Naldanga Zamindari Bari

Naldanga Zamindari Bari (Bengali: নালডাঙ্গা জমিদারি বাড়ি) was the seat of the zamindars of Naldanga, a prominent landed family in the Jessore district during the Mughal and British colonial periods. The zamindari was notable for being the only Brahman-controlled zamindari in the district, and for its role in the religious, social, and political life of southern Bengal.^{[1] [2][3][4]}

After the decline of Sitaram Rai in the 18th century, Jessore district was divided among three prominent zamindaris: the Raja of Jessore (the Chanchra Raja) held the southern portion, the Raja of Naldanga controlled the Mahmudshahi zamindari in the north, and the Raja of Natore governed the zamindari of Bhushna.^[3] The Naldanga family were the only Brahman zamindars in the district, while most others were Kayasths. There was also one European zamindar, Mr. Tweedie. Both he and the Raja of Naldanga were resident landlords, in contrast to most others who lived away from their estates.^[3]

Jessore's agrarian society operated through multiple layers of tenure. Members of the higher classes — Muhammadans, Brahmans, Baidyas, and Kayasths — typically did not till the soil themselves. Instead, they acquired permanent interests from zamindars and sublet the land to under-tenure-holders, who in turn sublet it again. This chain continued until the actual cultivators were reached. The Sheikhs and lower Hindu castes such as Kaibarttas, Chasas, Dhopas, and Namasudras were usually occupancy or non-occupancy ryots, while agricultural labourers generally belonged to the Namasudra or Sheikh communities.^[3]

A report by the Collector in 1800 revealed that no fewer than 1,000 estates in Jessore were in arrears. Among those ruined was Raja Srikanta Rai of Yusufpur, the largest landholder in the district, who lost his parganas one by one. Two branches of the Naldanga family holding the Mahmudshahi estate also lost their properties within ten years of the Permanent Settlement and were reduced to poverty. A third branch, founded by Ram Sankar, narrowly avoided the same fate with the intervention of the Collector.^[3]

The Naldanga family traced its descent to Haladhar Bhattacharji, a Brahman of Bhabrasuba in Dacca district who lived about 450 years ago. His fifth-generation descendant, Bishnu Das Hazra, settled about 300 years ago at Kharasani near Naldanga, a site then overgrown with reeds. Tradition holds that when a Nawab of Bengal and his entourage were stranded in this jungle with dwindling supplies, Bishnu Das miraculously provided food. In gratitude, the Nawab granted him five adjoining villages, which formed the nucleus of the Naldanga zamindari.^[2]

At its height, the Naldanga estate was scattered across Jessore, Nadia, and Faridpur districts. The gross annual income was reported at Rs. 2,60,481. Obligations included Rs. 51,116 in government revenue, Rs. 94,116 in superior rents, Rs. 11,573 in cesses, and Rs. 5,395 in additional rents, totaling Rs. 1,62,200 annually in mandatory payments.^[3]

Naldanga village was located two miles from Kaliganj, nine miles from Jhenaidah, and twenty miles from Jessore, connected by a metalled road. The zamindar maintained a post and telegraph office, a dispensary, and a high school in the village. The estate encompassed four villages: Naldanga proper, Matbati, Kadipur, and Ganjanagar. The zamindar's residence was at Ganjanagar, on the banks of the Benga (Begbati) river, and included the Chandimandap hall reserved for Durga Puja worship.^[3]

Matbati village was notable for its eight ancient temples dedicated to the family's deities, including an important Kali temple at Kalikatala Daha. A portion of the estate, called Iswarbrithi, was set aside to fund daily worship at these temples and to provide meals for uninvited guests.^[3]

Several legends are associated with the temples of Naldanga:

• The Pancha Mundi Bedi altar beneath the Kali temple was said to rest on the heads of five beings — a Chandal woman, monkey, cat, mongoose, and jackal. Worshippers who attempted to conduct rituals here were supposedly thrown into the Kalikatala Daha by spirits, until Bhairab Bhattacharjya managed to complete the worship successfully.
• Around a century ago, fishermen reported hearing sounds of conches, bells, and gongs at midnight over the waters of the Kalikatala Daha, believed to be worship performed by aquatic deities.
• Raja Indra Narayan Deb Rai, guided by the ascetic Brahmananda Giri, built the Indreswari temple at Matbati. After his death, his son Surjya Narayan was instructed in a vision to sanctify the idol as Siddheswari. According to legend, Brahmananda descended into the Kalikatala Daha thereafter and never returned.^[3]

The Naldanga zamindars maintained Hindu customs and festivals, especially the annual Durga Puja at the Chandimandap. They also supported education through Chatuspathis (traditional schools), granted pensions and rent-free lands to Brahmans, and provided for temple maintenance and charitable hospitality.^[3]

Raja Bahadur Pramatha Bhusan Deb Roy (22 December 1858 – c. 1941) was the tenth Raja of Naldanga, Jessore district, in Bengal Presidency. He was a member of the 1905 committee of Bengali aristocrats and zamindars that opposed the Partition of Bengal (1905). He collaborated with Maharaja Prodyot Coomar Tagore and nationalist leader Surendranath Banerjee, highlighting the Naldanga family's engagement in the wider political debates of colonial Bengal. He was accorded the title of Raja in 1885 by the British Government due to his support of widow remarriage. He received the Delhi Durbar Medal (1911), awarded on the occasion of the Delhi Durbar marking the coronation of George V as Emperor of India, and was also accorded the personal rank of Raja Bahadur in 1913.

He succeeded to the estate after the early death of his father Raja Indu Bhusan Deb Roy (1834–1871) in 1871, and was educated under the supervision of the Court of Wards (India). He formally ascended as Raja of Naldanga in 1879 upon attaining majority. Deb Roy established scholarships for Sanskrit learning, medals for female education, and a dispensary, as well as founding a Higher Class English School. He served as a member of the Jessore District Board and was elected to the British Indian Association.

He was also involved in the Swadeshi movement as one of the directors of Mohini Mills Ltd. (1908), a Bengali textile enterprise founded to counter British-made goods, where he served alongside Rabindranath Tagore and other leading figures.

He married in 1872 and had many daughters and two sons: Kumar Pannaga Deb Roy (1881–?) and Kumar Mrigankakumar Deb Roy (1889–?). Pannaga Deb Roy succeeded him as Raja, and the family continued to reside in India after the Partition of India (1947).

The decline of the zamindari system in the late colonial and early East Pakistan periods diminished the fortunes of the family. Many of the temples at Matbati and parts of the Rajbari complex survive, though in varying states of preservation. The zamindari remains an important part of Jessore's historical and cultural heritage. Members of the family later settled in Varanasi and in parts of West Bengal.

Argent, a crescent moon proper, in chief a trident between two cross-swords.

• Zamindars of Bengal
• Partition of Bengal (1905)
• History of Bengal