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Historical City Murshidabad

With myriad of attractions, Murshidabad has become of the top tourist destination. This is generally popular as historian’s paradise due to some of the infamous historic places. This is the last capital city before the British rule and was named after the famous Nawab Murshid Ali Khan who was the Dewan of Bihar, Odisha and Bengal. The famous city is located on the Bhagirathi banks and is known for silk production.

Historians are mostly attracted to this city as Murshidabad is one such place that has witnessed everything starting from Nawabs of the British era to the famous Lords from England. The small tourist destination in West Bengal is home to the past world and present belief. Whether you address it as a city of monuments or a religious town, nothing can define its magnificence. Visiting this historic town will remind you that no matter how advanced technology is today, certain things require witnessing from your own eyes. The city is a combination of ancient beauty, intriguing monuments and the peace of green.

Undoubtedly, every corner of this city has something to show, but here are some of the major attractions of this historic paradise:

Hazarduari Palace

As the name says, this is a place with thousand doors and is the prime tourist attraction of this place. The infamous palace was built by Duncan McLeod in 1837 for Nawab Najim Humaun Jah who was a inheritor of Mir Zafar. The palace is said to have thousand doors, 8 galleries and 114 rooms. This is now a museum which has some of the exclusive assortment of splendid paintings, armour, portraits of Nawabs, ivory work brought from China and much more intriguing artwork.

Nizamat Imambara

This is another mesmerizing construction that stands parallel to the Hazarduari Palace. The famous building was constructed by the Nawab Nazim Mansoor Ali Khan Feradun Jah back in 1847. This is the biggest Imambara present in Bengal and probably one of the largest in the nation. While taking a stroll of the palace, you can find various other attractive things like Wasef Manzil situated on the banks of Ganga, the Dakshin Darwaza, Tripolia Gate, the Gharighar, the Chak Darwaza, the Madina and the Bachchawali Tope (A Canon).

Madina Masjid

The Madina Masjid was constructed by Siraj with the use of clay that is brought from Karbala in order to fulfill his mother’s wish. This is a mono domed masjid along with comprises of a highly powered Ghari Ghar. The 18 feet long cannon that weighs 16880 pound constructed in 1647 by the Janardan Karmakar is another amazing thing to see. There are many to believe that once because of a terrible sound of cannon one pregnant lady had given birth and thereafter the cannon were being called as Bachhawali Kaman.

Jafraganj Cemetery

This is situated opposite to Deuri which is in 1.5km North of the Hazarduari popular as Zafraganj Cemetery. This site has over 1000 burial sites which belongs to Mir Zafar and his entire family. Just along the entrance, third from its east lay Mir Zafar.

Katra Masjid

This is situated in the North eastern side of this famous city which is 3kms from the railway station. The famous construction was done by the Nawab Murshid Khan during the 1137 A.H. The entire Mosque took one year to complete as it was made by an architect. The octagonal shaped minar situated upwards has a massive height. With the winding staircase taking directly upwards, one can get a panoramic view of the area. The huge area gives space for 2000 people to offer Namaz at a time.

Moti Jheel

In ancient time, there was a palace beside this beautiful lake, but in recent times, the palace can no more be seen except the lake. This is one of such places which clearly depict the history of India and British. This lake has a unique horseshoe shape which was made by Nawazesh Mohammad, who has the husband of Ghasseti Begum. This later became the residence of Warren Hastings, Lord Clive and another host of British Lords.

With so many ancient architectures, Murshidabad has now become one of the most visited places for the historians. This small city has seen some of the major transformations and lives of our ancient India. With so many ancient artifacts, this place has now become a place for students and historians.

If you have the urge to know more about the other famous architectures of the ancient India era, set out for Murshidabad today.

How to Reach Murshidabad

By Rail: Murshidabad has its own Railway Station named as Murshidabad Railway Station. There is some direct train from Kolkata and Ranaghat to Murshidabad. Bhagirathi Express, Dhano Dhanye Express, Hazarduari Express are some express train run between Murshidabad and Kolkata. And some regular passenger or MEMU train such as Lalgola Passenger run from Sealdah (in Kolkata) and Ranaghat to Murshidabad.

By Road: No direct bus services are available from Kolkata or other cities to Murshidabad. But Berhampur is nearby town to Murshidabad about 11 km driving distance and NH12 and NH34 pass by the town Berhampur. There are regular bus services from Kolkata, Durgapur, Siuri, Asansol, Burdwan, Bankura, Barasat, Jhargram, Bolpur, Krisanganj of Bikar, Rampurhat, Bongaon, Nalhati, Kirnahar, Malda, Siliguri, Balurghat, Gangarampur, Cooch Behar, Krishnanagar, Ranaghat, Saintha, Dumka of Jharkhand to Berhampur.

By Air: Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport at Dumdum, Kolkata is the nearest Airport to Murshidabad, which is roughly four-hour driving distance from Murshidabad. This is an international airport and major cities of the different part of the world such as Frankfurt, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Dubai and Yangon have regular flights from/to this airport. Regular domestic flights are also available from this airport for the cities such as Chennai, Mumbai, New Delhi, Bangalore, Guwahati, Port Blair, and Hyderabad.