Murshidabad

Murshidabad – A City Of Great Culture and Beautiful Monuments
Getting Familiar with the History
Located on the southern banks of Bhagirathi River, the city of Murshidabad is named after Murshid Quli Khan, the Dewan of Bengal form 1706 to 1727 AD. The city was earlier known by the name of Mukhsudabad, but was renamed by the Dewan after his own name when he shifted his Dewani Daftar here. The city continued to be the capital of Independent Bengal until the advent of the British rule in India, when the capital of Bengal was shifted to Kolkata. The city flourished consistently under the reign of Suja-ud-Daulla and Alivardi Khan, whose contributions in terms of constructional and cultural activities ensured that the city earned much fame as a place with great culture and equally awe-inspiring monuments. The city received the status of a municipality in 1869.

Famous Tourist Places
The Hazarduari Palace: The literal meaning of Hazarduari Palace is “a palace built with thousand doors”. It is amongst the most prominent tourist spots of Murshidabad, which has been converted into a museum. The palace was constructed for Nawab Najim Human Jah in 1937 by Duncan McLeod and covers an area of 41 acres. Built in the European architectural style, it has 114 rooms and 8 galleries in addition to the thousands of doors as indicated by its name. The palace was used by Nawabs to hold local meetings called Durbar. In the present times, the palace displays a great collection of the paintings and portraits of the Nawabs, artifacts from their armory as well as other valuables made from ivory and china etc. The museum also displays a collection of vintage cars which were used by the Nawabs and their families. In addition visitors can also see the swords of Siraj-ud-Daulla as well as his grandfather Nawab Alivardi Khan. The museum is open to general public on all days except Friday and the timings are from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

Nizamat Imambara: This Imambara is located in the vicinity of Hazarduari Palace and was constructed in 1847 AD by Nawab Nazim Mansoor Ali Khan Feradun Jah. It is believed that the estimated cost of building this Imambara came to around 6 Lakhs. It was built on the same spot where the Imambara constructed by Siraj-ud-Daulla stood before it was destroyed in a fire. The construction of the Imambara was completed in about 11 months and it is one of the largest Imambara’s in India.

Motijheel: Motijheel was constructed by Nawazesh Mohammad, who is better known as the husband of Ghasseti Begum, a renowned personality in the history of the city. The lake, which has the shape of a horseshoe, is located kilometer away to the south of Lalbagh. Later the place also became famous for being the residence of high ranking British officials including Warren Hastings, Lord Teinmouth, and Sir John Shore.  It is the only building that is still standing at the site of the Shahmat Jang mosque, and is also popularly known as Company Bagh. 

The Nasipur Palace: The palace is one of the major tourist hot spots of Murshidabad. The most important attraction of the palace is the Ramchandra temple located within its compound. This temple is one of the largest Hindu temples in the district of Murshidabad. In addition to this temple, the area is also famous for the Lakshmi-Narayan temple, which is located nearby. This temple is famous for the Jhulantara celebrations that are held there. Another major attraction of the palace is the two storied house constructed by Raja Kheetrichand Bahadur, which is also famous by the name of Raj Bari.
 

Things to buy in Murshidabad:
Ivory and Wood craft: If you are true lover of handicraft items then for you it is must to check out the Ivory and Wood crafts of this place. We are sure once you see it you can't resist you from buying.

Shola  Pith: This is another great item which is must to see when you visit the district of Murshidabad.  It is a milky white wood like sponge on which handcrafting is done to develop beautiful arts. Artist use it for making of artifacts and marriage crown for the Bengali bride and groom. Figures of gods as well as goddesses out of Shola Pith are very popular.

Kansa material: Kansa or you can all it bell metal is very popular in Murshidabad. Utensils are made out of it which is very heavy weight and having great resale value. You will love to know even today in Bengali weddings a complete set of regular utensils made of Kansa is given to the Bride from the fathers end. It is believed that it represents the culture and tradition of the bride's family and acts as a medium to gain prestige from the groom's family. When you take dinner or lunch on these utensils you will get the essence of the period of Rajas and Maharajas of Bengal.

Murshidabad Silk: Another item of pride in Murshidabad. Indian women are very crazy for Sarees and if you go and check their wardrobe you will definitely get at least one Murshidabad silk there. Baluchar in Murshidabad is the main center for the production of this silk saree. The pattern of color, the designs and the quality of silk used in making of these Sarees are of superior quality. A huge volume of Murshidabad silk Sarees are exported to other countries. Floral motifs are mostly seen in Murshidabad silks.

 

Travel Mode:

Planning to go this place via Indian Rail?

 Visit www.indianrail.gov.in. /‎ for knowing specific trains going to this place. You may book your train tickets at www.irctc.co.in/‎ 

Planning to go this place via Bus?

 Visit https://www.sbstc.co.in/about_us.php  

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