Murshidabad district is a district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Situated on the left bank of the river Ganges, the district is very fertile. Covering an area of and having a population 7.103 million (according to 2011 census),http://censusindia.gov.in/pca/SearchDetails.aspx?Id=353296 it is a densely populated district and the ninth most populous in India (out of 640). Berhampore city is the headquarters of the district.
The Murshidabad city, which lends its name to the district, was the seat of power of the Nawabs of Bengal. All of Bengal was once governed from this city. A few years after Nawab Siraj-ud-Daula lost to the British at the Battle of Plassey, the capital of Bengal was moved to the newly founded city of Calcutta, now called Kolkata.
Etymology The district is named after the historical town of Murshidabad, which was named after Nawab Murshid Quli Khan.
History The capital city of Shashanka, the great king of Gauḍa region (comprising most of Bengal) in the seventh century CE and perhaps that of Mahipala, one of the later Pala kings of Bengal, were in this district. The earliest evidences of the history of the district date back to the prehistoric days, perhaps as early as circa 1500 BCE.Murshidabad Govt Website
The district got its present name in the early eighteenth century and its present shape in the later half of the eighteenth century. Murshidabad town, which lends its name to the district, derived its name from its founder, Murshid Quli Khan. The city, lying just east of the Bhagirathi River, is an agricultural trade and silk-weaving centre. Travellers marvelled at its glory through the ages. Originally called Makhsudabad, it was reportedly founded by the Mughal emperor Akbar in the 16th century. Kartalab Khan was appointed as Diwan of Bengal Subah in 1701 CE by Aurangzeb. He shifted his office from Dacca (present day Dhaka) to Maksudabad in 1702 CE. In 1703 CE, Aurangzeb honoured him with the title of Murshid Quli Khan and granted the permission to rename the city as Murshidabad in 1704 CE after his newly acquired title.
The Nawab Murshid Quli Khan made Murshidabad the capital city of Bengal Subah, comprising Bengal, Bihar, and Orissa. The family of Jagat Seth maintained their position as state bankers at Murshidabad from generation to generation. The East India Company reigned from here for many years after the Battle of Plassey.
Warren Hastings removed the supreme civil and criminal courts to Calcutta in 1772, but in 1775 the latter court was brought back to Murshidabad again. In 1790, under Charles Cornwallis, the entire revenue and judicial staffs were fixed at Calcutta. The city was still the residence of the nawab, who ranked as the first nobleman of the province with the style of Nawab Bahadur of Murshidabad, instead of Nawab Nazim of Bengal. The Hazarduari palace, dating from 1837, is a magnificent building in Italian style. The city still bears memories of Nawabs with other palaces, mosques, tombs, and gardens, and retains such industries as carving in ivory, gold and silver embroidery, and silk-weaving.
The Murshidabad District Committee of the Indian National Congress was formed in 1921 with Braja Bhusan Gupta as its first President. The Swadeshi movement and Quit India Movement were active in the district. Leaders Subhas Chandra Bose and Kazi Nazrul Islam were imprisoned in Berhampore, where Krishnath College educated revolutionaries Surya Sen and Niranjan Sengupta. The district saw the foundation of the Hindu Muslim Unity Association in 1937 by Wasif Ali Mirza, and the Revolutionary Socialist Party in 1940 by Tridib Choudhury.
On 15 August 1947, the Indian Independence Act 1947 came into force, and for the next two days Murshidabad, due to its Muslim majority, was part of the Dominion of Pakistan (specifically East Bengal or East Pakistan, which seceded as Bangladesh in 1971). On 17 August 1947, the final boundary adjustment of the Radcliffe Commission transferred Murshidabad to the Dominion of India (specifically West Bengal), to ensure the Hooghly River was entirely within India.
Geography It borders Malda district to the north, Jharkhand's Sahebganj district and to the north-west, Birbhum to the west, Bardhaman to the south-west and Nadia district due south. The international border with Bangladesh's Rajshahi division is on the east.
Landscape, rivers and vegetation The district comprises two distinct regions separated by the Bhagirathi River. To the west lies the Rarh, a high, undulating continuation of the Chota Nagpur plateau. The eastern portion, the Bagri, is a fertile, low-lying alluvial tract, part of the Ganges Delta. The district is drained by the Bhagirathi and Jalangi rivers and their tributaries. Bhagirathi is a branch of the Ganges, and flows southwards from Farakka barrage where it originates from the Ganges. It flows southwards through the district and divides it into more or less equal halves. Dwarka River flows through Kandi and meet with Ganges.
Most of the land is arable, and used as agricultural land. Commonly seen trees are Neem, Mango, Jackfruit.
Climate Murshidabad has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification). The annual mean temperature is approximately 27 °C; monthly mean temperatures range from 17 °C to 35 °C (approximate figures). Summers are hot and humid with temperatures in the low 30s and during dry spells the maximum temperatures often exceed 40 °C during May and June. Winter tends to last for only about two and a half months, with seasonal lows dipping to 9 °C – 11 °C between December and January. On an average, May is the hottest month with daily average temperatures ranging from a low of 27 °C to a maximum of 40 °C, while January the coldest month has temperatures varying from a low of 12 °C to a maximum of 23 °C. Often during early summer, dusty squalls followed by spells of thunderstorm or hailstorms and heavy rains cum ice sleets lash the district, bringing relief from the humid heat. These thunderstorms are convective in nature, and is locally known as Kal baisakhi (কালবৈশাখী, Nor'westers).Glossary of Meteorology, American Meteorological Society, Retrieved on 2006-09-05
Rains brought by the Bay of Bengal branch of South-West monsoon lash the city between June and September and supplies the district with most of its annual rainfall of approx 1,600 mm (62 in). The highest rainfall occurs during the monsoon in August approx 300 mm (12 in). Floods are common during Monsoon, causing loss of life, destruction of property, and loss of crops.
Economy Most of the people depend on agriculture for their livelihood. There are some silk farms and some weaving machines, but they are losing out fast against the modern industries. Murshidabad is known for the quality silk produced here. Beedi industry is also there. Many of the India's major beedi companies are from this district.
Trade and business are conducted primarily with Asansol, Burdwan and Kolkata. There were some discussions between India and Bangladesh to open an internal water transport link between Dhulian and Rajshahi but it has not materialised yet.
In 2006 the Ministry of Panchayati Raj named Murshidabad one of the country's 250 most backward districts (out of a total of 640). It is one of the eleven districts in West Bengal currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF).
Agriculture Rice, jute, legumes, oilseeds, wheat, barley, and mangoes are the chief crops in the east; extensive mulberry cultivation is carried out in the west. The district is known for the quality and diversity of Mango produced. However, Mango is not a major produce of the Murshidabad district, unlike the adjoining district of Malda.
Ivory and silk The Ivory and Wood craft industry dates back to the time when the Nawabs of Bengal had their court at Murshidabad. As this industry was fully dependent for its prosperity on the support of a luxurious court and wealthy noblemen, it had to face a crisis when the Nawabs lost their power and their court disappeared.
Indian cork (shola) Sholapith is a milky-white sponge-wood which is carved into delicate objects of art. Shola is a plant which grow wild in marshy waterlogged areas. The biological name of shola is Aeschynomene Indica or Aeschynomene Aspera (bean family) and it is a herbaceous plant. The sholapith is the cortex or core of the plant and is 1 inch in diameter. The outer harder brown skin is removed by expert hands to reveal the inner soft milky-white and spongy material, almost similar to "Thermocol", artificially produced in a laboratory. However, sholapith is much superior to thermocol in terms of malleability, texture, lustre and sponginess. Artisans use it for making artefacts used for decoration and ornate head-wears of bridal couple.
In Murshidabad the shola crafts are flowery designs, decorative head-wears of gods and goddesses, garlands, intricate figurines like faces of gods and goddesses, elephant-howdahs, peacock-boats, palanquins and so on are made of sholapith.
Bell metal works Bell-metal and brass utensils are manufactured in large quantities at Khagra, Berhampore, Kandi, Baranagar and Jangipur. They are exported as well as sold in the local markets. Locks and betelnut cutters of a superior kind are made at Dhulian and iron chests at Jangipur. The problem of getting raw materials for the brass and bell-metal artisans of the district is, however, acute. While delay in getting raw materials owing to the complicated procedural formalities involved in the submission of applications for raw materials has been almost a constant factor, the industry has also been affected by the change in consumers demand in favour of stainless steel, plastic and ceramic goods and crockery.
Heavy industries The District is having the largest Power Plant at Sagardighi 12 km from Raghunathganj, it also having a Central power plant at Farraka NTPC Generating 1600MW power. A Hydropower project is upcoming in the district. The District is the largest manufacturer of Bidi and many women from the district are involved in manufacturing Bidi.
Silk and sari
The Baluchari sarees are figured silk saree produced in the town of Baluchar in Murshidabad district. Baluchar sarees essentially have a silk base with silk brocaded designs with respect to their colours, where in spite of a rich composition, the Baluchar bootidars almost avoid strong contrasts. Each pattern is treated in a colour which harmonises with the ground on which it is laid. The most popular colours used are red, blue, yellow, green and scarlet. The Baluchari sarees have large floral motifs interspersed with flowering shrubs. Traditionally the Muslim community was also known to produce these Baluchars with figured patterns depicting court scenes, horse with a rider, women smoking hookah. The Kalka design or the cone motif is often surrounded with floral borders.