Jagannath Hall holds a distinguished place in Bangladesh's history for its enduring contributions to education, cultural development, and intellectual awakening. The University of Dhaka started its journey on July 01, 1921, with three Halls-‘Dacca Hall’, ‘Jagannath Hall’, and ‘Salimullah Muslim Hall’ as per the recommendation of the Calcutta University Commission. The nomenclature of ‘Jagannath Hall’ and ‘Dacca Hall’ reflects the historical origins of the University of Dhaka, which was established on the grounds formerly belonging to Jagannath College and Dhaka College. The name of Jagannath College and Jagannath Hall were basically taken after the name of Jagannath Saha, father of Kishori Lal Saha (Roy Chowdhury), Zaminder of Baliati of Manikganj.

Jagannath Hall began its journey with 313 students on September 9, 1921. Initially, it operated temporarily from a bungalow in Ramna. The construction of its residential houses and essential infrastructure was completed later on land requisitioned by the government. During the Pakistan regime, Jagannath Hall lost its independent identity for over a decade. However, in 1957, the hall regained its institutional status and continued its mission of academic and cultural excellence.

Throughout its long and storied history, Jagannath Hall has been led by a number of distinguished scholars and educationists who served as Provosts. Among the most notable are Dr. Naresh Chandra Sengupta, Dr. Ramesh Chandra Majumder, Dr. Haridas Bhattacharya, Professor Debendranath Banarjee, Dr. Prithwish Chakrabarty, Dr. Gobinda Chandra Dev, and Dr. Jyotirmoy Guha Thakurata, whose contributions significantly shaped the hall's academic and cultural heritage. On September 29, 1926, Rabindranath Tagore visited Jagannath Hall and wrote a famous poem for ‘Bashantika’, the weekly magazine of Jagannath Hall.

Jagannath Hall right now possesses three houses. The former Chairman and the Associate Professor of the Department of Ceramics of Dhaka University, Mr. Debashis Pal, is presently holding the position of Provost of Jagannath Hall. Nearly 2500 students are currently attached to Jagannath Hall.