| Pratapnarayan | |
|---|---|
| Maharaja of Bhurishrestha | |
| Reign | 1652–1684 |
| Predecessor | Bhavashankari |
| Successor | Naranarayan |
| Spouse | Mahendrani |
| Issue | Naranarayan |
| Father | Rudranarayan |
| Mother | Bhavashankari |
| History of Bengal |
|---|
 |
Maharaja Pratapnarayan (Bengali : মহারাজা প্রতাপনারায়ণ) was the king of Bhurishrestha who patronized literature and art. His mostly peaceful reign was devoted towards the welfare of his subjects. Bhurishrestha once again flourished in arts & culture and trade & commerce.
Pratapnarayan was the only child of Rudranarayan and Bhavashankari. His father died when he was just five years of age.
Pratapnarayan's initial task was to unite the houses of Pendo and Dogachhia. These forts were under the command of two branches of the royal family. He acquired much of their estates and reduced some of their powers. Under a new agreement, they were required to pay a fourth of their income as revenue. [1]
By the beginning of the 17th century, Saptagram had lost its importance and Hooghly emerged as the new centre of trade and commerce. The Portuguese traders based in Hooghly had become so much influential that they began to interfere in the external trade of Bhurishrestha. Pratapnarayan, however, didn't allow them trading rights within the kingdom.
During his reign, Lakshman Sinha, an ambitious Sadgop acquired the estate of Bhanjabhum in Medinipurbhukta. But his brother Shyam Sinha conspired with the Pathans, killed his brother and usurped the throne. At that time the grandsons of Lakshman Sinha, namely Chhattu Ray, Raghunath Ray and Durgadas Ray approached Pratapnarayan for help. They enrolled in the armed forces and by their dedication and hard work, rose to high ranks. Then with the help of the army, they recovered their estate from the tyrant Shyam Sinha.
He entrusted the daily worship of Rudreshwar (Shiva) with a pandit named Nigamananda Chakravarti, who was selected by the royal priest. An estate of 100 bighas were granted for the upkeep of the temple. Apart from this he granted numerous brahmottar estates to the Brahmins in the present districts of Howrah, Hooghly and Burdwan.
According to his mother's last wishes, Pratapnarayan established the temple of Kashinath or Vishwanath (Shiva). Later he also established Bhuvaneshwari and Abhaya, both incarnations of Chandi and both according to Tantric traditions. According to Vaishnava tradition he established Gajalakshmi. Later he erected a two-storeyed temple in Rekh Deul style and housed the idols established by the royal family within the sanctum sanctorum of the temple.
He is also credited with starting the annual Durga Puja in the kingdom. [2]
Pratapnarayan was a patron of art and culture. Bharat Mallik, the 17th century grammarian and commentator used to adorn his court. He composed Ratnaprabha and Chandraprabha. His commentaries include those on Kalidas's Raghuvamsa and Meghaduta. Ramdas Adak composed the epic Anadimangal. [3] Pratapnarayan established a Sanskrit school at Krishnanagar near Khanakul. Later it became a centre for the studies on Nyaya. [4]
The village of Pratapnarayanpur in present Howrah district bears the legacy of his peaceful and prosperous rule.
Haridwar is a city and municipal corporation in the Haridwar district of Uttarakhand, India. With a population of 228,832 in 2011, it is the second-largest city in the state and the largest in the district.
Bardhaman, officially Bardhaman Sadar, is a city and municipality in the state of West Bengal, India. It is the headquarters of Purba Bardhaman district, having become a district capital during the period of British rule. Burdwan, an alternative name for the city, has remained in use since then.
Gupteswar Cave is a cave shrine dedicated to Shiva. It is a pilgrim site situated about 55 km (34 mi) away Jeypore, Koraput District in the state of Odisha, India. It is a limestone cave, and its main attraction is the gigantic Shiva Linga which is said to be increasing in size. It is believed that the cave was discovered by Rama and re-discovered in the reign of Maharajah Veer Vikram Dev. In the holy month of Shravan, the cave is visited by devotees who walk to the shrine bare-footed with decorated bamboo palanquins called "Kanwadiya" and bathe in the maha kund before worshipping Lord Gupteshwar. There are 200 steps to reach to the Shiva linga temple. Its entrance is about 3 metres (9.8 ft) wide and 2 metres (6.6 ft) high.
Hooghly district is one of the districts of the Indian state of West Bengal. It can alternatively be spelt Hoogli or Hugli. The district is named after the Hooghly River.
Kalna or Ambika Kalna is a town in the Purba Bardhaman district of West Bengal, India. It is the headquarter of the Kalna subdivision, situated on the western bank of the Bhāgirathi river. The town is more popularly known as Ambika Kalna, named after the goddess Kali, Maa Ambika. It has numerous historical monuments, such as the Rajbari, and 108 Shiva temples. The city of Kalna is 60 kilometres (37 mi) from Bardhaman.
Bengali Brahmins are the community of Hindu Brahmins, who traditionally reside in the Bengal region of the Indian subcontinent, currently comprising the Indian state of West Bengal and the country of Bangladesh.
Tarakeswar is a famous sacred city and a municipality in Hooghly district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Tarakeswar is called "Baba Dham" or "The city of Shiva". It is one of the major tourist and holy place of West Bengal as well as India. Tarakeswar is a place of pilgrimage of Lord Shiva sect in West Bengal 58 kilometres (36 mi) away from State Capital Kolkata and about 1,520 kilometres away from National Capital New Delhi. Tarakeswar can be reached conveniently by train and bus from various places of West Bengal. Tarakeswar Station is well connected by Howrah Station. This city is also famous for agriculture, Tarakeswar's potato is also famous in all over India.
Raja Ganesha was a Hindu zamindar ruler of Bengal, who took advantage of the weakness of the first Ilyas Shahi dynasty and seized power in Bengal. Contemporary historians of the medieval period considered him as an usurper. The Ganesha dynasty founded by him ruled over Bengal from 1415−1435. His name mentioned in the coins of his son, sultan Jalaluddin Muhammad Shah as Kans Jha or Kans Shah. The Indo-Persian historians mentioned his name as Raja Kans or Kansi. A number of modern scholars identified him with Danujamardanadeva, but this identification is not universally accepted.
Sheoraphuli is a neighbourhood of Hooghly district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is on West side of river hooghly. It is a part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA).
Ramrajatala is a neighbourhood in Howrah city of Howrah district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is a part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA). The name of the area comes from the presence of a temple dedicated to Lord Rama and three months long worship is undertaken by the people of the locality every year at the temple. This tradition of worship of Lord Rama has been continuing for about 3 centuries here.
The Sapta Puri are a group of seven Hindu tirtha, or holy pilgrimage sites, located in India. Pilgrimage to these sites is said to bless the pilgrim with moksha.
Rudranarayan Raymukhuty was a Bengali Kulin Brahmin King of Raymukhuti (Mukhopadhyay) dynasty of Bhurishrestha in Bengal. He started rivalry with the Lohani Pathan sultans of Bengal Sultanate.
Maharaja Naranarayan was the king of Bhurishrestha who maintained the integrity and sovereignty of the kingdom by diplomatically averting the occupation of the kingdom by the Mughal forces.
Maharaja Lakshminarayan was the last ruler of Bhurishrestha. When he was the prince, he had defeated and humiliated Krishnaram Ray, the ruler of Bardhaman in a battle. The latter was subsequently killed by a rebellious feudatory called Shobha Singh, who killed most of Krishnaram's family as well. However one of his grandsons Kirtichand Ray later rose into prominence and earned the favour of Murshid Quli Khan. With the latter's active patronage he conspired to annex Bhurishrestha while Lakshminarayan was away from the capital. Lakshminarayan returned to fight valiantly against Kirtichand, but failed to maintain the sovereignty of the kingdom due to sabotage from within.
Bansdroni is a locality of South Kolkata in West Bengal, India. The area is under Kolkata Municipal Corporation & it comes under Kolkata Police jurisdiction.
Haripal is a village in Haripal CD Block in Chandannagore subdivision of Hooghly district in the Indian state of West Bengal.
The Sheoraphuli Raj Debuttar Estate or Sheoraphuli Rajbari was part of the Zamindari of the Sheoraphuli Raj, a branch of the erstwhile Patuli Rajbansha which occupies a very high place in the peerage of Bengal. The Calcutta Review for 1845 states the Sheoraphuli family is "descended from one of the most ancient and respected families in Bengal".
The Gauḍa Kingdom or Shashankas, was a classic kingdom during the Classical period on the Indian subcontinent, which originated in the Gauda region of Bengal in 4th century CE or possibly earlier.
Bengal temple architecture is about temple styles developed and used in Bengal, particularly the chala, ratna and dalan temples.
The Midnapore Raj or Karnagarh Raj was medieval dynasty and later a zamindari estate of Sadgop during the British period in the Paschim Medinipur district in the state of West Bengal, India. The semi - independent Rajas of Karnagarh were amongst the most powerful rulers of Jungle Mahal region.