Matiabag Palace, Rajbari, Gauripur, Assam

The historic palace is situated on a hillock called Matiabag near the  bank of river Godadhar in Gauripur under Dhubri district of Assam. The palace is also popularly called Matiabag Palace or Hawakhana. The palace was once the seat of the Royal family lineage of Gauripur who held the administrative and directive power. The Hawakhana was also the residence of famous pre-independence actor and director, Promothesh Chandra Barua. Besides him, the famous Goalpariya singer Padmashree Pratima Pandey Barua also lived here along with Parboti Barua, popularly known as Hasti Kanya.

Designed and built by an invited Chinese architect, the  architecture of the palace is remarkable and distinct in its own way. The Hawakhana is a beautiful specimen of high architectural development of feudal age. The palace as a residence for the royal family  was built after Pratap Chandra Barua shifted the Headquarter of zamindary from Rangamati to Gauripur in 1860.