Built in 1892-98 for the district judge of Chittagong, the court building crowns Fairy’s Hill with towers capped by small Mughal domes.
At a glance
- Type
- Court building (district courts)
- Period
- 1892-1898
- Style
- Indo-British (Indo-Saracenic Revival)
- Location
- Parir Pahar (Fairy’s Hill), Chattogram, Bangladesh
- Coordinates
- 22.3348, 91.8346
- Protection
- Not listed under Bangladesh’s heritage conservation laws
Overview
The Chittagong Court Building stands on the summit of Parir Pahar, the hill known in English as Fairy’s Hill, in central Chattogram. It was built between 1892 and 1898 to house the offices of the district judge of Chittagong. It kept that role for more than a century. Today the building and its grounds are also one of the city’s visitor sights.
History
Construction began in 1892 and ended in 1898, under British rule in Bengal. Banglapedia, the national encyclopedia of Bangladesh, describes the building as an example of the Indo-British architecture that developed in Bengal, joining European and Mughal traditions with a few indigenous decorative motifs. According to the same source, its plan owes much to Mughal mosque architecture.
Despite its age and its place on the city skyline, the building is not protected under the country’s heritage conservation laws.
What you see
The main block is a long rectangle running east to west. At its eastern end a large wing extends north to south: its northern end rises to three storeys, while the rest of the building has two. Arches recur in many settings, some with a Gothic outline, alongside lotus motifs.
The square towers flanking the front carry garrets capped with small Mughal-style domes, with four miniature cupolas at the corners. The red walls stand out against the green of the hill.
Cultural significance
Set on a hill above the city centre, the court building is a landmark of colonial civic architecture in Chattogram. Its mix of a European plan with Mughal domes and arches shows the Indo-British style in its institutional form.
Visiting today
The exterior and the hilltop grounds can be seen from outside; the building is still a working court complex. The Ethnological Museum of Chattogram, in Agrabad, is a short drive away.
Getting there
Fairy’s Hill rises in central Chattogram, near Court Road; the approach to the summit is on foot or by rickshaw.
Sources and resources
Find it on the map
See this place and what’s around it →Record researched and written by Luigi De Marchi for Cultural Heritage Online, 2026.
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