Murshidabad And Its Attractions

A great centre of trade in the Mughal era, Murshidabad is closely associated with events that ultimately changed the course of modern Indian history. Once the seat of government of the Nawabs of Bengal, this historical place is located on the southern banks of the Bhagirathi in West Bengal. 

The Bengal Nawab Siraj-ud-daula was defeated by Robert Clive, the architect of the British power in India, in the Battle of Plassey (now Palashi) in 1757, laying the foundation of the British Empire in India.

Today known more for its silk, Murshidabad is a district town that seems to exist suspended in time somewhere between the medieval and the modern.

Named after Murshid Quli Khan, the Diwan of Bengal under Aurangzeb, Murshidabad came to the forefront of attention in 1704 when he transferred his capital from Dacca to this place and renamed it Murshidabad. Murshid Quli Khan was the first Nawab of Bengal and the founder of the Nasiri dynasty which ruled Bengal from 1717 until 1740.

Watercolour painting of Murshidabad in West Bengal by Robert Smith circa 1814-1815 | British Library

Places of Interest in Murshidabad

Hazar Duari 

Hazarduari Palace at Murshidabad / Image Credit

The famous landmark of Murshidabad, Hazarduari Palace is known for its 1000 real and false doors.  Built during the reign of Nawab Humayun Sah (1824–1838), the three-storey, 114-room palace, has a rich collection of antiquities and antiques including armory, paintings, art works, stucco statues and other valuables. The palace was designed by British architect Colonel McLeod Duncan.  

Nimak Haram Deohri (Traitor’s Gate)

Namak Haram Deorhi / Image Credit

Presently in ruins, Nimak Haram Deohri or the Traitor's Gate is the gate to the residence of Mir Jafar who was the general of Siraj-ud-doula. It was Mir Jafar’s treacherous advice to Siraj-ud-doula to suspend the battle after the death of latter's trusted officer Mir Madan Khan lost the day for Siraj-ud-doula in the Battle of Plassey. 

Fauti or Phuti Masjid

Phuti Masjid / Image Source

Phuti Masjid is a mosque built by Sarfaraz Khan who had held the role of Nawab of Bengal for only one year (1739- 1740.) 

Sarfaraz Khan had succeeded his father Shuja-ud-Din Muhammad Khan who had become Bengal Nawab after the death of latter's father-in-law Murshid Quli Khan. 

Chowk Mosque

Chowk Mosque – Murshidabad / Image Credit

Built in 1767 AD by Munni Begum (the second wife of Mir Jafar, the Bengal Nawab from 1757 to 1760 and 1763 to 1765) the Chowk Mosque in Murshidabad is now under the protection of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).  

Motijheel or Pearl Lake is an oxbow lake in Murshidabad. This horse-shoe shaped lake broke away from the meandering River Bhagirathi centuries ago. Located at the bend of this lake is a beautiful palace named Sang-i-Dalan (Stone Palace), a towering gateway and a three-domed mosque and some other structures erected by Nawazish Muhammad Khan, nephew and son-in-law of Alivardi Khan (the Bengal Nawab after whose death his grandson Siraj ud Daula became the Nawab of Bengal).

Shettihalli Church, Hassan – India’s Floating Church

Image Credit 

Situated in the picturesque village of Shettihalli in the Hassan district of Karnataka, Holy Rosary Church a famous travel destination. Located on the Hassan-Shettihalli Road, the church gets submerged in the waters of the Hemavathy River during monsoons. 

Image Credit 

The Holy Rosary Church was abandoned in 1960 when the Hemavati Dam and Gorur Dam were constructed.

Chandra Choodeswarar Temple – A Majestic Shiva Shrine on a Hilltop

Sri Chandra Choodeswara Temple, Hosur

A Dravidian-style shrine of great antiquity, Chandra Choodeswarar Temple in Hosur in Krishnagiri district of Tamil Naduis dedicated to Lord Shiva in his form as Chandrachoodeswarar, meaning "the one who wears the Moon (Chandra) as an ornament on his crest or tuft of hair on top of the head”. 

Perched on a hilltop offering breathtaking views of the surroundings,  Chandra Choodeswarar Temple was patronised by all the major powers of south India including Cholas, Hoysala and Vijayanagara. 

Featuring a soaring gopuram (temple tower), Chandra Choodeswarar Temple is 40 km from Bengaluru.

 

Salimgarh Fort's Gruesome History

Delhi's dark history, with tales of persecution, punishment, incarceration and execution, has been lived out over the centuries within the confines of Salimgarh Fort in Delhi, lying adjacent to the Red Fort built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, the builder of Taj Mahal in Agra.

Built by Jalal Khan who ascended the Sur throne in 1545 with the title of Islam Shah after the death of his father and founder of the Sur dynasty Sher Shah Suri, the fort he built in Delhi is known as Salimgarh Fort. This is because Islam Shah was popularly known as Salim Shah. 

The Salimgarh Fort was first used as a prison by the sixth Mughal emperor Aurangzeb to imprison his brother brother Murad Baksh who sided with the former in the deadly war of succession as soon as the fifth Mughal emperor Shah Jahan fell ill in September, 1657. Murad was later removed to the Gwalior Fort and was executed on the 4th December, 1661 on the charge of murdering Ali Naqi who was Murad’s one time Divan.

In 1788 Rohilla chief, Ghulam Qadir blinded the Mughal emperor Shah Alam II  (r.1759-1806) who was left languishing in the Salimgarh Fort until the Maratha leader Mahadaji Shinde defeated and executed Ghulam Qadir in 1789.  

Many people have lost their lives in Salimgarh Fort. The INA prisoners were incarcerated in the fort by the British from 1945 till Independence of India from British rule on 15 August 1947. Many had lost their lives during their incarceration in the fort.  

Kesariya: Tallest buddhist Stupa

Kesaria Stupa Bihar / Wikimedia Commons

A famous Buddhists sites in the East Champaran district of Bihar, Kesaria (Kesariya) is home to a imposing Stupa, excavated here in 1998 by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).  

This striking architectural remain of ancient India is hailed as the largest stupa in the world. Stupa is generally a mound commemorating the Buddha’s death. These stupas are revered by the Buddhists. Several stupas were raised by the great 3nd BC Mauryan emperor Ashoka throughout India.

Kesaria stupa / Wikimedia Commons

With a circumference of almost 400 feet and height of 104 feet, this colossal structure eclipses Indonesia's Borobodur stupa in size. Located in a serene ambience, the largest Buddhist Stupa is a testimony to the greatness of the ancient Buddhist architecture and stands out as a worthy emblem of a great religion.

History of Mandu

Located at an altitude of 2000 feet, the fortress town of Mandu in Madhya Pradesh is perched on the southwestern edge of the Malwa Plateau.  The place boasts an exciting array of architectural wonders such as Jahaz Mahal, Hindola Mahal and Hoshang Shah’s Tomb. Baz Bahadur’s Palace, Roopmati’s Pavilion.

An ancient place, Mandu came under the control of Rajput Paramara dynasty. It was included in the Delhi Sultanate by the Khilji Sutan Alauddin Khilji.  Later it was made capital of the Malwa Sultanate by its ruler Hoshang Shah (ruled 1405–34).

                                              Hoshang Shah's Tomb Mandu | Wikimedia Commons

Mandu was annexed by Mughal emperor Humayun (1534), Shēr Shah of Sūr Dynasty (1542) and Akbar (1561).

Nahar Jharokha Mandu / Wikimedia Commons

It came under the Marathas suzerainty in 1732 under Peshwa Baji Rao I.

History of Chunar

Oriel Window, Chunar Fort  / Image Credit 

Chunar, about 25 miles south-west of Varanasi, is in Mirzapur district of Uttar Pradesh. History weighs on this place. 

Many of the monolithic columns of the Mauryan period in the 3rd century BC bear Ashoka’s inscriptions. These columns were made of the sandstone from the same quarry at Chunar. The 10 meter long fifth century AD statue of the reclining Buddha  housed in the Mahaparinirvana Temple at Kushinagar (where the Buddha breathed his last) is made of the sandstone of Chunar. 

Chunar has an immense fort perched on a high rock overlooking the Ganga. This place has been the scene of many battles between Mughals and Afghan ruler Sher Shah. Second Mughal emperor Humayun’s treaty with the Sher Shah in 1533 allowed the latter to retain the Chunar Fort. The third Mughal ruler Akbar recaptured it in 1575.

Chunar is home to a magnificent tomb of Iftikhar Khan, an official under the reign of the Mughal emperor Jahangir who ruled from 1605 to 1627.  

Iftikar Khan Tomb Chunar / Image Credit

Famous for his bravery and courage, Iftikhar Khan died in Bengal in a battle in 1612. A fine specimen of the Mughal architecture, the tomb is made of the sandstone of Chunar.

In the mid - 18th century it was appropriated by Awadh and subsequently, the British. The fort has a sun - dial and a huge well, and affords a splendid view of the Ganga.