Natore Rajbari

The Natore estate was among the largest in Bengal in the eighteenth century, and its most famous figure is Rani Bhabani, the widow who ran it for half a century and whose name is attached across the region to tanks, roads and temples she endowed. The rajbari is a spread of buildings in walled grounds: two main mansion blocks with columned fronts, several temples including a large Shyamsundar shrine, service ranges and a series of tanks, with the whole complex showing the mixture of upkeep and decay usual for these estates. The grounds are used as a public park by the town. Natore is also known for kachagolla, a soft unformed milk sweet that the district claims.

What you actually see

• The columned mansion blocks - the two main houses of the estate.
• Rani Bhabani's legacy - the woman who ran the estate for fifty years.
• Temples and tanks in the grounds - the ceremonial water and shrines.
• Kachagolla in the town - the milk sweet Natore claims.

When to go

November to March. Two hours. The grounds are open through the day and busiest in the evening as a park. It combines with Puthia on the same road.

Honest expectations

Interiors are largely closed or empty and the visit is grounds and facades. Decay is visible throughout. Interpretation is minimal. The town is congested.

Nearby

Puthia is west; Uttara Ganabhaban lies north of the town.