Murshidabad

Coordinates: 24°11′N 88°16′E / 24.18°N 88.27°E / 24.18; 88.27
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
This article is about the town in West Bengal, India. For its namesake, see
Murshidabad District
.

Murshidabad
City
Murshidabad
Websitemurshidabad.nic.in

Murshidabad (

Bhagirathi River, a distributary of the Ganges. It forms part of the Murshidabad district
.

During the 18th century, Murshidabad was a prosperous city.

Jagat Seth and Armenians
.

European companies, including the

British East India Company, the French East India Company, the Dutch East India Company and the Danish East India Company, conducted business and operated factories around the city. Silk was a major product of Murshidabad. The city was also a center of art and culture, including ivory sculptors, Hindustani classical music and the Murshidabad style of Mughal painting
.

The city's decline began with the defeat of the last independent Nawab of Bengal

Calcutta. In the 19th century, the population was estimated to be 46,000. Murshidabad became a district headquarters of the Bengal Presidency
. It was declared as a municipality in 1869.

Etymology

Murshidabad was named after its founder, Nawab

-abad
is derived from the Persian word abad, which referred to a cultivated place.

Geography

Map
1.5km
1mile
none
Tripolia
Gate
T
Nashipur
railway bridge
F
Nashipur Rail Bridge (F)
Tomb of Azimunnisa Begum
H
Tomb of Azimunissa Begum (H)
House of Jagat Seth
H
House of Jagat Seth (H)
Yellow Mosque
H
Yellow Mosque (H)
Bhagirathi River
Murshidabad
railway station
F
Murshidabad railway station (F)
Nashipur Rajbari
H
Nashipur (H)
Mir Jafar's Palace
H
Namak Haram Deorhi (H)
Kathgola Palace
H
Kathgola Palace (H)
Fauti Mosque
H
Fauti Mosque (H)
Jama Masjid, Motijheel
H
Jama Masjid, Motijheel (H)
Chawk Masjid
H
Chawk Masjid (H)
Katra Masjid
H
Katra Masjid (H)
Jafaganj Cemetery
H
Jafarganj Cemetery (H)
Wasif Manzil
H
Wasif Manzil (H)
Madina Mosque
H
Madina Mosque (Bengal) (H)
Clock Tower
H
Clock Tower of Murshidabad (H)
Nizamat Imambara
H
Nizamat Imambara (H)
Hazarduari Palace
H
Hazarduari Palace (H)
Murshidabad
F: facility, H: historical site
Owing to space constraints in the small map, the actual locations in a larger map may vary slightly

Location

Murshidabad is located at 24°11′N 88°16′E / 24.18°N 88.27°E / 24.18; 88.27.

Hazarduari Palace and its associated sites in the Kila Nizamat area (forming the central area in the map alongside) is the centre of attraction in Murshidabad. Just a little away are Katra Masjid, Fauti Mosque, Jama Masjid and the Motijhil area. There is a group of attractions in the northern part of the town (as can be seen in the map alongside). Some attractions such as Khushbagh, Rosnaiganj, Baranagar, Kiriteswari Temple, Karnasuvarna and others are on the other side of the river and there are attractions in the neighbouring Berhampore area also (not shown in the map).[7]

Note: The map alongside presents some of the notable locations in Murshidabad city. Most of the places marked in the map are linked in the larger full screen map. A few, without pages yet, remain unmarked. The map has a scale. It will help viewers to find out the distances.

History

Painting of the garden, mosque and prince's pavilions in Motijhil (pearl lake)
Nawab Alivardi Khan with a courtier, painted in the Company Style, where it first emerged in Murshidabad[8]
Illuminated Katgola Palace at night
The Nawab's boats on a river
Jagat Seth
, a historically prominent banking family of Murshidabad

The area was part of the

ancient Bengal. The Riyaz-us-Salatin credited the initial development of the town to a merchant named Makhsus Khan. The merchant's role is also mentioned in the Ain-i-Akbari.[9]

During the 17th-century, the area was well known for sericulture. In 1621, English agents reported that large quantities of silk were available in the area. During the 1660s, it became a pargana of the Mughal administration, with jurisdiction over European companies in Cossimbazar.[9]

In the early 18th-century,

Mughal Emperor Farrukhsiyar promoted Khan to the status of a princely Nawab
. As Nawab, Khan was given the opportunity to create a princely dynasty as part of the Mughal aristocracy.

Murshid Quli Khan shifted the capital of Bengal from

Portuguese from Chittagong.[9] He founded the city of Murshidabad and named the city after himself. It became the center of political, economic and cultural life in Bengal. The jurisdiction of the Nawab included not only Bengal, but also Bihar and Orissa.[10]
Murshidabad was also located centrally in the expanded jurisdiction of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa.

The presence of the princely court, the

Mughal Army, artisans and multiethnic merchants increased the wealth of Murshidabad. Wealthy families and companies established their head offices in the city. The Murshidabad mint became the largest in Bengal, with a value amounting to two percent of the minted currency. The city witnessed the construction of administrative buildings, gardens, palaces, mosques, temples and mansions. European companies operated factories in the city's outskirts. The city was full of brokers, workers, peons, naibs, wakils, and ordinary traders.[9]

Murshid Quli Khan transformed Murshidabad into a capital city with an efficient administrative machinery for his successors. He built a palace and a caravanserai with a grand mosque, known as the Katra Masjid. The main military base was located near the mosque and formed the city's eastern gateway. The third Nawab Shuja-ud-Din Muhammad Khan patronized the construction of another palace and military base, a new gateway, the revenue office, a public audience hall (durbar), a private chamber, the treasury and a mosque in an extensive compound called Farrabagh (Garden of Joy) which included canals, fountains, flowers, and fruit trees.[9]

Nawab Siraj-ud-Daulah established a palace near the

money lending activities and served as financiers for administrators, merchants, traders, the Nawabs, the Zamindars, as well as the British, French, Armenians and Dutch. The merchants built many mansions, including the Azimganj Rajbati, Kathgola house and Nashipur
house.

The Nawabs of Bengal entered into agreements with numerous European trading companies allowing them to establish bases in the region. The French East India Company operated factories in Murshidabad and Dhaka. The British East India Company was based in Fort William. Murshidabad was a part of the Dutch Bengal Department. The Ostend Company of Austria established a base near Murshidabad. The Danish East India Company also set up trading posts in the Bengal Subah.

The last independent Nawab Siraj-ud-Daulah was overthrown in 1757. Despite receiving assurances of French support, the Nawab was betrayed by his commander Mir Jafar. The British installed Mir Jafar's family as a puppet dynasty and eventually reduced the Nawab to the status of a landlord (zamindar). The British continued to collect revenue from the area's factories. The merchant families continued to prosper under company rule in India.[10] In 1858, the British government gained direct control of India's administration.

Murshidabad was very badly affected by the Bengal Famine of 1770.[5]

Murshidabad was a district city of the

litchi production.[11]

See also -

Nawabs of Bengal and Murshidabad

  • Art of Murshidabad
  • Two horsemen, Murshidabad style of painting
    Two horsemen, Murshidabad style of painting
  • Woman playing the sitar, Murshidabad style of painting
    Woman playing the sitar, Murshidabad style of painting
  • Ivory sculpture of a royal barge
    Ivory sculpture of a royal barge
  • Ivory sculpture of a royal barge
    Ivory sculpture of a royal barge
  • An elevated musicians' gallery where drums, flutes and Indian classical music would be played.
    An elevated musicians' gallery where drums, flutes and Indian classical music would be played.

Economy

Murshidabad District has several terracotta Bengali Hindu temples

The city today is a center for agriculture, handicrafts and sericulture. The famous Murshidabad silk, much in demand for making saris and scarves, is produced here.[citation needed]

Demographics

As of

2011 Indian Census, Murshidabad had a total population of 44,019, of which 22,177 were males and 21,842 were females. Population within the age group of 0 to 6 years was 4,414. The total number of literates in Murshidabad was 32,451, which constituted 73.7% of the population with male literacy of 77.3% and female literacy of 70.1%. The effective literacy rate of 7+ population of Murshidabad was 81.9%, of which male literacy rate was 86.0% and female literacy rate was 77.9%. The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes population was 13,762 and 302 respectively. Murshidabad had 9829 households in 2011.According to 2011 census the religious make-up of Murshidabd city was: Hindus (75.09%), Muslims (23.86%) and others(1.05%)[2]

Educational institutes

Schools

Colleges

Medical schools

Universities

Murshidabad Heritage Festival

Dance performance in Kathgola gardens during the Murshidabad Heritage Festival

The Murshidabad Heritage Festival aims at reviving the tangible and intangible heritage of Murshidabad along with those nearby heritage tows of Azimganj, Jiaganj and Cossimbazar. The festival aims at preserving the past and integrating it with the present and to bring Murshidabad back in the tourism, cultural and heritage map of India. It is an initiative of Murshidabad Heritage Development Society (MHDS). The festival began in 2011 and has been celebrated ever since. There are no fixed days for the festival but it is celebrated during the winter season, especially during January or February. The festival is complete with cultural performances, heritage walks, cruise along the Bagirati River and exotic food. The Food served during the festival is purely vegetarian, with special emphasis on Sheherwali cuisine.[12]

Notable residents

Notes

  1. ^ Earlier European spellings include Muxadavad, Murshedabud, Murshedabad, Murshedebad, Murshidabud, Murshidabad, Murshidebad, Mursedabad, Mursidabud, Mursidabad, Moorshedabud, Moorshedabad, Moorshedebad, Moorshidabad, Moorsedabad, Moorsidabad, Mourshedabad, Mourshedebad, Mourshidabad, Murschidabad, Murschedabad, Moorschedabad, and Moorschidabad, among others.[citation needed]

References

  1. ^ "Welcome to Murshidabad Municipality". Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Census of India: Murshidabad". www.censusindia.gov.in. Retrieved 20 November 2019.
  3. ^ a b "Fact and Figures". Wb.gov.in. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
  4. ^ "52nd Report of the Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities in India" (PDF). Nclm.nic.in. Ministry of Minority Affairs. p. 85. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 May 2017. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
  5. ^
    ISBN 978-1-63557-395-4
    .
  6. ^ "Which India is claiming to have been colonised?". 31 July 2015.
  7. ^ "Offbeat Weekend in Murshidabad". Outskirts of Killa Nizamat (Northern part). Offbeat Weekend. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  8. ^ "Company school | Indian art | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g "Murshidabad - Banglapedia". Banglapedia. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
  10. ^ a b c Silliman, Jael (28 December 2017). "Murshidabad can teach the rest of India how to restore heritage and market the past". Scroll.in. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
  11. ^ "Mango people of murshidabad". The Telegraph. India. 18 June 2015. Retrieved 22 October 2018.
  12. ^ Datta, Rangan (15 February 2023). "Murshidabad Heritage Festival 2023: A journey back to the days of the nawabs in Bengal". No. My Kolkata. The Telegraph.

External links

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