Murshidabad - The Palace with a 1,000 doors and the fabulous exhibits

In 1704, Murshid Quli Khan, the Diwan of Bengal under  Aurangzeb  transferred the capital from Dacca (now Dhaka  in Bangladesh), and renamed the city Murshidabad after his own name.                    In 1716, he attained the title of Nawab (ruler) of the  Subah  (province) of Bengal, and Murshidabad became his capital.         

The city is located on the eastern bank of the Bhagirathi, a distributary of the Ganges River. The name ‘Murshidabad’ comes from the place known as   “Muksudabad”  which was the capital of Bengal during Murshid Quli Khan’s rule. Before the advent of British, the city of Murshidabad was the capital of Bengal.                                                                                                           

It has a great significance in the Indian History as in 1757 the British defeated Siraj–ud–Daula in the Battle of Plassey, after which the entire nation was brought under the British Colonial Rule. Even after the conquest of Bengal by the British, Murshidabad remained for some time the seat of administration. The town still bears memories of Nawabs with mosques, tombs, and gardens, and retains such industries as carving in ivory, gold and silver embroidery and silk weaving.                                                                                  

             

Of historic interest are Nizamat Kila (the Fortress of the Nawabs) also known as the Hazaarduari Palace (Palace of a Thousand Doors), the Moti Jhil (Pearl Lake), the Muradbagh Palace and the Khushbagh Cemetery. Murshidabad today is a centre for agriculture, handicrafts and sericulture.

Early start. By 8.00 we were ready and left 8.30 in tongas for the mosque. We had 4 tongas and two electric ricks. 3 kms ride. Good fun as we went thru absolutely rural areas. 

 The Katra Masjid (also known as Katra Mosque) is a mosque and the tomb of Nawab Murshid Quli Khan built between 1723 and 1724. It is located in the north eastern side of the city. Its importance lies not only as a great centre of Islamic learning but also for the tomb of Murshid Quli Khan, who is buried under the entrance staircase. The most striking feature is the two large corner towers having loopholes for musketry. 

  

 Built by the first Nawab. The central area very large can take up to 10,000 people. Upfront was the place for the Nawab.

Surprisingly no water tank was discovered so arises question as to how did people do ablutions before prayers.

There are two sets of rings in the wall. One set for the wet khas and the other for tent like covering which was tied down at the far end to rings in a line nearer the entrance side. Essential in 45 deg summer heat.   

 In the large square, the black tiles are so arranged that there is a clear delineation of space per person identified by the mat size marked out throughout the square. so each individual had his area for praying.

                                                   

Domes are half moon shaped. Inverted lotus on top shows Hindu influence.   

Central path from gate to the far opp side was built from Rajmahal hills’ stones of black basalt. 

Further in, three domes of which the central dome fell in due to earthquake in 1896. In fact from the other side, towards the exit, the far side large exterior wall curves outward and shows the wall leaning slightly downwards.

Hazaarduari Palace is in the campus of Kila Nizamat of Murshidabad. It was built by architect Duncan Macleod, under the reign of Nawab Nazim Humayun Jah of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa (1824–1838). The foundation stone of the palace was laid on August 9, 1829, and that very day the construction work was started. William Cavendish was then Governor-General. 

All of us had to deposit cameras and electronic items outside so the ship's crew had two large bags and two guys who looked after the stuff whilst we were inside. Palace has 1,000 doors of which many (900?) are false. The museum has excellent captions in two languages and in Braille against each spotlessly clean exhibit. It beats the Prince of Wales museum in Mumbai in this respect. Each exhibit has good lighting. Those in the corridors are at the right height. Apparently the chandelier was not clean but I did not notice that. The collection in the palace rooms feature arms, paintings by French and Italian artists, porcelain and stucco objets d’art, rare books and firmans, old maps, land revenue records, elephant ivory items, howdahs and palanquins of silver and ivory, miscellanea from glass, and other items. There is a throne room, a meeting room, a large billiards room with two outsize tables and no green baize. 

Spread over a massive area of 41 acres, the magnificence of Hazaarduari Palace is awesome. The name roughly translates to 'a thousand doors' as this palace is embellished with a thousand ornamental gateways. The construction style of the palace is an amalgam of Italian and Greek architecture styles and is a great example of Murshidabad's rich cultural heritage. The palace is located on the eastern banks of the Bhagirathi River within an enclosure called the Kila Nizamat. The perimeter of the palace also houses the Nizamat Imambara, Wasif Manzil, Bacchawali Tope and the Murshidabad Clock Tower.  In its earlier days, the palace was a regal mansion, but now it has been converted into a museum. Ranging from Siraj-ud-Daula's prized swords to the vintage cars owned by the Nawabs, it has amassed the life and times of Mir Jafar's dynasty.

This notice outside the Museum is priceless in its own right. Read it carefully. 

After we saw the palace, we exited, collected our electronics and walked about 250 metres along the river path to the ship which sailed at 11.15 am, as scheduled. 

Lunch was excellent and then slept for a while. Always the thought that I will miss an interesting sight.

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