The lost cosmopolitan capital that once held the wealth of Bengal
In short: Before Calcutta rose to prominence, Murshidabad was the beating heart of a global empire. A crossroads of silk, finance, and multiethnic trade, this riverbank town hosted European giants and powerful banking dynasties, serving as the seat of the Bengal Subah for seventy years.
Founded by Nawab Murshid Quli Khan in the early 18th century, Murshidabad was a strategic pivot point. Khan moved the capital from Dhaka to this location on the eastern bank of the Bhagirathi River, establishing a dynasty that would govern not only Bengal, but also Bihar and Orissa. The city's name itself reflects its founder's identity: 'Murshid' is an Arabic term for a teacher with integrity, while the suffix '-abad' denotes a cultivated place.
During the 18th century, the town functioned as a sophisticated commercial hub. It was a melting pot where the British, French, Dutch, and Danish East India Companies operated factories alongside Armenian financiers and Indian merchant families. The Jagat Seth family emerged as a dominant banking force, managing money lending for everyone from local traders to European companies. This era of prosperity was underpinned by a robust silk industry, with English agents reporting significant quantities of silk as early as 1621.
The city's golden age ended abruptly following the Battle of Plassey in 1757. The defeat of the last independent Nawab, Siraj-ud-Daulah, led to a gradual decline as the British shifted the region's treasury, courts, and revenue offices to Calcutta. While the town remained a significant administrative center and a municipality by 1869, its political supremacy vanished. Today, the Murshidabad Heritage Festival, established in 2011, seeks to revive this lost grandeur through heritage walks and cultural celebrations of its storied past.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Murshidabad
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