguese in the 1620s along the Bengal coastline.
One after another, they started to set up trading posts at different locations in India, one of which was Dhaka. They came to Dhaka for the first time in 1636, but it was a tragic experience for them. It was supposed to be a diplomatic mission consisting of six people, but even before starting from Hooghly, the had some altercation with the local authorities and were arrested. They reached Dhaka in handcuffs. They could get their freedom from the Mughal court in Dhaka, but had to pay handsomely to provide some gifts for the Nawab. They had to pay for the transportation cost and bear the payment to the blacksmith in order to break the handcuffs too. Moreover, they were beaten up and badly bruised, and had to be treated by doctors. So, they had to pay additional medical bills. The situation was so hostile that, they had to buy a boat and pay for the boatmen while going back to Hooghly. It cost them more than a thousand taka, which was a huge sum back in those days. The only achievement for them was a trade agreement with the Nawab[1,5].
Their settlement in Dhaka was neither established nor did they have a stronghold following this incident. They again tried to set up a trade centre here in 1666. They contacted an official of Nawab’s court named Rajendralal to create a favourable situation. They also appointed a Bengali-speaking assistant Gangaram in their factory. They did not trust any of the natives because of their past unfortunate events and bitter experiences. Nevertheless, the Dutch established trading houses, offices, factories and gardens gradually in Dhaka since 1660s and they were in operation till 1785.
The Dutch factory that was located by the Buriganga River, at the site of present day Mitford Hospital, was also their office. Also, they had a garden in the vicinity of Farmgate, probably in between present day Ananda Cinema Hall and Tejturi Bazar area. These locations can be found from the map of Major Rennell (1781). The trade post of Dhaka was under direct control of the trade center of Chinsura, Hooghly. That centre was operating under supervision of the Dutch trading office of Coromandel. The main centre for business and trade office for the Dutch in Southeast Asia was situated in Jakarta, Batavia (present day Indonesia). In the end, their factory in Chinsura, Hooghly of Bengal came under direct control of Batavia, as its importance gradually grew.
François Bernier, a French traveller who visited Dhaka in 1665-1666, stated that the Dutch had a monopoly over cloth export from Dhaka. They generally exported to Europe and Japan. Their other main export item was Saltpetre or Nitre (locally known as ‘Sora’) which was one of the main ingredients for producing gunpowder. They used to collect huge amounts of Saltpetre mainly from Bihar and set up a refinery there. Also in the same time period (1660s), Tavernier saw a beautiful warehouse of the Dutch in Dhaka.
In many businesses the Dutch were the pioneers and frontrunners. They even got a ‘farman’ in 1746 that only the Dutch would be allowed to export opium from Bengal. At the same decade, the British trading power started to gain ground, and their main competitor were the Dutch. Inevitably this struggle for supremacy and profit, led to serious confrontations. In 1759, the Battle of Chinsura took place between the Dutch and British, in which the Dutch lost decisively, even though they possessed almost similar naval power. In reality, the British had already cornered all the other European powers in Bengal, after their most important victory in the Battle of Plassey (1757). As a result, the Dutch have never regained their financial or political upperhand after 1759, despite their presence in Dhaka or Bengal.
Eventually, during 1781-1783 the British took possession of all the Dutch trading centres and posts. The one at Dhaka surrendered in 1781 and the Dutch garden at Farmgate was also handed over. Virtually their business in the city ended at that time. The Magistrate transferred the house (Dutch Trade office) to the Collector of Dhaka in 1801 and the authorities demolished it with help from the Police . The rubble was used for repairing roads of the city. In 1810, the authorities proposed a hospital at that site (the present Mitford Hospital). Finally in 1824, the Dutch government handed over all their belongings in India to their British counterpart, according to a treaty between them. With the official transfer happening in June, 1825, the Dutch left Dhaka, Bengal and India for good.
The British deliberately tried to remove all their political and business competitors by any means, and they were very successful in doing so. Mostly as a display of power, they destroyed the nice trading house of the Dutch in Dhaka, which was already more than a century old by then, and repaired the roads with its debris. There is no evidence of the Dutch Garden at the present day Farmgate area, other than the depictions of it in the old maps of the city. However, when the chief of the Dutch Factory in the city, Mr. Langkheet died in 1775, he was buried in the then English Cemetery (now at Narinda). At present, this is the only remaining sign of the Dutch in Dhaka.
- Allen, Basil Copleston, and James Thomson Rankin. 2009. Eastern Bengal District Gazetteers: Dacca. Logos Press.
- Bradley-Birt, Francis Bradley. 1906. The Romance of an Eastern Capital. London: Smith, Elder, & Company.
- Campos, Joachim Joseph A. 1979. History of the Portuguese in Bengal. Patna: Janaki Prakashan.
- Dani, Ahmad Hasan. 1962. Dacca: A Record of Its Changing Fortunes. Dhaka: Mrs. SS Dani.
- Datta, Kalikinkar. 1968. The Dutch in Bengal and Bihar, 1740-1825 Ad. New Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass.
- Hill, Samuel Charles. 1903. Three Frenchmen in Bengal: Or, the Commercial Ruin of the French Settlements in 1757. London: Longmans, Green.
- Mamoon, Muntassir. 1993. Dhaka: Smriti Bismritir Nogori [in Bengali]. Dhaka: Bangla Academy.
- Rennell, James. 1781. A Bengal Atlas. London.
- Roy, Ashim Kumar. 2016. Banga Brittanta [in Bengali]. Dhaka: Dibyaprakash.
- Ryley, J Horton, and Ralph Fitch. 1899. England’s Pioneer to India and Burma. His Companions and Contemporaries, with His Remarkable Narrative Told in His Own Words. London: TF Unwin.
- Seth, Mesrovb Jacob. 1983. Armenians in India. New Delhi: Oxford And IBH Publishing.
- Taifoor, Syed Muhammed. 1952. Glimpses of Old Dhaka. Dhaka: Kawser House
- Tavernier, Jean Baptiste, and Valentine Ball. 2001. Travels in India. Asian Educational Services. New Delhi: Asian Educational Services.
- Taylor, James. 1840. A Sketch of the Topography & Statistics of Dacca. Calcutta: GH Huttmann, Military Orphan Press.
Dhrubo Alam anaandika juu ya wahamiaji wa mapema wa Ulaya ambao waliishi Dhaka. Kwa kweli, Wareno hawakuwa tu Wazungu wa kwanza kufika Bengal bali pia Dhaka. Ureno, ambayo tayari ni maarufu kwa uharamia na vituko vingine katika maeneo ya pwani, Sundarbans, na kando ya mito mikubwa, huomba hadithi mbalimbali katika Bengal. Mmisionari Mreno na msafiri Fray Sebastião Manrique (1590-1669) alishiriki katika uvamizi wa Magh mnamo 1626 na kuanzisha jeshi la wanamaji la Ureno. Ureno katika Dhaka haipaswi kuchanganyikiwa na wale ambao walikuwa kushiriki katika uharamia na uporaji pamoja na Magh kando ya pwani ya Bengal, Swandip na Arakan (siku ya leo Myanmar). Huko Dhaka, Wareno walikuwa hasa wamishonari na wafanyabiashara waliokuja hasa kutoka kituo chao kikuu huko Hooghly. Kanisa la Tejgaon, ambalo ni jengo la zamani zaidi la Ureno katika Dhaka, lilidhaniwa kuwa lilijengwa mwaka 1599 na wamishonari wa Ureno, kama ilivyotambuliwa na James Taylor mwaka 1840. Alifikiri kwamba huenda lilijengwa na wafanyabiashara mapema zaidi, kama makanisa mengine ya kale yaliyozunguka bara hilo. Taylor alikuwa daktari wa magonjwa ya umma wa wilaya ya Dhaka ambaye alikusanya "Topografia ya Dhaka" kuhusiana na miongozo ya serikali iliyotolewa mnamo 1807. Kulingana na vyanzo fulani, huenda kanisa la Tejgaon lilijengwa miaka michache baadaye, mwanzoni mwa karne ya kumi na saba. "Kama ilivyoelezwa na Ahmad Hasan Dani, mwandishi wa kitabu ""Dhaka: A Record of Its Changing Fortunes"" na msimamizi wa Jumba la Makumbusho la Dhaka katika miaka ya 1950, kanisa la sasa lilijengwa baadaye zaidi mnamo 1677 (katika 1679, kulingana na kitabu ""Glimpses of Old Dhaka"" cha Syed Muhammad Taif." "Kama ilivyoelezwa na Basil Copleston Allen, afisa wa Huduma ya Umma ya India wa Dhaka, ""Gazette ya Wilaya ya Dhaka ya 1912"" ilitegemea safari za Ralph Fitch mnamo 1586 na Francis Fernandez mnamo 1599."" Fitch alikuwa mfanyabiashara kutoka London. Alikuwa mmoja wa wasafiri wa kwanza wa Kiingereza au wafanyabiashara kwenda India na Asia ya Kusini Mashariki, na Fernandez alikuwa mmishonari wa kwanza wa Ureno huko Bengal. Hii ilikuwa uthibitisho wa kwanza ulioandikwa wa kukutana na Wareno katika ujirani wa Dhaka. "Joaquim Joseph A. Campos, mwandishi wa kitabu ""Portuguese in Bengal"" (1919), anasema kwamba watu wa asili ya Ureno waliishi huko kuanzia mwaka 1580." Wakati huo, Wareno walikuwa waasi dhidi ya Mfalme Akbar, lakini walinunua vijiji viwili huko Bhowal na, muhimu zaidi, walinunua kipande cha ardhi katika Narinda ya leo. Kwa kweli, kanisa la Naranda lilijengwa katika karne ya 17. Kanisa hilo, ambalo leo halikuonekana, labda lilikuwa kanisa la kwanza huko Dhaka, lakini inaelekea lilikuwa mahali pa makaburi ya Wakristo. Ureno ilianzisha rasmi ujumbe katika Dhaka mwaka 1616, karibu miaka 50 kabla ya utawala wa Shaista Khan (1664-1688). Mwaka 1632 Mfalme Shah Jahan alikasirishwa na biashara ya watu, biashara isiyo na kikomo, silaha nzito za ngome, na nguvu za meli za Ureno, na akaanza kuwafukuza kutoka Bengal (kwa kuzingirwa kwa Hooghly). Kanisa la Narinda liliachwa wakati huo lakini halikuharibiwa, kama vile Tavernier na Manucci walivyogundua walipokuja mjini. Jean-Baptiste Tavernier alikuwa mfanyabiashara wa vito na msafiri wa Ufaransa, na Niccolo Manucci alikuwa mwandishi na msafiri wa Italia, ambaye alifanya kazi katika mahakama ya Mughal. Mfano wa watu hao ni watu wa karne ya 17 waliotembelea Dhaka mwaka 1660. Wareno walikuwa wamepata nafuu sana kwa kugeuza uaminifu wao wa kisiasa kwa Wamughal. Wakati wa ushindi wake wa Chittagong kutoka Arakan (1665-1666), Shaista Khan hata alipokea meli 40 kutoka kwao kwa meli yake ya majini. Kwa kubadilishana, aliruhusu makazi ya Ureno na kituo cha biashara kwenye ukingo wa mto Ichamoti (karibu kilomita 25 kusini mwa Dhaka) katika eneo la leo la Muktarpur <unk> Mirkadim, Munshiganj, ambayo bado ina jina lake la kihistoria la <unk>Firingibazar<unk>. Wareno walihusika hasa katika biashara ya chumvi. Baba Anthony Barbier, wakati wa ziara yake ya Dhaka mwaka 1713, alitumia Krismasi katika kanisa la Narinda. Lakini mwaka 1789 kanisa pekee lililotajwa katika hati lilikuwa lile la Tejgaon, wakati huo kijiji kilichokuwa maili nne kaskazini mwa kituo cha Dhaka. Yaonekana, kanisa la Narinda lilikuwa limeachwa wakati huo na shughuli zilikuwa zimehamishwa hadi Tejgaon. Hata hivyo, wahamiaji wa Ureno huko Dhaka walikuwa bado karibu na kanisa la zamani (eneo la leo la Narinda-Laxmibazar-Banglabazar), kama inavyoonekana kwenye ramani ya Rennell (1780). Meja James Rennell, alikuwa mtaalamu wa jiografia wa Kiingereza, mwanahistoria na mwanzilishi wa elimu ya bahari. Alitengeneza baadhi ya ramani za kwanza sahihi za Bengal. Ureno walikuwa na kiwanda katika Sangattola, karibu na sasa Banglabazar kutumika kwa madhumuni ya biashara kama jamii nyingine za biashara za Ulaya. Makao makuu ya jeshi yalikuwa huko hata mwaka wa 1905, ingawa yalikuwa yameharibiwa wakati huo, kama ilivyoelezwa na Francis Bradley-Birt (1914). Bradley-Burt, mwanadiplomasia na mwandishi, mwanachama wa Kiingereza wa Huduma ya Umma ya India, alikuwa amewekwa Dhaka kwa muda na kuchapisha The Romance of an Eastern Capital kama akaunti zake za jiji. Bustani ya Kireno kaskazini mwa kanisa la Tejgaon pia ilionyeshwa kwenye ramani. Kwa kweli, Wareno waliwafungulia njia wafanyabiashara wengine wa Ulaya kufanya biashara huko Bengal. Kwa sababu ya kuwa wa kwanza, walilazimika kupigana na kuingia Bengal, wakipigana si tu na Wamughal, bali pia na Wapathani na Arakanis. Sababu kuu mbili za kushuka kwao zilikuwa ushindani kutoka kwa nguvu nyingine za kibiashara za Ulaya na uadui wa awali kati yao na Wamughal. Maafisa wa Ulaya walianza kupokea firman (msaada au ruhusa) kwa biashara kutoka kwa Mughals kutoka 1620. Kila nguvu ya Ulaya ilitaka kuunda udhibiti wa biashara na ushindani kati yao ulikuwa wenye sumu. Wakati wa kuzingirwa na kutekwa kwa mji wa Hooghly na Mughal, Ureno ilipata ushindi mkubwa. Baada ya hapo, kuwa mshirika wa Mughals mnamo 1665 ilithibitika kuwa mbaya kwa Ureno, kwani Mughals walianza kupoteza nguvu kwa Waingereza katika karne ya kumi na nane. Kwa kuongezea, wakati Wareno walipojiunga na jeshi la Mughal na majeshi ya baharini, walikuwa wamekoma kuvamia pwani ya Bengal, na hata walikuwa wakijishughulisha na kulinda wananchi wenzao kutoka kwa uharamia na uporaji. Wengi wao wakawa wafanyabiashara, na wachache wakawa askari-jeshi wa kulipwa. Hawakukuwa tena nguvu ya kisiasa au ya kijeshi. Baada ya kuachana na siasa na kuunganishwa na jamii ya watu wa kawaida, waliendelea kuwa wafanyabiashara hata katika jiji la Dhaka la karne ya 18, kama inavyoonyeshwa kwenye ramani ya Rennell (1780). Lakini polepole, walipoteza msimamo wao katika biashara kwa wengine, kwanza kwa Uholanzi, kisha kwa Waingereza, karibu ndani ya karne moja (1665-1765). Kufikia mwanzo wa karne ya 18, hawakuwa na nguvu yoyote ya kifedha ya kweli ya kuangusha Uholanzi kutoka kwa utawala wao wa kibiashara huko Bengal. Haijulikani ni lini kiwanda cha Ureno kilifungwa huko Dhaka, ingawa wamishonari wao walianzisha kanisa jingine katika wilaya ya Dhaka mnamo 1815. Makanisa haya, majina ya baadhi ya maeneo ambapo waliishi na maandishi ya makaburi ni kumbukumbu za mwisho za Wareno huko Dhaka. Waarmeni waliwasili Bengal kabla ya wafanyabiashara wengine wa Ulaya na walifanya kazi muhimu katika biashara ya uagizaji na uagizaji wa Bengal na India. Lakini, ilikuwa katika Bengal ambapo walikuwa hai zaidi. Mji wa Bengal ulijengwa mnamo 1640 na wakati huo huo, na kuna maandishi ya kale ya kihistoria katika Bihar ambayo yanaonekana katika miaka ya 1630 na 1640. Kulingana na Dani, Waarmenia waliishi na kuanzisha koloni huko Dhaka katika sehemu ya mapema ya karne ya 18 huko Tejgaon kulingana na ukweli kwamba makaburi ya Waarmenia wengine waliokufa kati ya 1714 na 1795 yalipatikana katika kanisa la Ureno. "Anne Basil, mwandishi wa kitabu ""Armenian Settlements,"" anasema kwamba wafanyabiashara wa kwanza wa Kiarmenia waliwasili katika mji huo mwaka 1613." "Kulingana na taarifa ya kampuni ya London, kampuni hiyo ilitoa barua ya mwaka 1689 kwa Mumbai, ikisema: ""Tunaomba msaada kwa Waarmenia katika kupata nguo, hariri mbichi na bidhaa nyingine nzuri kutoka Bengal, ikiwa ni pamoja na Dhaka, kwa kuwa walikuwa na mtandao bora wa biashara, mtaji, vifaa na uhusiano ambao ulijumuisha nchi yao, Julfa, Persia.""" Wahamiaji hao waliishi karibu na mji wa Murshidabad, katika eneo la Bengal Magharibi, baada ya kupata ruhusa kutoka kwa mfalme Aurangzeb mnamo 1665. Mwili wa mwanamke mmoja uliwekwa katika kanisa la Kiarmenia huko Kolkata (iliyoanzishwa mwaka wa 1724), na tarehe yake ni 1630. Kwa hiyo, inaweza kusemwa kwamba hata kama hawakuishi Dhaka katika karne ya 17, hakika walikuwa na mtandao wao wa biashara na biashara katika sehemu hii ya Bengal. Waarmenia waliishi katika eneo la leo la Armanitola, na bado kuna alama ya uwepo wao katika jina la eneo hilo. Mwanzoni walikuwa jamii ndogo lakini hawakuwa na mshindani katika biashara ya nguo na katika visa fulani walikuwa na udhibiti katika biashara ya chumvi, betel nut, opiamu na chumvi. "Katika mwaka wa 1747, Armenia ilikuwa ""msafirishaji mkubwa wa kitambaa cha Dhaka, mbele sana ya kampuni za Kiingereza, Uholanzi au Ufaransa.""" Kwa faida hizo na rasilimali nyingi, walipata ushawishi mkubwa na utajiri, na hivyo wakajenga kanisa lao wenyewe na nyumba nyingine za kibinafsi. Kabla ya ujenzi wa kanisa la sasa huko Armanitola, waliabudu katika kanisa dogo ambalo walikuwa wamejenga katika eneo hilo. Mnamo mwaka 1781 kanisa la Mtakatifu Ufufuo lilijengwa mahali pa kanisa la zamani kwa msaada wa Michael Sarkies, Astvasatour Gavork, George Pogose na Khodja Petrus. Mnamo mwaka wa 1837 mnara wa kanisa ulijengwa upande wa magharibi wa kanisa, karibu na mnara wa kengele, lakini uliporomoka wakati wa tetemeko kubwa la ardhi la mwaka wa 1897. Mchoro wa mafuta wa askofu huyo uliwekwa katika kanisa la Kiarmenia la Daka, na mchoraji maarufu wa Ulaya, lakini uliondolewa na askofu mkuu Sahak Ayvadian mnamo 1907. Waarmeni walikuwa mashuhuri kama wafanyabiashara tangu nyakati za kale, na falsafa yao kuu ilikuwa kushiriki katika biashara yoyote ambayo huleta faida. Mimea ya jute ilianzishwa katika karne ya 19. Katika historia ya biashara ya jute, watu 12 wa Bengal walifanya biashara ya jute huko Dhaka na Narayanganj katika karne ya 19 na mapema ya 20. Baadhi ya watu mashuhuri zaidi walikuwa Abraham Pogose, Margar David, J. C. Sarkies, M. Catchatoor, A. Thomas, J. G. N. Pogose, Michael Sarkies na P. Aratoon. Miongoni mwao, M. David & Co. ilikuwa ya hali ya juu sana hivi kwamba nyakati nyingine walipitia Kolkata na kuanza kusafirisha jute moja kwa moja kwenda London kupitia Chittagong. Pia walikuwa na mashua 12 za kubebea mizigo. Mbali na biashara ya jute, Waarmenia pia walishiriki katika biashara ya ndani na msaada wa vifaa vya ndani kwa sababu ya mtandao wao mkubwa wa biashara. Pia Waarmenia walianzisha magari ya hackney (tikka gari) huko Dhaka. Mkurugenzi wa G.M. Shirkor & Sons, Sh. Shirkor, alianzisha njia ya usafiri wa umma huko Dhaka. Ilikuwa na mafanikio sana na wafanyabiashara wengine wengi wa Armenia na wa eneo hilo walifuata mfano wake. Waarmeni walikuwa wa kwanza kuanzisha bidhaa za Ulaya na Uingereza jijini na kuanzisha maduka makubwa yanayofanana na yale ya leo. C. J. Manook, G. M. Shircore na wengineo. Wachache walikuwa wafanyabiashara katika biashara hii. Kwa bahati mbaya, maduka hayo yalitokeza chai katika siku hizo na kuifanya iwe maarufu kama kinywaji kwa watu mashuhuri. "Kama ilivyo kwa Waarmeni, ""Wamarekani walipigana na Waingereza, kwa hivyo walihitaji kugundua biashara nyingi kuanza kutoka mwanzo, na wakati mmoja walianza kununua Zamindari tofauti na maeneo mengine yoyote nchini India.""" Katika karne ya 18 kulikuwa na zamindars watatu tu wa Armenia, waliolipa zaidi ya rupi 1,000 kwa mwaka, lakini idadi yao iliongezeka haraka katika nusu ya mwisho ya karne hiyo. Familia za Michael, Sarkies, Aratoon, Stephens, Lazarus, na kadhalika, zikawa zamindars. Khoja Michael, Aratoon na Lucas walikuwa zamindars wa Kusini Shahbazpur (Bhola), Pargana Hussain Shahi na Doulat Khan kwa mtiririko huo. Jumuiya ya Waarmenia ilichangia sana jamii ya kiraia na maisha ya jiji. Nicholas Pogos alianzisha shule ya Kiingereza ya Pogos, ambayo ilikuwa moja tu ya shule tatu za Kiingereza huko Dhaka. Pia alikuwa mwanzilishi wa Manispaa ya Dhaka (iliyoanzishwa mwaka 1864) na alikuwa hai kwa muda mrefu. Zaidi ya hayo, walikuwa na athari kubwa si tu katika Dhaka lakini pia miji jirani, kwa mfano, Narayanganj, Mymensingh. Michael Herbert Shircore, mwana wa Stephen Aratoon Shircore, akawa mwenyekiti wa Manispaa ya Narayanganj. Kwa sasa shule na barabara zinaitwa kwa jina lake. Sikuzote India imekuwa ikionwa kuwa paradiso kwa wafanyabiashara mbalimbali wa Ulaya. Kwa muda mrefu imekuwa ikijulikana kwa ufanisi wake na imekuwa maarufu kwa ajili ya vikolezo. Tangu karne ya 15 wafanyabiashara wa Ulaya walianza kuonekana katika Bahari ya Hindi na bara mbali na wafanyabiashara kutoka Kiarabu, Iran au China. Kwanza Ureno, kisha Uholanzi. Kwa kawaida tuliwaita <unk>Olondaj<unk> katika Kibengali (inatoka kwa neno <unk>Hollandia<unk>). Mwaka 1602 wafanyabiashara wa Uholanzi walianzisha Kampuni ya Uholanzi ya India Mashariki (Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie, VOC) ili kuanzisha njia za biashara na viungo na mashariki (iliyopotea mwaka 1799). Katika kipindi kifupi cha wakati, Uholanzi wangeweza kupanuka katika pembe mbalimbali za ulimwengu, hasa katika Asia Mashariki na Afrika Kusini. Walifika Bengal mwaka 1607, lakini wakaishi na kujenga kituo cha biashara huko Chinsurah, Hooghly, baadaye mwaka 1635 baada ya kupata firman kutoka kwa Mughal Subedar (gavana). Kwa kweli, gavana wa Uholanzi wa Coromandel (karnataka ya leo katika India Kusini) alituma watu wachache kuanzisha kituo cha biashara huko Bengal. Kwa upande mwingine, huenda Waholanzi walihusika katika biashara ya maharamia na watumwa kama vile Wareno katika miaka ya 1620 kwenye pwani ya Bengal. Mmoja baada ya mwingine, walianza kuanzisha vituo vya biashara katika maeneo tofauti-tofauti nchini India, mojawapo ikiwa ni Dhaka. Aliwasili Dhaka mwaka 1636 na kuanzisha familia yake. Mjumbe huyo alikuwa ni wajumbe wa kidiplomasia wa nchi sita, lakini kabla ya kuondoka Hooghly, walipata ugomvi na maafisa wa eneo hilo na wakakamatwa. Walifika Dhaka wakiwa wamefungwa mikono. Alipata uhuru kutoka kwa mahakama ya Mughal huko Dhaka, lakini alilazimika kulipa kwa kiasi kikubwa ili kutoa zawadi kwa Nawab. Walilazimika kulipa gharama za usafiri na kulipa mfanyakazi wa chuma ili kuvunja minyororo pia. Isitoshe, walipigwa na kuharibiwa vibaya, na walilazimika kutibiwa na madaktari. Kwa hiyo, walilazimika kulipa bili za ziada za matibabu. Hali ilikuwa ya uhasama sana hivi kwamba, walilazimika kununua mashua na kulipa kwa ajili ya boatmen wakati wa kurudi Hooghly. Ilikuwa na gharama ya takra elfu moja, ambayo ilikuwa kiasi kikubwa sana wakati huo. Mafanikio yao pekee yalikuwa makubaliano ya kibiashara na Nawab[1,5]. Makazi yao huko Dhaka hayakuanzishwa wala hawakuwa na ngome kufuatia tukio hili. Walijaribu tena kuanzisha kituo cha biashara hapa mwaka 1666. Waliwasiliana na ofisa wa mahakama ya Nawab aitwaye Rajendralal ili kuunda hali nzuri. Pia waliweka Gangaram, msaidizi anayezungumza Kibengali, katika kiwanda chao. Hawakuwa na imani na wenyeji wowote kwa sababu ya matukio yao ya zamani yenye kusikitisha na mambo mabaya waliyojionea. Hata hivyo, Waholanzi walianzisha nyumba za biashara, ofisi, viwanda na bustani hatua kwa hatua huko Dhaka tangu miaka ya 1660 na zilikuwa zikifanya kazi hadi 1785. Kiwanda cha Uholanzi kilichokuwa kando ya Mto Buriganga, mahali ambapo sasa kuna Hospitali ya Mitford, kilikuwa pia ofisi yao. Pia, walikuwa na bustani karibu na Farmgate, labda kati ya Jumba la Sinema la Ananda la leo na eneo la Tejturi Bazar. Maeneo hayo yanaweza kupatikana kwenye ramani ya Meja Rennell (1781). Kituo cha biashara cha Dhaka kilikuwa chini ya udhibiti wa moja kwa moja wa kituo cha biashara cha Chinsura, Hooghly. Kituo hicho kilikuwa kikifanya kazi chini ya usimamizi wa ofisi ya biashara ya Uholanzi ya Coromandel. Kituo kikuu cha biashara na ofisi ya biashara kwa Waholanzi katika Asia ya Kusini-Mashariki kilikuwa katika Jakarta, Batavia (siku hizi Indonesia). Hatimaye, kiwanda chao huko Chinsura, Hooghly ya Bengal kilikuja chini ya udhibiti wa moja kwa moja wa Batavia, kwani umuhimu wake ulikua hatua kwa hatua. François Bernier, msafiri Mfaransa aliyetembelea Dhaka mnamo 1665-1666, alisema kwamba Uholanzi walikuwa na udhibiti juu ya usafirishaji wa nguo kutoka Dhaka. Kwa kawaida waliuza bidhaa hizo Ulaya na Japani. Bidhaa yao nyingine kuu ya kuuza nje ilikuwa Saltpetre au Nitre (maarufu ndani kama <unk>Sora<unk>) ambayo ilikuwa moja ya viungo kuu kwa ajili ya kuzalisha risasi. Walikuwa wakikusanya kiasi kikubwa cha chumvi hasa kutoka Bihar na kuanzisha kiwanda cha kusafisha huko. Katika miaka ya 1660 Tavernier aliona ghala la Waholanzi huko Dhaka. Katika biashara nyingi Waholanzi walikuwa waanzilishi na waanzilishi wa mbele. Mwaka 1746 walipata sheria iliyoweka marufuku watu wa Uholanzi kuingiza opiamu nchini humo. Katika mwongo huohuo, nguvu ya kibiashara ya Uingereza ilianza kupata nguvu, na mshindani wao mkuu alikuwa Mholanzi. Bila shaka, mapambano hayo ya kupata mamlaka na faida yalisababisha mapigano mazito. Vita vya Chinsurah vilipiganwa na Waolanzi na Waingereza mwaka 1759 na walipoteza kwa nguvu kubwa. Uingereza ilikuwa imewashinda mataifa mengine ya Ulaya katika vita vya Plassey (1757). Kwa sababu hiyo, Waholanzi hawakuweza tena kupata nguvu zao za kifedha au za kisiasa baada ya 1759, licha ya kuwapo kwao Dhaka au Bengal. Katika kipindi cha miaka ya 1781 hadi 1783 Uingereza ilishinda maeneo yote ya biashara ya Uholanzi. Jumba la kifalme la Dhaka lilijisalimisha mwaka 1781 na bustani ya Uholanzi ya Farmgate pia ilisalimishwa. Kwa kweli biashara yao katika jiji hilo ilimalizika wakati huo. Mahakama ya Mahakama ilihamisha nyumba hiyo (ofisi ya biashara ya Uholanzi) kwa Mkusanyaji wa Dhaka mnamo 1801 na mamlaka zilibomoa kwa msaada wa Polisi. Mabaki hayo yalitumiwa kurekebisha barabara za jiji hilo. Mwaka 1810 serikali ilianzisha hospitali katika eneo hilo (ambayo sasa inaitwa Hospitali ya Mitford). Hatimaye, mwaka wa 1824, serikali ya Uholanzi ilitoa mali zao zote nchini India kwa serikali ya Uingereza, kulingana na mkataba kati yao. Baada ya kuhamishwa rasmi mnamo Juni 1825, Waholanzi waliondoka Dhaka, Bengal na India milele. Waingereza walijaribu kwa makusudi kuwaondoa washindani wao wote wa kisiasa na wa kibiashara kwa njia yoyote ile, na walifanikiwa sana kufanya hivyo. Kwa sababu ya nguvu zao, waliharibu jengo la biashara la Waholanzi huko Dhaka, ambalo lilikuwa na umri wa zaidi ya karne moja, na kurekebisha barabara kwa kutumia mabaki yake. Hakuna ushahidi wa bustani ya Uholanzi katika eneo la Farmgate ya leo, isipokuwa picha zake katika ramani za zamani za jiji. Hata hivyo, wakati mkuu wa kiwanda cha Uholanzi katika mji, Mheshimiwa Langkheath alikufa katika 1775, alizikwa katika wakati huo Kiingereza Cemetery (sasa katika Narinda). Kwa sasa, hii ndiyo ishara pekee iliyobaki ya Waholanzi huko Dhaka. - Allen, Basil Copleston, na James Thomson Rankin. Mwaka 2009 Gazetteers wa Wilaya ya Mashariki ya Bengal: Dacca. Logos Press. - Bradley-Birt, Francis Bradley. Mwaka 1906 Upendo wa Mji Mkuu wa Mashariki. London: Smith, Elder, na Kampuni. - Campos, Joachim Joseph A. Mwaka wa 1979 Historia ya Wareno katika Bengal. Patna: Janaki Prakashan. - Dani, Ahmad Hasan. Mwaka 1962 Dacca: Rekodi ya Bahati Zake Zinazobadilika-badilika. Dhaka: Bi. SS Dani. - Datta, Kalikinkar. Mwaka 1968 Uholanzi katika Bengal na Bihar, 1740-1825 AD New Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass. - Hill, Samuel Charles. Mwaka 1903 "Mara nyingi, ""Wafaransa watatu katika Bengal"" au ""Uharibifu wa Biashara wa Makazi ya Kifaransa"" ni jina la kihistoria la kijeshi la Ufaransa." London: Longmans, Kijani. - Mamoon, Muntassir. Mwaka 1993 Dhaka: Smriti Bismritir Nogori [kwa Kibengali]. Dhaka: Chuo cha Bangla. - Rennell, James. Mwaka 1781 Atlas ya Bengal. Jiji la London. - Roy, Ashim Kumar. Mwaka 2016 Banga Brittanta [kwa Kibengali]. Dhaka: Dibyaprakash. - Ryley, J Horton, na Ralph Fitch. Mwaka wa 1899. England's Pioneer to India and Burma. Washirika Wake na Wenye Kuishi Wakati Uo Huo, Pamoja na Simulizi Lake La Kihistoria Lililosimuliwa Kwa Maneno Yake Mwenyewe. London: TF Unwin. - Seth, Mesrovb Jacob. Mwaka 1983 na 1983. Waarmeni katika India. New Delhi: Oxford na IBH Uchapishaji. - Taifoor, Syed Muhammed. 1952 - Mauaji ya watu Maono ya Dhaka ya Kale. Dhaka: Kawser House - Tavernier, Jean Baptiste, na Valentine Ball. 2001 - Mwaka wa Uhamiaji Safari katika India. Huduma za Elimu za Asia. New Delhi: Huduma za Elimu za Asia. - Taylor, James. Mwaka 1840 Mchoro wa Topografia na Takwimu za Dacca. Calcutta: GH Huttmann, Military Orphan Press.