Our country, India, is replete with historical events and places. Of many such places there is one that often eludes attention. It is the town of Murshidabad, situated by the river Ganges, known in that region as the Bhagirathi. Murshidabad also constitutes a district in West Bengal. Located about 230 kilometres northward from Kolkata, the region glistens with historical symbols and of whispers from the past. Those whispers seem to translate to reality certain contemporary social and political lessons for our country. It is one aspect of our country’s history that has not been sufficiently highlighted unlike other several aspects. It provides an important indication of the slow slithering of Bengal and of India into the yoke of British colonial domination.
Travelling from Kolkata to Murshidabad can be undertaken by railways or by the road. Nevertheless, yours truly has a preference for the railway journey. Therefore, he and his family boarded a comfortable train and after spending about four salubrious hours, reached the historical town of Murshidabad.
The verves from various historical sites and monuments seem to embower one’s thought process, figuratively speaking. That propels a visitor to yearn to start out on one’s journey to enjoy and explore the place, without hesitation or delay.
Murshidabad derives its name from Murshid Quli Khan. He was the first ruler of the city, circa the seventeenth century. An able ruler with a truly liberal outlook, he set laudatory standards in secular governance and administration. By the first half of the eighteenth century, rule had passed onto another competent ruler named Nawab Alivardi Khan. His reign ushered in an era of peace and stability in the entire region comprising most parts of contemporary Bengal, parts of Bihar and some portions of the sovereign republic of Bangladesh. His maternal grandson was Nawab Siraj ud Daula. It was Siraj’s misrule and incompetence that sowed the seeds of rebellion and discontent. It culminated with perfidy against Siraj by a trusted relative, Mir Jafar, who ably assisted the incoming British against Siraj. The crest of the disreputable state of things was the battle at Plassey on one warm June morning in 1757.
The British forces, led by Lord Clive, marched victorious over Nawab Siraj’s army. Thus began the slow yet steady march of British colonial domination and exploitation of Bengal and thereafter of the whole of India for nearly subsequent two centuries. It reinforces a crucial lesson of history. Misrule and unfair policies germinate disquiet. Its exacerbation creates permeating dissensions within any political jurisdiction. That provides ample opportunities for outsiders to increase influence, find happy hunting grounds for giving effect to their shenanigans, and gradually seize control over another territory and society, leading to ultimate social outrage and disequilibrium. The town of Murshidabad and its surrounding environs emanates various lessons of and its relevance in present times.
There are several places of interest around Murshidabad. Nevertheless, the major highlights are the Katra Mosque, within the premises of which lie the grave of Murshid Quli Khan. As a testimony to strong religious harmony and uncompromising secular credentials of those times, there is a beautiful Shiv Temple within the premises of the Katra Mosque, where offerings and ceremonies are performed at regular intervals. There is the Hazar Duari palace and museum from where court proceedings occurred and policy decisions were meted out during the rule of certain Nawabs who by then had been drawn into the orb of British tutelage. Heera Jheel is located across the river Bhagirathi; the palace of Nawab Siraj was located there, which was razed to the ground by the British after the battle of Plassey. Today, it is essentially a wooded area, bearing a plaque, signifying its historical relevance.
Travelling across Murshidabad is made easy through the availability of a unique mode of transport called the “Toto”. It is a slightly enlarged version of an auto rickshaw, functioning on battery. It makes the journey pollution free, comfortable and far reaching. This writer’s Toto driver was a very amiable young man, named Rohit Sheikh, who dwells in the town of Murshidabad. He was well versed about the tourist sites and the lie of the land across Murshidabad district. Tourists are typically driven to sites located on both sides of the river Bhagirathi. While travelling across the place, there creeps up the feeling of a yearning for more. Moreover, one is also subjected to the abundant fresh air and the views of the super fertile soil of the district of Murshidabad; it is very rejuvenating.
Bengal is notable for its Terracotta Temples. One hears of them being located in the Bankura district of the state. However, there is a beautiful Terracotta Temple complex in Murshidabad district also. Across the river Bhagirathi, a few miles northward, is the city of Azimganj. At the far end of Azimganj is the “Char Bangla” temple, constructed in the mid eighteenth century by Rani Bhabani of Natore. Today Natore is situated in Bangladesh. The temple complex is a beautiful manifestation of sculpture and an ethos of traits of parameters of civilization as existed at that time and a certain relevance of which continues till this day.
Murshidabad’s cuisine comprises Bengali food with a flavor of Mughlai condiments. The reason: influence of the tastes of the nawabs and begums of yore.
However, there is also a notable, indigenous sweet called “Chhana Bora”: it is made of Indian cheese with a heavy fried blackish coating. Its taste usually fills the visitor with a measure of bliss. That might be a satisfactory inference of a trip to the historic town of Murshidabad.
We witness repeated wranglings and acrimony within the Indian political scene. There is a fervent hope that after having suffered numerous internal sabotages and consequent outside invasions and takeovers, we in India would forever strive for hasty, sensible resolution of internal dilemmas.
Internal social turmoil in Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and in other countries of the world are determined by worsening internal political dissensions and allowing outside powers undue influence in a country’s political structure than warranted. The history of Murshidabad is a stern admonition to be careful and conscientious in personal conduct, social comportment, national unity, and external relations.
(The author is a columnist with specializations in International Affairs, the Economy, Indian politics, and certain feature topics)