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.

History

In the mid-17th century Kamadev Moitra served the Puthia rajas, and his son Raghunandan became the agent of the Puthia raja at the court of Nawab Murshid Quli Khan, who took him to Murshidabad as his Dewan. As the Nawab confiscated the lands of zamindars who failed his new rules, Raghunandan's elder brother Ramjivan acquired many of them, received the title of Raja and made Natore his seat; the Rajshahi zamindari came to cover nearly 13,000 square miles, much of north Bengal with parts of Murshidabad, Nadia, Jessore, Birbhum and Burdwan, and Rani Bhabani, widowed, went on to enlarge both estate and palace (Wikipedia, Natore Rajbari).

The main sights

• 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.

Things to know

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.

Key facts