Cossimbazar
Cossimbazar | |
|---|---|
Census Town | |
 Cossimbazar Palace | |
  Cossimbazar Location in West Bengal, India  Cossimbazar Cossimbazar (India) | |
| Coordinates:24°07′N88°17′E/ 24.12°N 88.28°E | |
| Country |  India |
| State | West Bengal |
| District | Murshidabad |
| Elevation | 17 m (56 ft) |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Total | 10,175 |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Bengali,English |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30(IST) |
| Vehicle registration | WB |
| Lok Sabhaconstituency | Baharampur |
| Vidhan Sabhaconstituency | Baharampur |
Cossimbazaris a sub-urban area ofBerhamporecity in theBerhamporeCD blockin theBerhampore subdivisionofMurshidabad districtin the Indian state ofWest Bengal.[1]
Name
[edit]According toIrfan Habib,Qāsimbāzāris probably named afterQāsim Khān,who was governor ofBengal Subahearly during the reign ofShah Jahan.[2]: 44
Demographics
[edit]According to the2011 Census of India,Kasim Bazar had a total population of 11,724, of which 5,978 (51%) were males and 5,746 (49%) were females. Population in the age range 0–6 years was 981. The total number of literate persons in Kasim Bazar was 9,872 (91.89% of the population over 6 years).[3]
As of 2001[update]Indiacensus,Kasim Bazar had a population of 10,175.[citation needed]Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%.[citation needed]Kasim Bazar has an average literacy rate of 78%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 83%, and female literacy is 72%.[citation needed]In Kasim Bazar, 9% of the population is under 6 years of age.[citation needed]
Geography
[edit]
5miles
River
River
River
River
M: municipal town, CT: census town, R: rural/ urban centre, H: historical centres
Owing to space constraints in the small map, the actual locations in a larger map may vary slightly
Location
[edit]Cossimbazar is located at24°07′N88°17′E/ 24.12°N 88.28°E.[4]It has an average elevation of 17 metres (56 feet).
Area overview
[edit]The area shown in the map alongside, coveringBerhamporeandKandisubdivisions, is spread across both the natural physiographic regions of the district,Rarhand Bagri.[5][6]The headquarters of Murshidabad district,Berhampore,is in this area.[7]The ruins ofKarnasubarna,the capital ofShashanka,the first important king of ancientBengalwho ruled in the 7th century, is located 9.6 kilometres (6.0 mi) south-west of Berhampore.[8][9][10]The entire area is overwhelmingly rural with over 80% of the population living in the rural areas.[11]
Note: The map alongside presents some of the notable locations in the subdivisions. All places marked in the map are linked in the larger full screen map.
History
[edit]Though the history of the place cannot be traced back earlier than the 17th century, it was of great importance long before the foundation of Murshidabad. The first European traders set up factories here, and after the ruin ofSatgaondue to the silting up of the mouth of the Saraswati river, it gained a position as the great trading centre of Bengal, which was not challenged until after the foundation of Calcutta.[12]
The English, Dutch and French East India companies all maintained factories at Cossimbazar. In 1658 the first English agency of theEast India Company(EIC) was established there, and in 1667 the chief of thefactorythere became anex officiomember of council. In English documents of this period, and till the early 19th century, theHooghly Riverwas described as the "Cossimbazar river", and the triangular piece of land between the Hooghly,PadmaandJalangi,on which the city stands, as the island of Cossimbazar. The proximity of the factory to Murshidabad, the capital of theNawabs 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 bySiraj-ud-dowlah,the Nawab; and the resident with his assistantWarren Hastingswere taken as prisoners to Murshidabad.[12]
The town was the seat of the Maharajas of Cossimbazar. The maharajas were descendants ofKanta Babu,the moneylender (banian) ofWarren Hastings,who was governor-general of Bengal from 1773 to 1785. The maharajas built a fine palace in Cossimbazar, portions of which were made of carved stone taken from the palace ofChait Singh,Maharaja of Benares.[1]Maharaja SirManindra Chandra Nandy(1860–1929) was a philanthropist and patron of education who figured in theBengal Renaissance.
At the beginning of the 19th century the city still flourished; as late as 1811 it was described as famous for itssilks,hosiery, koras and beautiful ivory work. However, its once healthy climate gradually worsened, and, probably because of endemicmalaria,the area of cultivated land round it shrank drastically. Jungle took its place, and in 1813 its ruin was completed by a sudden change in the course of the Hoogly. A new channel formed 3 miles from the old town, leaving an evil-smelling swamp around the ancient wharves. In 1829, a census recorded the population as 3,538.[1]Of its splendid buildings the fine palace of the Maharaja of Cossimbazar alone remained, the rest being in ruins or represented only by great mounds of earth. The first wife of Warren Hastings was buried at Cossimbazar, where her tomb with its inscription still remained till the early 20th century. In 1901 its population was just 1,262.[12]
Infrastructure
[edit]According to theDistrict Census Handbook, Murshidabad,2011, Kasim Bazar covered an area of 2.78 km2(1.07 sq mi). x had 5 km roads with open drains. The protected water-supply involved overhead tank, tank/pond/lake, hand pump. It had 2,500 domestic electric connections, 300 road lighting points. Among the medical facilities it had 3 medicine shops. Among the educational facilities, it had 3 primary schools, 2 senior secondary schools, 1 engineering college. It had 1 recognised shorthand, typewriting & vocational training institute. It had branch offices of 1 nationalised bank, 1 cooperative bank.[13]
Places of interest
[edit]Cossimbazar is a historic town and predatesMurshidabad.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.[14]
- Dutch Cemetery:The dutch cemetery is located next to theCossimbazar railway station.It once had 47 graves out of which only 20 stands to this day. The oldest grave is of Daniel van der Muy and dates back to 1721. Most of the graves are of obelisks style but a few are topped with domes. The white domed tomb of Tammerus Canter Visscher stands out among the other tombs.[14]
- British Cemetery:This cemetery is even smaller than the Dutch cemetery. It contains the graves of British officials and their family members who died in Cossimbazar after theBattle of Plassey.The cemetery houses the grave ofWarren Hastings' first wife Mary and their infant daughter Elizabeth.[14]
- Palace of the Roys:
- Palace of the Nandis:
- St. Mary's Armenian Church:The prominent trading community of Armenians also had a large presence in Cossimbazar. In 1758 the Armenians came up with their own church, St. Mary's Church. After the fall in the business activities of Cossimbazar the Armenians left their town leaving their church behind. The last sermon at the church was held here in 1860. In 2005, the Armenian Church Committee of Kolkata restored the church to its former glory and also added a clock tower. Today the church is well maintained and is surrounded by a small well maintained garden.[14]
Transport
[edit]Cossimbazaris the railway connection of Cossimbazar, situated on theSealdah–Lalgola lineof theEastern Railway.
References
[edit]- ^abc"Cossimbazar" inImperial Gazetteer of India,Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1908–1931 [v. 1, 1909].
- ^Habib, Irfan (1982).An Atlas of the Mughal Empire.Oxford University Press.ISBN0195603796.Retrieved26 March2023.
- ^"District Census Handbook, Murshidabad, Series 20, Part XII B"(PDF).Rural PCA-C.D. blocks wise Village Primary Census Abstract, location no. 315444, page 32-33.Directorate of Census Operations West Bengal.Archived(PDF)from the original on 28 June 2021.Retrieved5 July2021.
- ^MSN 2016.
- ^"District Census Handbook: Murshidabad, Series 20 Part XII A"(PDF).Physiography, Page 13.Directorate of Census Operations, West Bengal, 2011.Archived(PDF)from the original on 14 November 2016.Retrieved24 July2017.
- ^"Murshidabad".Geography.Murshidabad district authorities. Archived fromthe originalon 29 August 2017.Retrieved24 July2017.
- ^"Murshidabad".Murshidabad district authorities. Archived fromthe originalon 29 August 2017.Retrieved12 September2017.
- ^Ray, Nihar Ranjan,Bangalir Itihas Adi Parba,(in Bengali),1980 edition, pp. 160-161, Paschim Banga Niraksharata Durikaran Samiti
- ^Sengupta, Nitish,History of the Bengali-speaking People,p.25, UBS Publishers’ Distributors Pvt. Ltd.
- ^Majumdar, Dr. R.C.,History of Ancient Bengal,first published 1971, reprint 2005, pp. 5-6, Tulshi Prakashani, Kolkata,ISBN81-89118-01-3.
- ^"District Census Handbook, Murshidabad, Series 20, Part XII B"(PDF).District Primary Census Abstract page 26.Directorate of Census Operations West Bengal.Retrieved2 July2021.
- ^abcChisholm 1911,p. 218.
- ^"District Census Handbook Murshidabad, Census of India 2011, Series 20, Part XII A"(PDF).Section II Town Directory, Pages 981-987: Statement I: Growth History, Pages 990-993: Statement III: Civic & Other Amenities, Pages 993-995: Statement IV: Medical Facilities 2009, Pages 995-1001 Section V: Educational, Recreational and Cultural Facilities; Pages 1 001- 1002: Statement VI: Industry & Banking.Directorate of Census Operations, West Bengal.Archived(PDF)from the original on 28 June 2021.Retrieved26 June2021.
- ^abcdDatta, Rangan."Cossimbazar: The other colonial town near Murshidabad".My Kolkata.The Telegraph.Archivedfrom the original on 21 April 2022.Retrieved21 April2022.
Further reading
[edit]- This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain:Chisholm, Hugh,ed. (1911). "Cossimbazar".Encyclopædia Britannica.Vol. 7 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 218.
- "Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)".Census Commission of India. Archived fromthe originalon 16 June 2004.Retrieved1 November2008.
- "Map".MSN. 2016.[permanent dead link]
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