History
Sheths and Basaks, well-to-do traders at Saptagram, were among the first to settle in Sutanuti and are said to have cleared much of the jungles in the area. Neighbouring Shyambazar was named after the family deity of the Basaks, Shyam Roy (or Gobinda), the attendant of goddess Kali by Shobharam Basak, one of the richest native inhabitants of 18th century Kolkata.
Interestingly, no historian touches upon the origin of the name of the neighbourhood but all link its fame and growth to the Deb family, who settled there.
When Ramcharan Deb was murdered by Maratha marauders in the jungles of Midnapore, his widow came back to their house at Gobindapur with her three sons and five daughters. The house was washed away by the Hooghly River and they moved to Arpooly, and from there to Shobhabazar. Ramcharan’s youngest son Maharaja Nabakrishna Deb rose to fame and power.
The glorious days of Shobhabazar starts with the decision of the British to build, after their decisive win in Battle of Plassey, the new Fort William in the heart of Gobindapur. The inhabitants of the village were compensated and provided with land in Taltala, Kumortuli and Shobhabazar.
Maharaja Nabakrishna Deb built his Rajbari (palace) at Shobhabazar. Some say that he acquired it from Shobharam Basak and made major extensions, matching his taste for pomp and grandeur. At least money was not in short supply. After the death of Siraj ud-Daulah, Nabakrishna Deb along with Mir Jafar, Amir Beg and Ramchand Roy earned eight crore rupees worth of treasures from the secret treasury.
Maharaja Nabakrishna Deb is said to have constructed the road from Upper Chitpur Road (now Rabindra Sarani) to Upper Circular Road (now Acharya Prafulla Chandra Road) and named with his own name. However, while half of the street was merged with Grey Street (now Aurobindo Sarani), another half became Shobhabazar Street. Another street north of it was named Raja Nabakrishna Street.
Amongst those in the Deb family, who had streets named after them are: Raja Gopi Mohun Deb, Raja Sir Radhakanta Deb, Raja Rajendra Narain, Raja Mahendra Narain, Raja Debendra Narain (adopted side), Raja Raj Krishna, Taja Bahadur Kali Krishna, Maharaja Kamal Krishna, Maharaja Bahadur Sir Narendra Krishna, and Rajah Bahadur Harendra Krishna (own side).
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