Located
around 60 km to the Southwest of Calcutta (Kolkata), in the Mahishadal
administrative division in Haldia subdivision of Purba Medinipur (East
Midnapore) district is the Mahishadal Rajbari, home to the Gargs of the
Mahishadal Raj. Spread over a large area, Mahishadal Rajbari consists of two
palaces, a cutchery or court house, a ghat, a large navaratna temple, all
surrounded by a protective moat spanned by bridges. The vast property left to
decay for many years is now being renovated and opened to visitors. Mahishadal
Rajbari is an ideal weekend getaway from Calcutta, especially for history
buffs.
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| The Phul Bagh Palace, Mahishadal |
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| Coat of Arms of the Mahishadal Raj |
The
history of the Mahishadal Raj is a long and interesting one. Birnarayan Roy
Chowdhury of the Tamralipta Raj family was the first to settle here. The
village known today as Geonkhali, located in the Mahishadal block, was then
known by its original name, “Jiban Khali”. Sometime in the 16th
century, Birnarayan’s descendant Kalyan Roy Chowdhury, who was the zamindar,
was found to be defaulting in revenue payments. Emperor Akbar had him removed,
and replaced him with the young Janarddan Upadhayay who had come to this part
of the country from what is present day Uttar Pradesh. The Upadhyays were
granted the title Raja and ran the Zamindari well for the next four
generations. However when Anandalal Upadhyaya died in 1804 without a male heir,
the zamindari passed to his daughter’s son, Raja Guruprasad Garg. The Gargs
remained the zamindars of the area, contributing substantially to the social
welfare of the area until independence and the abolition of the zamindari
system.
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| Canon inside the Phul Bagh Palace |
The word
Rajbari is Bengali literally means “King’s house”, but a more accurate
translation would probably be “stately home” or even “palace”. The principal
structure in the Mahishadal Rajbari complex is called the Phul Bagh Palace.
This was built in 1900 and was originally meant as a guest house, which would
explain its lack of a “zenana” or ladies’ quarters. The architectural style is
a mix of classical, colonial and central Indian and it looks rather magnificent
set in the middle of a vast and open garden. The Maharani Kaliyar Dala Devi was
probably the last resident of the Phul Bagh Palace. The descendants of the
Mahishadal Raj now live in Calcutta, although the link with their ancestral
property remains. The palace was in a dilapidated state for many years, but is
now being repaired and painted. The interiors of the ground floor have been
converted into a museum, containing many interesting articles, such as weapons,
old furniture, Belgian glassware, stuffed animals that the Rajas hunted and
even the letter from Lord Lansdowne granting the title of “Raja” to the head of
the family at that time. There is also a large collection of photographs. The
Gargs were great connoisseurs of music and the who’s who of Indian Classical
music have visited the palace and performed here. The palace was, and remains a
favourite with filmmakers, and many films have been shot here. In and around
the Phul Bagh Palace are many more smaller but beautiful mansions and a small
army of guards is employed even today to guard the property.
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| Mahishadal Raj old palace |
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| Mahishadal Raj Cutchery |
Some
distance away from the Phul Bagh Palace, lies the old palace of the Mahishadal
Raj. This was built in 1857 and is in a derelict state today. It is a large and
magnificent two storied structure, with beautiful arches above its windows. A
basement with what is probably storage space may also be seen. Close by is the
cutchery (court house) and the magnificent Radha Gobindo temple, which houses the family
deity of the Mahishadal Raj. Built in Bengal’s well known “Navaratna” or “Nine
Jewelled” style, the exterior of the temple is ornamented but does not contain
the terracotta tiles that Bishnupur is famous for. Above the main entrance to
the temple, a tablet written in an ancient form of the Bengali script offers
some clues as to its origins for those who can read the script. But damage
during renovation and painting makes it quite a difficult exercise. Within the
Mahishadal Rajbari complex there also exists a brick octagonal Rasmancha.
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| Plaque above entrance to Radha Gobindo Temple |
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| The Navaratna Radha Gobindo Temple |
Ideal as
a daytrip or a weekend getaway, Mahishadal Rajbari may be reached via car in
about 3 hours. Directions may be found here. Alternatively, the Howrah Haldia
local will take you there for cheaper, and the place you need to get off at is
the Satish Samanta Halt. However, this may be difficult for the elderly since
there is no raised platform. Satish Chandra Samanta was an Indian freedom
fighter and a member of the Lok Sabha from 1952–77. There is a museum in his
memory also located close by. Alternatively, you may get off at the Mahishadal station, but that is some 4 km away from the town. A trip to Mahishadal Rajbari can easily be
combined with a visit to Geonkhali and Gadiara. One of the principal attractions of Gadiara is Robert Clive's Fort Mornington Point, details about which may be found in my blog post here. Hotel Triveni Sangam is one of the only hotels in the area and offers basic but acceptable
accommodation. For booking, visit their website here. Mahishadal is also famous
for its Rath Yatra or the car festival of Hindu deity Lord Jagannath. A trip
during this festival is particularly rewarding for photographers. For those
with a sweet tooth, Mahishadal’s “Mihidana” and “Chhanar Mudki” are a must
have.
- by Deepanjan Ghosh
SUGGESTED FURTHER READING
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Many
thanks to my sister Deepshikha and mother Snighdha Ghosh for planning this trip
and making all the arrangements.
SOURCES
Taylor,
Joanne - The Forgotten Palaces of Calcutta
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1050424/asp/calcutta/story_4653047.asp
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