Murshidabad, Pt. 3 - Azimganj, Series: Bengal before 'Calcutta'

'History doesn't belong to us, we belong to it.' - Hans Georg Gadamer

A Tale of Twin Cities:

We had four days in Murshidabad. The main section was already done in the last couple of days. What left were the twin cities viz. Jiaganj and Azimganj. Two towns located on the opposite sides of river Bhagirathi. Jiaganj is on the eastern bank and Azimganj on western.

Before the Mughal occupation of Bengal, the original name of Jiaganj was Baluchar. We took a train from Berhampur station till Jiaganj after having breakfast on the 26th of December 2021. Jiaganj is famous for being the native place of famous Indian singer Arijit Singh. Our target was reaching Azimganj though. As that is where the historical sites lie.

We enquired near the Jiaganj railway station and took a take toto till the Sadar (main) Ferry (boat) Ghat in a ~10 minutes journey. We crossed the river to reach Azimganj. Among all the townships of Mughal era Murshidabad Azimganj was the premier one. At about 316 years ago in ~1703, Azimganj was established as a township some 20 KM north of Berhampur. During the early days of Nawab Murshid Quli Khan’s political career, his main competitor was the grandson of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, Azim-ush-Shan. He was then the Subahdar of Bengal, Azimganj was named in reference to his.

The Sheherwali community of Bengal:

Rich Jain community originally hailing from Rajasthan came to Azimganj during the second half of the 18th century from Bikaner and Marwar (currently Jodhpur) district of Rajasthan as businessmen. The were mostly Oswal Jains, the Rajput descendants of Raja Utpaladev of Osanagar, presently Jodhpur. Osian is its ancient name. As 'oasis' in the Thar Desert. Maharaja Utpaladev belonged to Paramara dynasty (Malwa ruler of 9-14th century).

It was this community who turned Bengal into a popular business center during the late 18th-early 19th century. The term 'Sheherwali' means City dwellers, it was coined in the 18th Century. These Sheherwalis adapted to the cultural influences of Mughal, British, Bengali and European to create their own unique amalgamated culture. It is said, at their peak 20-30 Sheherwali families had more wealth than the combined wealth of then British aristocracy. They had their own dialect, cuisine and lifestyle. The most notable Sheherwali was Jagat Seth. An 1900s Sheherwali was known for his Rajasthani turban, a Bengal influenced dhoti, a British walking stick and a Mughal kurta-styled upper wear.

Some of the early prominent Jain settlers of Azimganj were Agra’s Kharag Singh (1765), Hazarimal (1774) etc. Kharag Singh came here at 1765 at the invitation of Jagat Seth. During the colonial era, these businessmen were loyal to the British crown and were mostly awarded the title of Ray Bahadur along with other facilities. They in turn contributed to the growth of this area. For example, Ray Dhanpat Singh Dugar Bahadur, back in 1866 set up the first community hospital of Murshidabad in Azimganj. He also sponsored the railway creation from Azimganj to Nalhati (Rampurhat, Birbhum). He was the ‘Banker of Azimganj’. Even now a heritage walk around Azimganj shows huge buildings belonging to the erstwhile Jain moneylenders. Some of those famous Jain families are – the Singhis, the Dugars (mentioned them while discussing Kathgola), the Nawlakhas, the Dudhorias, the Patwaris etc.

As a result of these family’s influence Azimganj hosts seven very beautiful Jain temples -

(1) Neminath Ji’s Jinalay, (2) Chintamani Parasnath Ji's Jinalay, (3) Shantinath Ji’s Jinalay, (4) Sambhavnath Ji’s Jinalay, (5) Padmaprabhu Ji's Jinalay, (6) Sumatinath Ji's Jinalay, (7) Ram Bagh Samalia Parasnath Jinalay or, Dadabari or, Dadasthan && some lavish Zamindar (landlord) bari (houses). We only could manage time to see the Azimganj Rajbari (now Bari Kothi Heritage Hotel ) , Singhi Palace and Neminath Ji’s Jinalay.

My friends were getting jumpy. Hence, we also skipped some Jain temples on Jiaganj side, viz. Vimalnath Ji's Jinalay, another Sambhavnath Ji's Jinalay, Adinath Ji's Jinalay. We had already covered another Adinath Jinalay in Kathgola (discussed earlier).

Ardhobongeshwari: The lady Zamindar

I have vague memory of an old Bengali TV serial from my childhood about Siraj-Ud-Daulah, telecast in DD Bangla. I can't remember its name. I remember either Parambrata Chatterjee or, some look-a-like playing the titular character. I couldn't find any reference to it though. Anyhow, this series introduced me to Siraj, Alivardi Khan, Ghaseti Begum, Jagat Seth, Mir Jafar, Bhaskar Pandit aka the Bargi Attack leader and Rani Bhabani. Later I went to to read about each of them out of sheer amazement of the era in which they lived. I have already discussed about a few of them in preceding posts. Now lets dive to find about the last mentioned character - Rani Bhabani.

Maharaja Ramkanta Moitra (Ray) was the Zamindar (landlord) of Natore estate (currently within Rajshahi, Bangladesh) during the early to mid 18th century. When he died in 1748, his wife Rani Bhabani (1716–1795) took over the Zamindari. Alivardi Khan entrusted Rani Bhavani with the charge of administering some additional area including parts of North Bengal, Murshidabad, Nadia, Jessore, Birbhum and Burdwan. A women Zamindar in that era is an almost impossible thing to belief. She was an exception though, and quite a spectacular one. Due to her generous nature, she came to be known as the 'Queen (Rani) of Natore'. Another title she used to be called as was 'Ardhobongeshwari' (owner/lady of half on Bengal). She was a popular philanthropic, generous figure known for creating a number of temples, guesthouses and roads across Bengal. She is also known as the first proposer of widow's marriage in Bengal, which was later successfully legalized by Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar.

She led a very simple life. The later part of which was spent in the ground floor of a house of Baronagar. From 1755, a huge complex with over a dozen temples was built in Baronagar under her patronage. Bhavaniswar temple at Baronagar is a remarkable achievement of Rani Bhabani. From Azimganj Ghat we reserved a toto to cover the current standing temples of terracotta in Baronagar.

'The Varanasi of Bengal' a.k.a. 'Kashi of the East':

Its presence near river Ganga's (Bhagirathi) bank, clustered nature of architectural presence and Rani Bhavani's original wish to build 108 temples here has caused Baronagar being named as the Varanasi of Bengal or, Kashi of the East. Rani Bhavani wanted to build 108 but, stopped at 107; I have not heard any story about the reason. Only a few temples has survived ravages of time. Only five are currently noteworthy.

Baronagar is a village in the Murshidabad-Jiaganj block. In 'The Musnud of Murshidabad' book we read, "Opposite to Sadeqbagh, on the west bank of the river, about a couple of miles from the Azimganj Rail-way Station, is Barnagar,... the famous Rani Bhowani, who spent enormous sums of money in founding endowments and charitable institutions and gave away rent free lands to numerous Brahmins." David J. McCutchion (English academic, terracotta and brick temple expert) wrote about - Char Bangla Temples (each of which is ek-bangla structure, triple entrance), Panchanan (Panchamukhi) Siva temple (ek-bangla structure, triple entrance), Gangeswar temple (jor-bangla structure), Ramonatheswar temple (char chala temple, single entrance) and Bhabaniswar temple in his book 'Late Mediaeval Temples of Bengal: Origins and Classification'. We were fortunate to find all except the fourth one.

The TRIP

[Recap] For details refer here & here.

[24th December 2021, Friday]

Khushbagh, Motijheel light and sound show

[25th December 2021, Saturday]

Kathgola, Motijheel Masjid, The premises of Jagat Seths, Nashipur Rajbari & Akhara, Namak Haram Deorhi, Jafarganj Cemetery, Wasif Manzil, Hazarduari Complex, Tripolia Gate, Katra Masjid, Jahankosha Cannon, Tomb & Mosque of Azimunnisa Begum, Fauti Masjid.

[26th December 2021, Sunday, Pre-Lunch]

We were staying at a hotel in Chuapur, Berhampur (as mentioned in earlier article). The station was some 700 m. away. On 26th December's morning we boarded the Lalgola passenger train from Berhampur Court railway station till Jiaganj. From there one has to take a toto till the Sadar Ghat and cross Bhagirathi via boat to reach Azimganj. On Azimganj side, both Azimganj City railway station and Azimganj Junction railway station are only a few minutes walk from the Ghat. There is no direct train line from Berhampur to Azimganj, so we had to take this alternative route. We bargained with local toto drivers and reserved one for Rs 250/- to take us around Baronagar and stop at every heritage sites. The toto drivers, said they only conduct tours for the terracotta temples, the Jinalay are closed now and even during normal times general public are not allowed inside. I didn't trust them. As, we were allowed inside the one within Kathgola campus. Anyhow, quarrelling was futile here. So, we settled for the temples only. Though on our return we took a brief 30 minutes walk to explore one nearby Jinalay and two heritage palaces by ourselves.

A Jor Bangla styled terracotta temple

• Name: Gangeswar Temple

• Completed On: ~1753

The jor-bangla style is a possible evolution from the ek-bangla one ('ek' means one). “The Jor Bangla temple style involves two structures that resemble the traditional village huts of Bengal, one that serves as a porch in front of the other, which serves as a shrine.” (Wikipedia). This particular one has two do-chala (bi-partitioned roof) ek-bangla structures. 'Jor' means a pair in Bengali.

- Architecture: The temple houses three Shiv lings, viz. Gangeswar, Kastureswar and Nageswar. The entrance to the porch (front one) has three archways. The pillars and walls between the arches have decoration of animal (horse, elephant etc.) and human forms. The art in pillars & exterior walls details Krishna Leela and other scenes from Ramayan, Mahabharat and other social life. Above the arches there are no scenes from mythology, only horses and other designs. This is in total contrast to the Char Bangla Temple.

A colored Durga temple

• Name - Raj-Rajeshwari Temple

• Completed On - 1757 (according, the book I brought there)

1. Raj-Rajeshwari - An aspect of Mahadevi mainly venerated in Shaktism, a prominent Mahavidya. The Tripura Upanishad places her as the ultimate energy/power of the universe. 
2. Jayadurga - A form of Goddess Shakti. She has dark complexion, three eyes, four arms; carries conch, discus, sword and trident in her hands; crescent moon in crown; rides a lion.
3. Madanmohan - A form of Krishna, who mesmerizes everyone. His consort, Radha is Madan Mohan's Mohini, who can even mesmerize Madan Mohan. Without Radha as the mediator access to this Krishna is not possible. 
4. Karunamoyee - A form of Mahakali sculpted out as an affectionate mother, the face of the idol has tenderness and the eyes have the affectionate look.

- Architecture: This temple is dedicated mainly to Goddess Durga. It houses the above four mentioned idols. It is a monument of national importance, protected by the Archeological Society of India. The main idol of Durga is made combining Ashtadhatu (eight metals). Photography inside is prohibited. Hence, I have only representative picture from a book I purchased inside the temple boundary:

This temple has been colored using red, silver and yellow colors.

A pair of ruined octagonal temples

• Name - Unnamed Pair of Shiv Temples

• Completed On - 1755

- Details: Seemed like remains of two ancient terracotta temple dedicated to Shiv. One has some artwork of the backside. Other that that they were so damaged, that I was unable to identify any distinctive feature (if there).

Shiv Playing 'Damru' while riding a bull

A Meditation Seat

• Name - Ramkrishna Ray Bedi

• Completed On - ?

- Details: On the same ground of the ruined temples is a new temple construction dedicated to Sadhok Probor Ramkrishna Ray (the adopted son of Rani Bhabani who became a devotee). The book I purchased from Raj-Rajeshwari temple says, this new temple is covering the original meditation seat (Bedi) of Ramkrishna Ray, from here he attained 'Sidhdhi'.

An octagonal terracotta temple

• Name - Bhabaniswar Temple

• Completed On - 1755

The daughter of Rani Bhabani Tara Sundari built this temple.

- Architecture: This temple is octagonal in shape, its roof looks like an inverted lotus. It has a corridor around the inner sanctum with a sloping roof. It is the tallest lime and mortar temple at Baronagar, about 18 meters tall. The façade (front wall) is decorated with human figures art. This temple is dedicated to Shiv.

A Char Bangla terracotta temple

• Name: Char Bangla Temple of Baronagar

• Completed On: 1755

The ek-bangla or do-chala consists of a hut with two sloping roofs, following the pattern of huts, mostly in East Bengal villages. It was first adopted in Muslim architecture, a prominent example being the Maosoleum of Fateh Khan at Gauda. (Wikipedia)

- Architecture: A set of four temples on four nearby raised platforms creating boundary for an inner courtyard. 'Char' in Bengali means four. Each of these temples is individually an ek-bangla, do-chala (2 roofed), hut shaped temple. Each with 3 doors and 3 Shiv-Lings inside.

1. The Eastern temple has lime and mortar relief decorations.

2. The North and West one has comparatively more detailed terracotta decorations.

3. 3 temples (except north one) have a common platform.

4. The northern one is on a separate platform behind an old building (this perhaps was the kachari bari/administrative wing of Rani Bhabani). It has a beautiful figure of Shiv seated on a raised platform with his disciple Nandi and Bhringi, one preparing hookah while the other making Bhaang (see below).

5. The terracotta motifs are of Ramayan, Mahabharat, incidents from daily life.

6. One of the wall-reliefs depicts the final battle of Ram and Ravan & Ravan's final prayer.

7. Some wall-arts depict episodes of the life of Krishna, Kali slaying demons, scenes from ‘Kurukshetra’ above one of the arches.

An Ek Bangla terracotta temple

• Name - Panchamukhi Shiv Temple

• Completed On - 1741

This is again freshly pained with red color for the walls and silver on the roof. The temple is situated on a small garden, on a raised platform.

- Architecture: It has bi-partitioned hut shared roof (do-chala) of ek-bangla structure. The temple sanctum has a five faced Shiv Ling. The façade is decorated with terracotta ornamentations detailing events from Ramayan. The pity is most of the works are faded due to the color coating, in Bengal the lack of sensitivity to preserve heritage is really appalling. This temple was renovated back in 1940 by DL Nowlakha (one of the Sheherwali).

A Jinalay

• Name - Neminath Ji's temple

• Location - ~5min walk from Sadar Ghat, Azimganj, Murshidabad, West Bengal.

- Completed On - 1943

- How we reached? - Walk from Sadar Ghat of Azimganj, Murshidabad.

- Entry? - Not Sure, during our tour no one was there. The main gate was closed. (Dec'21)

- Guide? - N/A (Dec'21)

Neminath was the 22nd Jain tirthankar. 'Nemi' means 'rim/felly of a wheel/thunderbolt' and 'nath' means 'lord/patron/protector'. According Uttarapurana (Jain text), ancient Hindu deity Indra may have been named the 22nd tirthankar Neminath, because he viewed the Jina or, Arihant as the 'rim of the wheel of dharma'. In Jainism Jina or, Arihant is a jiv (soul) who has conquered inner passions such as attachment, anger, pride and greed to realize pure self. Jains believe Neminath was the youngest son of king Samudravijaya and queen Shivadevi. Krishna, who was the 9th and last Jain Vasudev, was his first cousin. 

- Details - This temple has three shikhar in its top. The windows resembles French architecture. I could only take pictures from outside.

A heritage walk in the Sheherwali Jain locality

• A 15 min walkabout in Jainpatty

• Location - Azimganj, West Bengal 742122.

We four friends took a stroll down the heritage lanes of Jainpatty, Azimganj and found the remnants of once flourished Sheherwali Jain community. Below are our noteworthy stops:-

Azimganj Post Office - Now functions as the post office, originally the an old heritage marble house.

Bari Kuthi - The ancestral home of the Dudhoria family (of Sheherwali fame), built in the early

18th century, showcasing Greek, Roman and French architecture, has been carefully restored. Now acts as a luxury heritage hotel.

Singhi Kuthi - May be the ancestral home of the Singhi family (of Sheherwali fame).

Now seems abandoned or, rarely used. I could not gather much fact about it.

It was time for us to return to Azimganj Sadar ghat to cross the river once again. We reached Jiaganj, had our lunch and took a toto back to Jiaganj station. Out next stop was Cossimbazar. It was a mere 10 min train journey only crossing Murshidabad station in between.

<= PART-2 PART - 4 (Cossimbazar) =>

References:

1. Google Maps, Wikipedia.

2. Newspaper clippings, personal experience.

3. The Musnud of Murshidabad, A Synopsis of the History of Murshidabad for the last two centuries, Purna Ch. Majumdar.

4. Late Mediaeval Temples of Bengal: Origins and Classification by David J.Mccutchion

5. Articles in Scroll.in

6. Official Website of Heritage Hotel Bari Kuthi