Burdwan (Zamindari)

Burdwan (Zamindari)

The Bardhaman Raj (also known as Burdwan Raj) was a zamindari estate that flourished from about 1657 to 1955, first under the Mughals and then under the British in the province of Bengal in India. At the peak of its prosperity in the eighteenth century, the estate extended to around 5,000 square miles (13,000 km2) of territory and even up to the early twentieth century paid an annual revenue to the government in excess of 3,300,000 rupees.

The estate was established and owned continuously by the Kapoor family, which had its origins in the Punjab. Its earliest known ancestor, Sangam Rai, is said to have migrated to Bengal and settled at Bardhaman in the sixteenth century. Bardhaman was never an independent territory since the chiefs of the family held it basically as the revenue collectors or zamindars of the Mughal governors of Bengal. Later, in British times after Lord Cornwallis's Permanent Settlement of 1793, the zamindars changed their status from revenue collectors to owners of the land they collected revenue from. Although its owners were both rich and powerful, with the chiefs of the family holding the title of Maharaja, the Bardhaman estate was not defined as a "Princely State," with freedom to decide its future course of action at the time of Indian independence in 1947. (Cooch Behar was the only princely state in Bengal and Tripura was another on its border. There were several princely states in neighbouring Orissa, especially Mayurbhanj that had a presence in Kolkata.)

In spite of its official status in the context of national history, it had a local importance and was respected as one of the forward looking feudal houses, who endeavoured to bring about an improvement in the conditions of its subjects. They patronised many poets, who had contributed substantially to the literature of the day. They were also great patrons of music. It had an army of its own and when the declining Mughals ceded their territory to the British, they even fought with the British. Later, when they made up with the British, they were entitled to their own coat of arms. After independence, they donated their palace, with a huge library of valuable books, for the formation of the University of Burdwan.

Their territory was centered on the Bardhaman district, but extended beyond to eighteen more, to parts, for example, of what is now Bankura, Medinipur, Howrah, Hughli and Murshidabad districts. They hailed from as far away as Lahore but identified themselves with the people of the lands they held and are considered to be benefactors of Bengali literature and culture. While the Raj ended with the abolition of zemindaries in 1955, it passed into history. The eminent historians will keep their focus spread over the wide national scenario of a large country, Bardhaman Raj will evoke interest among numerous persons linked with this region and many others who would continue to be inquisitive about what happened in different regions of this country.

The highlights of each person of the Raj family are given below in chronological order. Normally, the son succeeded the father and when it was otherwise, it is specifically mentioned.