Sabarna Roy Choudhury
Encyclopedia
Sabarna Ray Chaudhury family were the Zamindar
(superior landlords) of the Kolkata
(earlier known as Calcutta) area, prior to the arrival of the British
. On November 10, 1698, they transferred, by lease, their rights over the three villages – Sutanuti
, Kalikata
and Gobindapur
- to the East India Company
. The family is also known as Sabarna Choudhury (সাবর্ণ চৌধুরী ).
. Vedagarba was one of them and is regarded as the first in the genealogy of the Sabarna Roy Choudhury Family.
Panchanan Gangopadhyay (Panchu Saktikhan) of the family acquired the Khan title from the Mughal
Emperor
Humayun
in the fifteenth century, for his bravery as a cavalry in charge of Pathan
soldiers. Around the middle of that century he constructed a palace at a place which came to be known as Haveli Sahar or Halisahar
. It was from Halisahar that the family spread far and wide, including, to Uttarpara
, Birati
, Barisha and Kheput.
Lakhsmikanta Gangopadhyay (Majumdar), (the son of the family founder Jia Gangopadhyay later known as Saint Kamadeva Brahmachari) was given jagirdari of a vast tract of land by Raja Man Singh
, in 1608. Along with the Jaigir he was given the title of 'Ray' and 'Choudhury' which later became the surname of his descendants. He was the first social reformer of Bengal. It is said that he constructed many temples at Halisahar, and the original centres of habitation of the family at Goghat and Amatia. The construction of the pilgrim path from Halisahar to Barisha is also credited to him.
A family organisation Sabarna Roy Choudhury Paribar Parishad today preserves the history, culture and traditions of this family. Sabarna Sangrahashala
, the exclusive family museum
at Barisha is a unique endeavor to preserve the family history and heritage and is engaged in research and publication.
was permitted by the Mughal emperor Farrukhsiyar
to rent or acquire zamindari rights in them, it was unable to procure the land from the zamindars or local landlords.
Even the Sabarna Roy Choudhury
family was not keen to allow the British to settle or do trading on these villages, but the British had paid a bribe at the Mughal Durbar to ensure that the deal did not fail. Just prior to their move to Barisha, the Roy Choudhury family had to transfer their rights over Kalikata in 1698, to the East India Company much against their wishes and protests.
The British ultimately got The 'Right to Rent' or lease of three villages for an annual rent of Rs. 1,300. The deed was in Persian
. A copy of the deed can be seen at the Sabarna Sangrahashala
at Barisha
(or red tank), that still stands in the middle of B. B. D. Bagh
in the heart of commercial district of Kolkata. It was so named possibly because of the red colour the water acquired during dol, the festival of colours. John Anthony, a person of mixed race used to work there. His grandson, Anthony Firingee
, became a famous kabial, a sort of folk singer, in later day Kolkata.
The court-house was first taken on rent and later purchased by the British East India Company.
since 1610 in their ancestral home at Barisha. It is possibly the oldest organised festival in the Kolkata region. Today altogether eight Durga Pujas are being held in a branch of the family. Out of these, six are at Barisha, the seventh is at Birati
while the eighth at Nimta. The Pujas which are held at Barisha are that of; Aatchala, Baro Bari, Mejo Bari, Benaki Bari, Kalikingkar Bhawan and Majher Bari. Other than the Durga Puja, the family celebrates Chandi Puja, Jagadhatri Puja, Annapurna Puja, Dol Yatra and Rathayatra utsav.
can be regarded as the founder of Kolkata. The Court, upon an Expert Committee finding, declared on May 16, 2003, that Job Charnock cannot be regarded as the founder of the city and 24th August also cannot be considered as the city's birthday.
town in 1709. This town became famous due to its contribution to modernising the Bengali society. The world famous Hungry generation
(হাংরি আন্দোলন) movement in Bengali literature was started by the descendants of Ratneswar Roychoudhury, viz., Malay Roy Choudhury
and Samir Roychoudhury
. Ratneshwar's Uttarpara mansion was known as Sabarna Villa.
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...
(superior landlords) of the Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
(earlier known as Calcutta) area, prior to the arrival of 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...
. On November 10, 1698, they transferred, by lease, their rights over the three villages – Sutanuti
Sutanuti
Sutanuti was one of the three villages which were merged to form the city of Kolkata in India. The other two villages were Gobindapur and Kalikata. Job Charnock, an administrator with the British East India Company is traditionally credited with the honour of founding the city...
, Kalikata
Kalikata
Kalikata was one of the three villages which were merged to form the city of Kolkata in India. The other two villages were Gobindapur and Sutanuti. Job Charnock, an administrator with the British East India Company is traditionally credited with the honour of founding the city...
and Gobindapur
Gobindapur
Gobindapur was one of the three villages which were merged to form the city of Kolkata in India. The other two villages were Kalikata and Sutanuti...
- to the East India Company
East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
. The family is also known as Sabarna Choudhury (সাবর্ণ চৌধুরী ).
Family history
The origin is traced back in the 10th Century CE, when Adisura brought five Brahmins to BengalBengal
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...
. Vedagarba was one of them and is regarded as the first in the genealogy of the Sabarna Roy Choudhury Family.
Panchanan Gangopadhyay (Panchu Saktikhan) of the family acquired the Khan title from the Mughal
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
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...
Humayun
Humayun
Nasir ud-din Muhammad Humayun was the second Mughal Emperor who ruled present day Afghanistan, Pakistan, and parts of northern India from 1530–1540 and again from 1555–1556. Like his father, Babur, he lost his kingdom early, but with Persian aid, he eventually regained an even larger one...
in the fifteenth century, for his bravery as a cavalry in charge of Pathan
Pashtun people
Pashtuns or Pathans , also known as ethnic Afghans , are an Eastern Iranic ethnic group with populations primarily between the Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan and the Indus River in Pakistan...
soldiers. Around the middle of that century he constructed a palace at a place which came to be known as Haveli Sahar or Halisahar
Halisahar
Halisahar is a city and a municipality under Bijpur/ Naihati police stations of Barrackpore subdivision. in North 24 Parganas district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is a part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority.It was formerly known Kumarhata. It has an...
. It was from Halisahar that the family spread far and wide, including, to Uttarpara
Uttarpara
Uttarpara is a small town of Hooghly District, West Bengal, India. It is a part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority.It is a town of historical importance. Uttarpara is home to some of the biggest industrial setups in the state...
, Birati
Birati
Birati is a neighbourhood in the North Dumdum municipality area, in the North 24 Parganas district in the state of West Bengal, India. It is located at the east of Calcutta , beside the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport at Dum Dum...
, Barisha and Kheput.
Lakhsmikanta Gangopadhyay (Majumdar), (the son of the family founder Jia Gangopadhyay later known as Saint Kamadeva Brahmachari) was given jagirdari of a vast tract of land by Raja Man Singh
Man Singh I of Amber
Raja Shri Man Singh Ji Saheb was the Kacchwaha King of Amber, a state later known as Jaipur...
, in 1608. Along with the Jaigir he was given the title of 'Ray' and 'Choudhury' which later became the surname of his descendants. He was the first social reformer of Bengal. It is said that he constructed many temples at Halisahar, and the original centres of habitation of the family at Goghat and Amatia. The construction of the pilgrim path from Halisahar to Barisha is also credited to him.
A family organisation Sabarna Roy Choudhury Paribar Parishad today preserves the history, culture and traditions of this family. Sabarna Sangrahashala
Sabarna Sangrahashala
Sabarna Sangrahashalais a unique museum of the Sabarna Roy Choudhury family. It has been developed by The Sabarna Roy Choudhury Paribar Parishad...
, the exclusive family museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
at Barisha is a unique endeavor to preserve the family history and heritage and is engaged in research and publication.
The British
The three villages of Sutanuti, Govindapur and Kalikata were part of a khas mahal or imperial jagir or an estate belonging to the Mughal emperor himself, whose jagirdari rights were held by the Sabarna Roy Choudhury family. The British settlement was surrounded by thirty-eight villages held by others. Although in 1717, the British East India CompanyBritish East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
was permitted by the Mughal emperor Farrukhsiyar
Farrukhsiyar
Abu'l Muzaffar Muin ud-din Muhammad Shah Farrukh-siyar Alim Akbar Sani Wala Shan Padshah-i-bahr-u-bar [Shahid-i-Mazlum] was the Mughal emperor between 1713 and 1719. Noted as a handsome but weak ruler, easily swayed by his advisers, Farukhsiyar lacked the ability and character to rule independently...
to rent or acquire zamindari rights in them, it was unable to procure the land from the zamindars or local landlords.
Even the Sabarna Roy Choudhury
Sabarna Roy Choudhury
Sabarna Ray Chaudhury family were the Zamindar of the Kolkata area, prior to the arrival of the British. On November 10, 1698, they transferred, by lease, their rights over the three villages – Sutanuti, Kalikata and Gobindapur - to the East India Company...
family was not keen to allow the British to settle or do trading on these villages, but the British had paid a bribe at the Mughal Durbar to ensure that the deal did not fail. Just prior to their move to Barisha, the Roy Choudhury family had to transfer their rights over Kalikata in 1698, to the East India Company much against their wishes and protests.
The British ultimately got The 'Right to Rent' or lease of three villages for an annual rent of Rs. 1,300. The deed was in Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
. A copy of the deed can be seen at the Sabarna Sangrahashala
Sabarna Sangrahashala
Sabarna Sangrahashalais a unique museum of the Sabarna Roy Choudhury family. It has been developed by The Sabarna Roy Choudhury Paribar Parishad...
at Barisha
Lal Dighi
Sabarna Roy Choudhury family had a kutchery (court-house) and a temple of its family deity Shyam Rai, near Lal DighiLal Dighi
Lal Dighi is a body of water in the middle of B. B. D. Bagh, earlier known as Tank Square or Dalhousie Square, in the heart of Kolkata, earlier known as Calcutta, in the Indian state of West Bengal.-History:...
(or red tank), that still stands in the middle of B. B. D. Bagh
B. B. D. Bagh
B.B.D. Bag , formerly called Dalhousie Square, is the shortened version for Benoy-Badal-Dinesh Bag . It is the seat of power of the state government, as well as the central business district in Kolkata in the Indian state of West Bengal.-Origin of name:B.B.D...
in the heart of commercial district of Kolkata. It was so named possibly because of the red colour the water acquired during dol, the festival of colours. John Anthony, a person of mixed race used to work there. His grandson, Anthony Firingee
Anthony Firingee
Anthony Firingee Hensman Anthony, was a Bengali language folk poet of Portuguese origin known for his works in Bengali devotional songs in the early part of the 19th century...
, became a famous kabial, a sort of folk singer, in later day Kolkata.
The court-house was first taken on rent and later purchased by the British East India Company.
Durga Puja
The family has been celebrating Durga PujaDurga Puja
Durga puja ; দুর্গা পূজা,ଦୁର୍ଗା ପୂଜା,‘Worship of Durga’), also referred to as Durgotsava ; , is an annual Hindu festival in South Asia that celebrates worship of the Hindu goddess Durga. It refers to all the six days observed as Mahalaya, Shashthi, Maha Saptami, Maha Ashtami, Maha Navami and...
since 1610 in their ancestral home at Barisha. It is possibly the oldest organised festival in the Kolkata region. Today altogether eight Durga Pujas are being held in a branch of the family. Out of these, six are at Barisha, the seventh is at Birati
Birati
Birati is a neighbourhood in the North Dumdum municipality area, in the North 24 Parganas district in the state of West Bengal, India. It is located at the east of Calcutta , beside the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport at Dum Dum...
while the eighth at Nimta. The Pujas which are held at Barisha are that of; Aatchala, Baro Bari, Mejo Bari, Benaki Bari, Kalikingkar Bhawan and Majher Bari. Other than the Durga Puja, the family celebrates Chandi Puja, Jagadhatri Puja, Annapurna Puja, Dol Yatra and Rathayatra utsav.
Public interest litigation
The 'Sabarna Roy Choudhury Paribar Parishad', the supreme family organisation and nine other intellectuals of the city filed a public interest litigation before the Kolkata High Court in 2001 demanding a probe into the matter whether Job CharnockJob Charnock
Job Charnock was a servant and administrator of the English East India Company, traditionally regarded as the founder of the city of Calcutta.-Early life and career:...
can be regarded as the founder of Kolkata. The Court, upon an Expert Committee finding, declared on May 16, 2003, that Job Charnock cannot be regarded as the founder of the city and 24th August also cannot be considered as the city's birthday.
Sabarna Roychoudhury Clan of Uttarpara
Ratneshwar Roychoudhury,the younger brother of Bidyadhar Roychoudhury purchased a tract of land opposite Calcutta on the banks of Hooghly river as desired by Kamdeva Brahmachari and established the UttarparaUttarpara
Uttarpara is a small town of Hooghly District, West Bengal, India. It is a part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority.It is a town of historical importance. Uttarpara is home to some of the biggest industrial setups in the state...
town in 1709. This town became famous due to its contribution to modernising the Bengali society. The world famous Hungry generation
Hungry generation
The Hungry Generation was a literary movement in the Bengali language launched by what is known today as the Hungryalist quartet i.e. Shakti Chattopadhyay, Malay Roy Choudhury, Samir Roychoudhury and Debi Roy alias Haradhon Dhara, during the 1960s in Kolkata, India...
(হাংরি আন্দোলন) movement in Bengali literature was started by the descendants of Ratneswar Roychoudhury, viz., Malay Roy Choudhury
Malay Roy Choudhury
Malay Roy Choudhury is a Bengali poet and novelist who founded the "Hungryalist Movement" in the 1960s. His literary works have been reviewed by sixty critics in HAOWA 49, a quarterly magazine which devoted its January 2001 special issue to Roy Choudhury's life and works...
and Samir Roychoudhury
Samir Roychoudhury
Samir Roychowdhury , one of the founding fathers of the Hungry Generation 1961-1965 ,was born at Panihati, West Bengal, India in a family of artists, sculptors, photographers and musicians...
. Ratneshwar's Uttarpara mansion was known as Sabarna Villa.