Rajshahi Raj family
Encyclopedia
Rajshahi Raj was a large feudatory kingdom which occupied a vast position of Bengal
(Present day West Bengal
, India
and Bangladesh
). It was the second largest zamindari with an area of about 33,670 sq km, after the Burdwan Raj
. The zamindari came into being during the early part of the 18th century when Nawab
Murshid Quli Khan
was the Dewan
/ Subahdar
of Bengal (1704-1727).
The family ruled their dominions and estates from the Natore Palace in present day Bangladesh
. A member of this Raj family, Maharaja Jagadindra Narayan Ray, was a patron of cricket, and wanted to defeat the British
in their own game of Cricket. His rival was the Maharaja
of Koch Bihar
.
. Besides, many zamindars lost their zamindari on account of their disobedience and rebellion. Murshid Quli Khan settled these zamindaries with his trusted followers.
In this process of replacement the most fortunate beneficiary was the Rajshahi zamindari. The family also benefited by another feature of nawab's revenue policy of encouragement to the formation of big zamindaries.
The Rajshahi Raj family traced its origin to Kamdev Rai, a tahsildar of the Puthia Raj family
. Kamdev had three sons Ramjivan, Raghunandan and Bishnuram. Raghunandan was the very promising and enterprising. Raja
Darpanarain, the zamindar
of Puthia, and Murshid Quli Khan
had significant contributions behind Raghunandan's rise to prominence.
Raghunandan sided with Murshid Quli Khan
in his entanglement with the Subahdar
, the Prince Azim-us-Shan, the grandson of Emperor
Aurangzeb
and thus won the confidence of the nawab
. Again, when the diwani was transferred to Murshidabad
, he was appointed in a similar capacity as his master's representative there. During this time he came in close contact of Murshid Quli Khan
and secured his confidence. Which is why the naib (later ruler of Bengal) trusted him and let him set up the dynasty.
Just a few zamindars controlled half of the total landed property of Bengal while the colonial state was forming in the last decades of the eighteenth century. The colonial state viewed these princely zamindaris as potential threats to the security of the new state, because their power were so great that they could at any opportune moment combine and put the colonial state in great jeopardy. Hence it became a policy of the government to weaken these estates, if not destroy them altogether. One of the strategies to implement this design was the ruthless operation of the sunset law (law which required the lords to submit their revenues by sunset). In 1788, in her old age, Rani Bhabani
transferred the zamindari to her adopted son Raja
Ramkrishna, then forty years old.
Biswanath attained his majority and took over the management of the zamindari. Soon he fell in huge arrears for which mahal after mahal were sold for recovering public revenue. By 1800, the great Rajshahi raj was reduced to insignificance. Utter poverty descended on the family. In consideration of his past rank and status and present indigence, the Government granted him an allowance of eight hundred rupees per month in 1805. A zamindari which was the second largest in Bengal, just next to the Burdwan raj, in 1790 became almost extinct within the next ten years.
The Rajshahi Raj witnessed its rise almost throughout the eighteenth century, but its decline started before the end of the century. It however maintained its existence during the nineteenth century. The zamindari was ultimately abolished under the East Bengal State Acquisition and Tenancy Act of 1950
introduced by the Democratic Pakistani Government after the fall of the British Monarchy
just two years back (1947-1948).
Bengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
(Present day West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
). It was the second largest zamindari with an area of about 33,670 sq km, after the Burdwan Raj
Burdwan (Zamindari)
The Zamindari of Burdwan was one of the largest and richest feudal estates in the province of Bengal, Created under Mughal rule in the 17th century, the estate flourished under the British and was noted for its support of education and the arts....
. The zamindari came into being during the early part of the 18th century when Nawab
Nawab
A Nawab or Nawaab is an honorific title given to Muslim rulers of princely states in South Asia. It is the Muslim equivalent of the term "maharaja" that was granted to Hindu rulers....
Murshid Quli Khan
Murshid Quli Khan
Murshid Quli Khan was the first Nawab of Bengal. In fact circumstances resulted in his being the first independent ruler of Bengal post the death of Emperor Aurangzeb...
was the Dewan
Dewan
The originally Persian title of dewan has, at various points in Islamic history, designated various differing though similar functions.-Etymology:...
/ Subahdar
Subahdar
Subahdar was one of the designations of a governor of a Subah during the Mughal era of India who was alternately designated as Sahib-i-Subah or Nazim. The word, Subahdar is of Persian origin...
of Bengal (1704-1727).
The family ruled their dominions and estates from the Natore Palace in present day Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
. A member of this Raj family, Maharaja Jagadindra Narayan Ray, was a patron of cricket, and wanted to defeat the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in their own game of Cricket. His rival was the Maharaja
Maharaja
Mahārāja is a Sanskrit title for a "great king" or "high king". The female equivalent title Maharani denotes either the wife of a Maharaja or, in states where that was customary, a woman ruling in her own right. The widow of a Maharaja is known as a Rajamata...
of Koch Bihar
Koch Bihar
Koch Bihar was a small kingdom located south of the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, west of the upper Brahmaputra valley Ahom kingdom, and north-east of the Ganges plain and Bengal. It was formed when the Kamata Kingdom under the Koch dynasty split following the death of Nara Narayan in 1586. The...
.
History
Many old aristocrats and lords lost their estates during the rule of the Nawab Murshid Quli KhanMurshid Quli Khan
Murshid Quli Khan was the first Nawab of Bengal. In fact circumstances resulted in his being the first independent ruler of Bengal post the death of Emperor Aurangzeb...
. Besides, many zamindars lost their zamindari on account of their disobedience and rebellion. Murshid Quli Khan settled these zamindaries with his trusted followers.
In this process of replacement the most fortunate beneficiary was the Rajshahi zamindari. The family also benefited by another feature of nawab's revenue policy of encouragement to the formation of big zamindaries.
The Rajshahi Raj family traced its origin to Kamdev Rai, a tahsildar of the Puthia Raj family
Puthia Raj family
Puthia Raj is currently an upazila in Rajshahi district. The Puthia Raj family was created by the Mughals in the early seventeenth century is one of the oldest feudal estates of Bengal....
. Kamdev had three sons Ramjivan, Raghunandan and Bishnuram. Raghunandan was the very promising and enterprising. Raja
Raja
Raja is an Indian term for a monarch, or princely ruler of the Kshatriya varna...
Darpanarain, the zamindar
Zamindar
A Zamindar or zemindar , was an aristocrat, typically hereditary, who held enormous tracts of land and ruled over and taxed the bhikaaris who lived on batavaslam. Over time, they took princely and royal titles such as Maharaja , Raja , Nawab , and Mirza , Chowdhury , among others...
of Puthia, and Murshid Quli Khan
Murshid Quli Khan
Murshid Quli Khan was the first Nawab of Bengal. In fact circumstances resulted in his being the first independent ruler of Bengal post the death of Emperor Aurangzeb...
had significant contributions behind Raghunandan's rise to prominence.
Raghunandan sided with Murshid Quli Khan
Murshid Quli Khan
Murshid Quli Khan was the first Nawab of Bengal. In fact circumstances resulted in his being the first independent ruler of Bengal post the death of Emperor Aurangzeb...
in his entanglement with the Subahdar
Subahdar
Subahdar was one of the designations of a governor of a Subah during the Mughal era of India who was alternately designated as Sahib-i-Subah or Nazim. The word, Subahdar is of Persian origin...
, the Prince Azim-us-Shan, the grandson of Emperor
Emperor
An emperor is a monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife or a woman who rules in her own right...
Aurangzeb
Aurangzeb
Abul Muzaffar Muhy-ud-Din Muhammad Aurangzeb Alamgir , more commonly known as Aurangzeb or by his chosen imperial title Alamgir , was the sixth Mughal Emperor of India, whose reign lasted from 1658 until his death in 1707.Badshah Aurangzeb, having ruled most of the Indian subcontinent for nearly...
and thus won the confidence of the nawab
Nawab
A Nawab or Nawaab is an honorific title given to Muslim rulers of princely states in South Asia. It is the Muslim equivalent of the term "maharaja" that was granted to Hindu rulers....
. Again, when the diwani was transferred to Murshidabad
Murshidabad
Murshidabad is a city in Murshidabad district of West Bengal state in India. The city of Murshidabad is located on the southern bank of the Bhagirathi, a distributary of the Ganges River. It was the capital of undivided Bengal during the Mughal rule. Nawabs of Bengal used to rule Bengal from this...
, he was appointed in a similar capacity as his master's representative there. During this time he came in close contact of Murshid Quli Khan
Murshid Quli Khan
Murshid Quli Khan was the first Nawab of Bengal. In fact circumstances resulted in his being the first independent ruler of Bengal post the death of Emperor Aurangzeb...
and secured his confidence. Which is why the naib (later ruler of Bengal) trusted him and let him set up the dynasty.
Just a few zamindars controlled half of the total landed property of Bengal while the colonial state was forming in the last decades of the eighteenth century. The colonial state viewed these princely zamindaris as potential threats to the security of the new state, because their power were so great that they could at any opportune moment combine and put the colonial state in great jeopardy. Hence it became a policy of the government to weaken these estates, if not destroy them altogether. One of the strategies to implement this design was the ruthless operation of the sunset law (law which required the lords to submit their revenues by sunset). In 1788, in her old age, Rani Bhabani
Rani Bhabani
Rani Bhabani was a zamindar of Rajshahi, in Bangladesh during the British colonial era.-Life:Born in Chhatin gram,Thana: Adamdighi, Bogra District, Bhabani was married off to Raja Ramkanta, the then zamindar of Rajshahi. After his death, Bhabani became the de jure zamindar, and started being...
transferred the zamindari to her adopted son Raja
Raja
Raja is an Indian term for a monarch, or princely ruler of the Kshatriya varna...
Ramkrishna, then forty years old.
The fall of the Raj family
In April 1798, RajaRaja
Raja is an Indian term for a monarch, or princely ruler of the Kshatriya varna...
Biswanath attained his majority and took over the management of the zamindari. Soon he fell in huge arrears for which mahal after mahal were sold for recovering public revenue. By 1800, the great Rajshahi raj was reduced to insignificance. Utter poverty descended on the family. In consideration of his past rank and status and present indigence, the Government granted him an allowance of eight hundred rupees per month in 1805. A zamindari which was the second largest in Bengal, just next to the Burdwan raj, in 1790 became almost extinct within the next ten years.
The Rajshahi Raj witnessed its rise almost throughout the eighteenth century, but its decline started before the end of the century. It however maintained its existence during the nineteenth century. The zamindari was ultimately abolished under the East Bengal State Acquisition and Tenancy Act of 1950
East Bengal State Acquisition and Tenancy Act of 1950
The East Bengal State Acquisition and Tenancy Act of 1950 was a law passed by the newly formed Democratic Government for its eastern provinces...
introduced by the Democratic Pakistani Government after the fall of the British Monarchy
British monarchy
The monarchy of the United Kingdom is the constitutional monarchy of the United Kingdom and its overseas territories. The present monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, has reigned since 6 February 1952. She and her immediate family undertake various official, ceremonial and representational duties...
just two years back (1947-1948).