indianheritage

Saturday, August 16, 2025

Jahan Kosa Gun...............by K J S Chatrath

My visit to the ground where battle of Plassey was fought...reports K J S Chatrath

Last year, while visiting the district Murshidabad in West Bengal, India, I stopped to take a look at the ground where battle of Plassey was fought. It is situated at a distance of about 50 K.M. from Krishnanagar and is about 162 kms from Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose airport of Kolkata.

The Battle of Plassey took place in the village of Palashi, which is located in Nadia district of West Bengal. The village is situated on the banks of the Bhagirath-Hoogly River approximately 150 kilometers north of Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) and south of Murshidabad.

This battle was fought on June 23, 1757, between the forces of the British East India Company led by Robert Clive and the Nawab of Bengal, Siraj-ud-Daulah. Despite being vastly outnumbered—Clive commanded around 3,000 troops against Siraj-ud-Daulah's force of approximately 50,000—the British secured a decisive victory primarily due to the treachery of Mir Jafar and other key commanders in the Nawab's camp. The British had formed secret alliances with Mir Jafar, promising to install him as the Nawab in exchange for support.

It is believed that one of the additional reasons for the defeat was a heavy downpour that rendered the Nawab's artillery ineffective, while the British had protected their weapons. Siraj-ud-Daulah fled the battlefield, was later captured, and executed.

This victory marked the beginning of British political dominance in India. It gave the East India Company control over the wealthy province of Bengal, allowing them to monopolize trade and establish themselves as the preeminent power in India.

France played a supporting role to the Nawab of Bengal during the Battle of Plassey. The French had a strong trading presence in Bengal and were rivals to the British East India Company. At Plassey, a small group of French artillerymen and officers assisted Siraj-ud-Daulah by manning artillery and providing military advice. However, their numbers were limited, and they could not significantly alter the outcome. The French support was overshadowed by the internal betrayal within Siraj-ud-Daulah’s camp that led to a British victory and the decline of French influence in Bengal.

All photos by me. Text based on my personal visit to the site and information available on the internet.

Friday, August 15, 2025

Visit to Sripur Palace in Cassimbazar in 2024..........recalls K.J.S.Chatrath

I visited the Sripur Palace in Cassimbazar, West Bengal in 2024. Sadly the place is in a dilapidated condition and has been locked up. So I could not go inside and took some photos of the exterior.

Cossimbazar is a historic town and predates Murshidabad. It houses two Christian cemeteries, an Armenian Church and two colonial styled mansions of local landlords one of which have been converted into a heritage hotel. By the middle of the 16th century, Dutch, French and British had already established their trading posts (often referred to as factories) in Cossimbazar. The trading community like the Armenians also had there presence.

The English, Dutch and French East India companies all maintained factories at Cassimbazar. In 1658 the first English agency of the East India Company (EIC) was established there, and in 1667 the chief of the factory there became an ex officio member of council. In English documents of this period, and till the early 19th century, the Hoogly river was described as the "Cassimbazar river", and the triangular piece of land between the Hooghly, Padma and Jalangi, on which the city stands, as the island of Cassimbazar. The proximity of the factory to Murshidabad, the capital of the Nawabs of Bengal, while it was the main source of its wealth and of its political importance, exposed it to a constant risk of attack. Thus in 1757 it was the first EIC factory to be taken by Siraj-ul-dowlah, the Nawab; and the resident with his assistant Warren Hastings were taken as prisoners to Murshidabad.

The Sripur Palace is situated at Sripur in Cassimbazar of Berhampore in Murshidabad district. The Cassimbazar House was founded by Kali Nath Nandy. He came from Burdwan and settled in Sripur near Cassimbazar. The family of Kali Nath flourisshed and prospered under Krishna Kanta Nandy - the grandson of Kali Nath Nandy.

Krishna Kanta Nandy became a personal favourite of Warren Hastings as he gave him shelter during Siraj's attack. Later Kanta Babu got appointed by Hastings as the in-charge of the zamindaris.

The Sripur Palace was founded by Kanta Babu. He used the stone pillars and arches from the palace of Chait Singh that was carved out during the campaign of Hastings against Chait Singh. The palace was later expanded and modified by Raja Harinath Nandy and Raja Krishnath Nandy - the descendants of Kanta Babu.

He founded the Krishnath College and also published the first Bengali newspaper from Murshidabad. Raja Manindra Chandra and Srish Chandra Nandy later on carried forward the cultural legacy of Raja Krishnath. The 1st session of the Bangiya Sahitya Sammelan in 1907 was also held at the palace. Rabindranath Tagore was the president of this event. Thus the palace is a witness of several historic events.

A board put up at the building gives the impression that the it has been taken over by some hotel company. May be it will once again see the glory of the golden days of its past.