Sonarundi is well known for the BANWARI RAJ FAMILY.
History of THE BANWARI RAJ FAMILY:
The founder of the Banwaribad Raj family was Nityananda Dalai, born 1752. His father, Jagomohun Dalai, was a respectable gentleman of the weaver "caste," living in the village of Sonarundi, in the district of Murshidabad. Jagomohun and his forefathers never followed the occupation of their He was a broker in a kind of coarse cotton cloth, which was then very much in use in this country. When Nityananda arrived at the age of twelve or fourteen, he paid little heed to study. His father one day rebuked him much for this negligence. Annoyed at this, Nityananda left his home and "caste." went away to the city of Patna.
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He there studied Persian, and having a great desire to learn Arabic, he went to Delhi to study that language. While at Delhi, his good qualities brought him to the notice of the Emperor, Shah Alum, who, pleased with his superior knowledge in the arabic languages, employed him in the Imperial service, and gave him the title of " Rai Danishmanda" as a reward for his literary merits.
At this time a misunderstanding arose between the Emperor and his son, which led to a war. Nityananda succeeded in bringing about a reconciliation betweeen the father and the son. the Emperor was highly pleased, and made him " Mir Munshi " in the Imperial Court. The Emperor further invested him with the high-sounding title of "Maharaja Amir-ul-Mulk, Azmat-Dowlah, Jogodindra Bahadur, Sefadarjang," and promoted him to the office of Hapta Hazari, with the privilege of At this, '' Nahabat Sadth," and allowed the Munshi to keep five pieces of cannon.
Under the auspices of the Court of Delhi, Rai Danishmanda made himself master of a large amount of money, and purchased estates in the districts of Rangpur, Dinajpur, Bogra, Murshidabad, Nadia, Birbhum, Burdwan, Purnea, and many other districts in Bengal. He constructed a beautiful temple which he dedicated to the god Banwariji. He placed an image of Krishna in the temple, where up to the present time about one hundred and iifty men are daily fed on the sacred food, cooked rice and bread. Adjoining Sonarandi, he founded a village, to which, in honour of the god, he gave the name of Modrolhosma Banwaribad. He furnished the village with many large tanks, and with beautiful gardens. Here he built a magnificent house, in which he lived. After his name, Nityananda opened an era, " Danishabda," the present year being its one hundred and fifty first year. Nityananda constructed a road, leading fromBerhampur to Birbhum, with an avenue of trees planted along it. He was gentle, benevolent, and kind to the poor. He died in 1821, leaving three sons.
The eldest son, Maharaja Jogodindra Bonwarilal Bahadur, born 1803, instituted many things of public utility. He gave donations to the Calcutta Hindu School, and provided free studentships. In his Excellency Lord W. Bentinck's time, Jogodindra was invested with the title of " Maharaja Jogodindra Bahadur." At Banwariganj (Udhanpur), on the Ganges, he started a fair, which is held annually in the month of January. He constructed a road and dug a canal from Udhanpur to . Banwaribad. He contributed three lakhs of rupees towards the expenses of the Burma war of 1842,and fifty thousand rupees towards the construction of the Strand Road in the city of Calcutta. was very gentle in his behaviour towards all classes of people, very polite, sociable, benevolent, and kind to all. He died in 1855, and was succeeded by his younger brother.
The second son, Maharaja Jogodindra Banwarigobinda Deb Bahadur, born 1805; was also a man of considerable merits. He also was invested with the title of " Maharaja Jogodindra Bahadur," with a Khilat consisting of valuable clothes, jewels, a sword, and a shield, in the time of his Excellency Lord Canning. The Maharaja opened a Higher English School at Banwaribad, and at the time of 'the Orissa famine contributed two thousand rupees. devoted most of his life to religion.
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He was also a benevolent and kind man, and Having no son born to him, he adopted Rajbullabha, the son of a near relative, to whom he gave the name of Banwari Ananda, and who was allowed by the Government to be called Kumar Banwari Ananda Deb Bahadur.
Kumar Banwari Ananda Deb Bahadur lives a retired life, having made over all his property to his son, the present incumbent, Kumar Banwari Mukunda Deb Bahadur.
My Experience:
The Palace, the Gate ,the Tower and the stable are in ruinous stage, ravaged by time . A small part of Palace only is habitable . Inside ,within the habitable part itself, there is a huge courtyard and a 'thakur-dalan' where idols of Radha-Krishna are worshiped. A large-scale repair work was going on there on the structure around the court-yard ,unfortunately photography of the court-yard and 'thakur-dalan' is prohibited.
If one plans to travel by train and buses from Calcutta , there can be two alternatives .
One can go to Burdwan by train, take a Burdwan-Baharampur bus and get down at Sonarundi.This trip will take upto 90 minutes.
At the time of returning, one has to change buses at Pachindi to visit Uddharanpurer Ghat on the Ganges and Shankhai Ghat at the confluence of the Ganges and Ajay river.These are small distances which can be covered on foot . The ferry-ride across the confluence in a bright afternoon is a trip one must enjoy. On the other side of the ferry-ghat,one can take a rickshaw to the market of Katwa town, relish his/her pick of the choicest sweets available from the neat eateries and then take a train to Calcutta.
The other way is to start from Katwa , cross the confluence to Shankhai Ghat and follow the reverse of the bus journey mentioned above.Once back to Burdwan, there will be lots of trains to take to Calcutta.
Some Pictures:
Any further details regarding the Rajbadi.
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