Palanquin (Palki)

Palanquin, also known as palki, is a covered sedan (or litter) carried on four poles. Its carried by on the shoulders of two, four or even eight bearers of special caste or class. The European traders in Bengal in the 17th and 18th centuries widely used palki for visiting purpose. In Bangladesh it was used for visiting purpose and specially in wedding ceremony to carrying bride.

In the early nineteenth century, the postal department introduced stage palanquin for mail and passengers. Long distance passengers used to buy stage palki tickets from the post office. By the mid-nineteenth century, the Europeans by and large stopped using palanquins. But until the end of the nineteenth century, the babus and aristocratic natives commonly used palanquins as their means of transport. The palanquin used by Rabindranath Tagore in his visits to his zamindari kachari at Shilaidaha is still preserved there at the Tagore Kuthibari. The affluent people normally owned palanquins, which were borne mainly by their slaves, and the general people used it on hire. Palki is aslo preserved in the Dhaka Museum.

Palanquin began to decline from the mid-nineteenth century when steamer and rail communications started and general transportation began to improve. At present, it can only see in the museum.