Mystic Murshidabad: A short guide

I was on a weekend trip 200 km away from Kolkata, in the district of Murshidabad, West Bengal. Before talking about the details of the trip, here is a small info blog on the place itself. ✌

Murshidabad was previously called Maksudabad and was a small insignificant village in Bengal. In 1704, Murshid Quli Khan, the General of Emperor Aurangzeb, shifted the capital of Subah Bangla (Bengal Province - present-day West Bengal, Orissa, Bihar, Jharkhand, Bangladesh) from Dhaka (present capital of Bangladesh) to Maksudabad and renamed the growing town after himself. However, it was not until 1716 that he was recognized as a Nawab by the Mughal Emperor. The town grew in stature to the present day districts of Nadia and Murshidabad.

Today, the town of Berhampore (locally called Baharampur) is the centre of the district. It is well connected by road and Railways to Kolkata. A train journey takes about 3 to 4 hours with both reserved as well as general/ local coaches available and the buses (all private, non-AC) take about 6 hours. The best times to visit are between November to February or during the rainy season. Summers are a strict no-no! A two to three days visit from Kolkata is more than enough for this tour (even if you rest for a day!)

For hotels, there are only a few good comfortable stays at Berhampore. I suggest staying there instead of the town of Murshidabad about 10 kilometres away, because after the sites of attraction close down, the town has very little to do, or very few options of good food or hotels, unlike Berhampore. Hotel Samrat, Hotel Sagnik. And Moti Jheel Resort are some of the names I would suggest for food and lodging. And if you want a taste of rustic Bengali food, there are thalis all over the Dhabas on the roadside, with pocket pinches of 70 for veg thalis to 90 for fishes 110 for Chicken and eggs and 120 for mutton thalis that come with rice, dal, sabzi, and bhuji as well. For good food like Chinese, continental or tandoor, always count on your hotel restaurant.

Once upon a time, the Nawabs of Bengal invented the use of delicacy fishes like Hilsa, Bhetki, and Promfrets in the preparations of Biriyani, Kebabs and Mughal dishes. Sadly, the small town of Murshidabad today is unaware of the fact, and doesn't promote much although all the fish dishes I tasted were far better than their meat counterparts.

We went via the Hazarduari Express, from Kolkata railway station, at 6.50 am. and got down at Berhampore Court station at 10.30 am. We had decided on a day's stay at the Chota Rajbari of Kassim Bazar, a 1903 built mansion, by one Dewan of the British who was given the title "Raja". To book rooms here, one needs to visit their online site or call as per the site instructions. The palace provides Bengali Food, and home-like hospitality to the visitors. The museum is adjacent to the Rajbari too is a must-see, with a pocket pinch of 30 for non-stayers, and free for the boarders. The first things I noticed are the shady huge mango orchards that are found often on the roads here and the soil here is bright yellow, typically like the kind of rocks I saw at Haldighati.

Comments

The Queen of Mewar

There have been many versions, folktales and local stories in Rajputana on their Kings and Queens. None of these versions is, however, historical as history only mentions her as wife to Maharana Pratap, his consort and Queen Mother to Amar Singh. She was busy making a garland when Ratnawati rushed inside, hardly able to breathe. Concerned, the elder sister stopped her work and looked at her panting young sibling. " What is it? What's wrong?" "Jija maa sa is not letting me go to the haat mela alone. Please come with me, I need to buy some bangles." The spoiled younger one pleaded. " Wait, let me do my aarti first, then we can go." The reluctant Ratnawati sat down impatiently. In another room, their mother was helping their father get ready for the day. He was the Samant of Bijolia, the representative of the Rana of Mewar. Throughout the day he had to deal with administrative problems in Bijolia and give people justice, but today he had something...

Maharana Pratap: The Sun of Mewar

Many of you have read my fan fiction as well as historical representations of the life and times of Maharana Pratap Singh of Mewar. I provided small details of his life in many articles. But never have I ever made a separate historical post on him. It is very difficult to put together his life without the help of folklore because historical evidence is scarce. This one was requested and hence here it goes. Needless to say, this one is very special. This is a blend of history and folklore. Leave your love. ❤️ Background and Birth: The year was 1540. Mewar was under a cloud of uncertainty. Banbir, their ruler for four years now, was a very incompetent ruler who always spent his time in luxury, drinking and dancing with girls. The crown prince Udai Singh was rumoured to be killed by him. Chittorgarh was in darkness. Around March 1540, Mewar once again saw hope as some trusted generals along Mewar with Kunwar Udai Singh attacked Chittorgarh taking Banbir by surprise. He was soon to re...

One Bullet? Not Enough!

“NOTHING COMES WITHOUT SELF SACRIFICE... NEVER GIVE UP, EVEN IF WE FACE OUR OWN END...” ~ Matangini Hazra The year was 1869. For most of India, it is famous as the year when Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born to change the face of India's struggle for freedom. But in a corner of Undivided Bengal, the villagers of Hogla in Tamluk, the district capital of Medinipur, witnessed the birth of a girl child to Thakurdas Maity and his wife Bhagabati Devi. One can only imagine the birth of a girl child to a loan-ridden poor peasant in a village back then perhaps meant no celebration. It meant the burden, of having no heir, providing for this child and of course arranging for her dowry. She was named Matangini literally meaning “The Female Elephant” but a name attributed to the consort of Lord Shiva, Adi Shakti. The Birth Place of Matangini is now renovated into this building. Courtesy: Midnapore. in The official records show her date of birth as the 17th of Novem...

The Reva Cries

Roopmati had watched the troops leave. She had stood behind the chief queen as she traditionally bid goodbye to her sons. She had waited for the Sultan to come to her. He did. He was confident that the sudden advancement of Akbar’s foster brother Adham Khan could be curbed. It was not war, just precaution. He reassured her. Malwa would never bow to the Timurids. And he would not let anything happen to her. To Her. Roopmati felt suffocated by her husband’s affectionate hug. She felt trapped in the scrutinising eyes of all the people in the palace. Angry blaming eyes. She tried to pace herself and sing but her voice cracked in fear. Her melody was drowned in tears. Every evening a messenger would come to the chief queen with the news of war. Roopmati was kept in the darkness. She was not told about anything. She knew the rumours. She was a witch. A temptress who caused doom to the Sultan of Malwa. She was a spy of the enemy planted in his life to destroy him. She wondered if he came back...

Sisodiya: Kings, Queens and Princes

I am back with another History post, this time it is on the wives and sons of Rana Udai Singh II of Mewar, his son and heir Maharana Pratap and Rana Amar Singh. This is a continuation of the Sisodia Family History I posted some time back. The information has been taken from Annals of Mewar by James Todd, Maharana Pratap by B.N. Rana, Maharana Pratap by Rima Hooja Udai Singh II was son to Ranisa Karnawati and Rana Sangram Singh. He was born on 4th August 1 522, at Chittorgarh and died on 28th February 1 572 at Gogunda . He was the Ruler of the Sisodia Dynasty. He is believed to have 56 sons, and 2 5 wives apart from the many insignificant queens in his Rani Mahal. Here is a list of his main queens and their sons. Maharani Jaivanta Bai Songara of Jallore was his chief queen and consort. Her son is Maharana Pratap. He was married to her before he went to war with Banbir as her father Akshayraj Rao was a friend and ally of his father Rana Sanga. Sajjabai Solankhini...

Women In Epics of India

Satyavati: She was the adopted daughter of a Fisherman, rejected by her King's father. She dreamed of running the kingdom because she was born a princess and refused her rights. She was the mother to the extremely talented Krishna Daipayan who she rejected as he came on the path of her dreams. She mesmerized the emperor with her beauty. She made Devabrata into Bheeshma . The king died soon. Her arrogance led to the fall of her spoilt sons and yet she desired more. She brought up her grandchildren with desires that later lead to Adharma . She was Satyavati , Princess of Matsya, Queen of Hastinapur. Draupadi Yajnaseni: She was born to be used as a tool of revenge, she knew it and had no say. Her Swayambhar was a flaw as only he could win the archery contest. She was his winner's prize. He shared her with his brothers because his mother said so. She was the direct reason behind the greatest Dharma Yudh . She was disre...

The Annals of Rajputana

Col. James Todd’s Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan describes Rajputana through History, Geography, Mythology, Folklores, Veer Gathas, Traditions, Cultures, Heritage, Rules, Valour and its people. However, one must remember that he was commissioned to write the narrative and his resources are not based on historical evidence. However, it is worth a read and very interesting. The following excerpts are from his book. Please take note that Todd's accounts are based on hearsay, stories and commissioned by royals and hence aren't treated as historically accurate. However, his book is important as it is the first English-language book to have extensive work done on Rajputana. Rajputs are commonly believed to be people from Rajasthan, however, their branches have spread far and wide into Punjab, Gujrat, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Maharastra and even parts of Bengal. The initial origination-based clans/tribes had been subdivided first in the book Prithvirajraso by Chand Bardai, but howe...

The Warrior Bride

Kelwa/Kailwa is a small village situated around two hours away from Chittorgarh and an hour from Lake Pichola. It was mainly inhabited by the Rathores and ruled by the Chundawat clan, who were once the rulers of Mewar. One chief of Kelwa, was Rawat Sihaji Singh Chundawat. He was a very close ally of Rana Sanga. His son Jaga Singhji too died fighting for Rana Udai Singhji in one war with the Afghans in 1555 AD. Kelwa’s heir was the minor child of Jaga Singhji and his widow Sajjan Bai Songara Chauhan. Being from the clan of the Chauhan Rajputs, she was a warrior at heart. From the early age of about four, her only son was brought up under his uncle Naga Singhji, to fight for his motherland and serve it like all other Mewaris. Fatta (Patta), as fondly called by everyone was a deft warrior even before he reached his teens. His name and bravery spread across the land, to Rana Udai Singh’s ears in Chittorgarh. He was also the nephew to Ranaji’s close aide Rawat Chundawatji. Upon the order of...

The Kaali Effect

!!BOOM!! The shopping mall echoed with a noise. The buzz grew silent. Fear crept in. Until somebody shouted, " It's just a Baloon!" The buzz grew again, the shopping continued, the romantic couples continued their walks, and the food court filled up with the aroma of the orders... A few decades back people used to laugh carefree at a balloon bursting or a tyre booming in the streets or in various crowded areas. Now in the back of everyone's head, a loud noise always brings the same thoughts... Another year, Another city, Another crowded place, Several innocent lives. They don't spare religious places too. For the sake of mankind? Religion? Politics? Power? They only know. Who are they? Nobody knows. It is said the demon Kaali who ushered in KaliYug decided to reside in a few things. Addiction, Wealth, Desire, and Anger are some such things he resides in. This is KaliYug where an innocent child's balloon makes adults fear the extremes. What is dharma here? We...

Udaipur: The Modern Heritage

Udaipur, the Capital of Mewar since 1568 ever since Akbar seized Chittor. However, for 25 Years between 1572 to 1597 Maharana Pratap decided to shift his capital from Kumbhalgarh to Chavand and decided that Udaipur was Vulnerable to the Mughal's Attack. The places to see around Udaipur are to be roamed by auto in a day, and it is best to stay near Lake Pichola. We Stayed at Gangaur Palace Hotel near the Gangaur Ghat. It is a ghat where till today the Gangaur festival is celebrated with a month-long Mela in March. Talking of Melas, I forgot to mention that Chittorgarh also celebrates the Annual Jauhar Mela in Feb-March to pay homage to the Viranganas of the 1568 Jauhar. Udaipur has 7 lakes, four of which are tourist spots. We have to visit all the other places like Haldighati, Kumbhalgarh etc from Udaipur only. The places to see in Udaipur are: 1. The City Palace and Museum : The city palace was built by several Maharajas in different sections over the years, starting from Udai Sing...

A Journey To Discover Life

Search This Blog