The Musnud of Murshidabad

Purna Ch Majumdar

Description

Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. Hesperides Press are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

Informations

• Publié par: Read Books Ltd.
• Date de parution: 08 janvier 2021
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781528760300
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 3 Mo

Extrait

THE
MUSNUD OF MURSHIDABAD.
P RINTED BY P URNA C HUNDRA D ASS , AT THE K UNTALINE P RESS , 5, S HIBNARAIN D ASS L ANE , C ALCUTTA .
THE
MUSNUD OF MURSHIDABAD
(1704-1904.)
BEING .
A SYNOPSIS OF THE HISTORY OF MURSHIDABAD
FOR THE LAST TWO CENTURIES
TO WHICH ARE APPENDED
NOTES OF PLACES AND OBJECTS OF INTEREST
AT
MURSHIDABAD
COMPILED BY
P URNA C H . M AJUMDAR .
( COPIOUSLY ILLUSTRATED .)
MURSHIDABAD:
S ARODA R AY ,
Omraoganj.
1905.
PREFACE.
The want of a compendium, descriptive of the places and objects of interest at Murshidabad, the birth place and cradle of British rule in India, was keenly felt in the early part of 1902, on the occasion of the first viceregal visit to the old capital of Bengal. Since that event, which aroused a great deal of interest, many eminent tourists and sight-seers have visited this graveyard of buried greatness. With the opening of the new railway, Lord Curzon s gift to Murshidabad, access to the city will be made easy and the number of visitors is likely to increase every year. The neighbouring civil station of Berhampore, which may any moment resume its military character, being brought nearer to Calcutta by faster means of communication, with its improved race course, its proposed skating rink, its beautiful square and other numerous charms, is likely to prove a holiday resort and a handbook of descriptive notes would probably be welcome and remove a long-felt desideratum.
The visitor to Murshidabad is generally content with seeing the Palace, ( p. 74 ) the Jaffraganj Cemetry, ( p. 141 ) the Katra Musjed ( p. 171 ) the Great Gun, ( p. 173 ) the Mobarak Manzil ( p. 178 ) and the Moti Jheel ( p. 186 ) on the eastern and the Khoshbagh Cemetry ( p. 198 ) on the western bank of the river; but in and around the city and scattered throughout the district are also places and objects, which, from associations or intrinsic value, are full of interest and fully repay the troubles of visiting.
The policy of archaeological conservation, with which Lord Curzon charged himself on his assumption of the reins of government in India, is already bearing its first fruits in many parts of the empire and will, no doubt, be more generously extended to Murshidabad, which abounds in old monuments. These, though not majestic in structure, are yet grand and rich in memories and if not attended to soon, are likely to be effaced, for the luxuriousness of vegetation in Murshidabad is nowhere more actively rampant and culpably mischievous than when it has to ruin interesting monuments. The relics, already in danger of passing out of recognition, eloquently tell its history. Let these fall into complete ruin and most important marks in the stride of time would be wiped off. For no place in India could the reverence of Government be greater than where the British Empire in the East started into being.
I have for fecility of reference prefixed the Notes with a Synopsis of the history of Murshidabad for the last two centuries, in as concise a form as possible, having in view these times of breathless activity, when few can spare to wade through the pages of voluminous writings. It must be remembered that this is neither a History nor the Chronicles of Murshidabad, but merely a Memorabilia, for which, however, I claim a collection of useful and interesting information not to be found within so short a compass in any one single work on Murshidabad. I have kept in sight the ancient aphorism- a big book, a great evil. I am conscious how incomplete the Synopsis is; yet I observe that a recent writer, posing before the world as a historian, has, in a history of Murshidabad consisting of three hundred pages, riveted Serajuddowla within the four corners of a page of twenty eight lines of leaded matter.
The Notes on the Palace are necessarily more elaborate and comprehensive. Although some specimens of great rarity and historical value have been sent from its innumerable treasures for the Victoria Memorial at Calcutta, yet the visitor will find-and I say this from the unanimous verdict of connoisiers-a magnificent collection of books, manuscripts, paintings, arms and other historical relics and trophies, such as are not to be met with in any one single place in India. For examining these, I trust, the Notes will be found useful: no less interesting will be a mere perusal of them to those who cannot spare time to visit the Palace.
In the preparation of this hand-book, many valuable materials have been furnished to me by that inexhaustible store-house of useful information, Khondkar Fazl Rubbee, Khan Bahadur, the Dewan of Murshidabad, who spent with me, in and outside the Killah, several hours snatched away from the little leisures of an over-burdened official life, in discovering from internal evidence or otherwise the history of many interesting relics hitherto unknown. My sincere thanks are due to him, whose co-operation enabled me to amass useful information of a variety of descriptions.
For the photographs of the Nawabs (with the exception of that of Meer Kasem, which I owe to the courtesy of the authorities of the Bankipur Oriental Library) and the facsimiles of the treaties, from which the illustrations have been prepared, my respectful acknowledgements are and shall always be due to His Highness the Nawab Bahadur of Murshidabad, Amir-ul-Omrah, G. C I. E ., for the history of whose instructive life and the table of whose unique genealogy I claim a comprehensiveness, consistent with the scope of this compilation, which has not been attempted before. Those who know him intimately will find that His Highness deserves more than my feeble pen has been able to depict.
It has been possible to give, with one exception, facsimiles of the concluding portions only of the treaties, bearing the signatures of Clive, Warren Hastings, Vansittart, Watts, Meer Jaffer, Najmuddowla, Mobarukuddowla c. These facsimiles as also the great genealogical table shewing the descent of His Highness of Murshidabad from Adam and the complete series of the portraits of the Nazims have never, like many more things in the compilation, been published before.
Of the numerous illustrations from blocks prepared by Mr. U. Rai by his half tone process, a few have been printed by the Kuntaline Press and the rest have been done elsewhere, as the blocks of these latter had been entrusted before the MSS were sent to the Kuntaline Press.
I shall not deem my labours lost, if this record, penned- lest we forget -will, in the least, help to keep alive memories, flickering round the Musnud of Murshidabad, which should never be allowed to fade.
I hope the indulgent public will accord to this compilation, imperfect as it is, a generous reception.
CONTENTS.
CONTENTS.
P REFACE
I NTRODUCTION
P ART I.- Synopsis of the History of Murshidabad .
A List of the Nawabs with their titles, c.
Murshed Kuli Khan
Shuja Khan
Serferaz Khan
Ali Verdi Khan
Serajuddowla
Meer Jaffer
Meer Kasem
Meer Jaffer (re-instated)
Najmuddowla
Syefuddowla
Mobarukuddowla
Babar Jang
Ali Jah
Walah Jah
Humayun Jah
Feredun Jah
Ali Kadr
P ART II .-Places and Objects of Interest at Murshidabad .
Killah Nizamut
The Palace
Madina
Bachawali Tope
Imambarah
The Clock Tower
The Sun Dial
Zurud Musjed
Tripaulia Gate
Khurshed Dula s Deori
Chowk Musjed
Kulhoria
Jang s Imambarah
Rajmehal Deori
Nawab s Madrass
Nawab s High School
Azimnagar Mosque
Jaffraganj Cemetry
Jaffraganj Deori
Nashipore Rajbari
Jagat Sett s House
Suttee Chowraha
Phuti Musjed
Mahammad Taki s Tomb
Rajabazar Deori
Serajuddowla s Bazar
Nakta Khali
Begum Musjed
Mosque at Bahadur A. K. Chowraha
Mehter s Mosque
Kalibari
Lamput Ghat
Rai Saheb s House
Nizamut Stables
Lalbagh
Katra Musjed
The Great Gun at Tope Khana
Kadam Sharif
Mobarak Manzil
Findalbagh
Nakkatitola
Kowarpara
Moti Jheel
Kerbela
Amaniganj
Banamalipore Mosque
Khoshbagh
Bhattamati
Roshnibagh
Farrabagh
Dahapara
The Mint
Mansurganj and Heera Jheel
Moradbagh
Neshadbagh
Sargachhi and Champapukur
Chuna Khali
Musnud Aulia
Sannyasidanga
Baharamganj
Cossimbazar
Cossimbazar Rajbari
The Temple of Neminath
British Factory at Cossimbazar
Old English Cemetry at Cossimbazar
Rajah A. N. Rai s Residence
Dutch Cemetry at Kalkapur
Bistupur Temple
Byaspur Temple
Hotar Sanko
Kunjaghata Rajbari
Armenian Church
Farashdanga
The Temple of Doyamoi at Saidabad
Madapur
Berhampore Cemetry
Grant Hall
Berhampore Cantonments
Krishna Nath College
Choa
Faridpur
Dadpur
Mankar
Plassey
Saktipur
Rangamati
Fattehsingh
Jamo and Bagdanga
Kandi
Sonarundi
Talibpur
Salar
Sherpur Atai
Sagar Dighi
Mahipal
Ek Ana Chandpara
Sheik Dighi
Giria
Uduanala
Bhogwangola
Lalgola
Gysabad
Sadeqbagh
Barnagar
Azimganj
Lalkothi
Kriteswari
Morcha
The Neoara House
Conclusion
A PPENDIX -
Holwell s Account of his Liberation by Serajuddowla
Why there was so little bloodshed at Plassey
Clive s Entry into Murshidabad
Cliv