Murshidabad

The richest district in the world in the 1700s.

By C Balagopal (Chairman of Federal Bank in India)

On our tour of West Bengal, a couple of years ago, we found the name Murshidabad on the itinerary, and were curious why we were scheduled to drive for several hours from Santiniketan to this city. We were aware that the city was the seat of the powerful Nawabs of Bengal, and that the last one, Siraj-ud-daulah had been defeated at Plassey by Clive. We were astonished at what we learnt on our trip to the city and its surrounding areas.

We drove for more than four hours from Santiniketan in the western part of the State, towards the north east, through fertile farming country. This was in December, and the harvest had just been completed, and we could see haystacks neatly arranged on each field, all the way to the horizon. The farms looked prosperous, and we could see tractors still turning up the stubble, preparing the fields for the next season. We drove into what appeared to be one more ordinary town, with narrow streets lined by houses with a few windows facing the streets.

We entered one such dwelling through a large door that creaked open, and found ourselves in a large ante room with comfortable sofas and tables, the wood gleaming in the half light. It was late afternoon, and the sun slanted in through stained glass windows. After being received in the traditional way by young women attired in identical white saris with red borders, we passed through the ante room and were ushered through another ornate heavy door into what appeared to be a courtyard. We rubbed our eyes in disbelief. The courtyard was grander than anything we had seen, paved with black and white tiles in chessboard style. Steps led down into different levels, each equipped with comfortable seats, and everywhere we could see neatly groomed bushes and shrubs. The courtyard was enclosed within a massive mansion of four floors, with colonnaded balconies.

We were shown to our rooms, which were larger than any hotel rooms we had stayed in, and certainly more grand and opulent. We wandered around our room, equipped with an enormous four poster bed that required a small set of steps to get on to the bed! The bathroom and toilet were similarly fitted out, with carved and opulent fittings. Each room was assigned a young woman who was at our beck and call.

After freshening up, we were invited downstairs to meet the owner of the establishment that was called BARIKOTI, and was said to date back to the 18th century. This had been the residence of his ancestor, who was one of the Seths or bankers, who had been brought to Murshidabad by the far-sighted Nawab, who realized that he needed the services of bankers if Murshidabad was to become a center of manufacture and trade. He found the bankers in the Marwari community of Rajasthan, and induced them to come to his state through all manner of incentives. Many such grand residences dot the town, and tell stories of past riches and great wealth.

The richest of them all was Jagat Seth, whose name means the ‘banker to the world’! It is said that Jagat Seth and other bankers would bank roll nawabs and princelings in their many and futile campaigns against neighbors. No doubt the wily bankers took the precaution of bank rolling both sides discreetly, to spread the risk and to cover all contingencies! It is said that Jagat Seth funded the East India Company too, and that many of the English company representatives were beholden to these bankers in many ways.

We were informed that in the 18th century, Murshidabad accounted for 5% of global economic output (or GDP as it is referred to these days). That is an astonishing fact, since all of India does not account for that proportion today! It is therefore easy to understand the interest of the savvy nawabs of those days to invite bankers to set up shop in this city, to enable trade and manufacture to grow even further.

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While Dacca is famous for its muslin, we were informed that Murshidabad probably had a greater claim to be regarded as the home of the famous muslin, as this city was the far bigger center of the muslin trade. We were taken to a place nearby where we could observe weavers create the fabled muslin, that was so gossamer thin, that it almost appeared to be mist, and not something tangible, almost a figment of our imagination! The traditional looms continue to weave the famous muslin fabrics and use traditional patters, and it appears that there is a revival of economic activity in this field, led primarily by the tourism sector. That is a good thing, because that will mean remunerative employment for the men and women of this region, as has happened in Suchow in China, where traditional handmade embroidery enjoys a huge market in China, providing employment for more than 50,000 women in that city.

Make it stand out

We went on some of these visits by boat, on the mighty Bhagirathi, one of the distributaries of the great Ganges. The river, during this low season, looked deceptively docile, and we were told it becomes a raging monster during the flood season. Many ferries connect the two halves of the district separated by this river, most of them little more than planks of wood lashed together joining two large boats. These were moved by poling, although some were equipped with loud motors that sputtered harshly, breaking the otherwise still surroundings.

Every doorway we entered was a revelation, showing us either a well-preserved Jain temple, a Hindu temple, or a residence. Some of these had fallen into ruin, but many had been rehabilitated as comfortable residences for tourists to stay. This trend had caught on quite well, and appeared to have led to a revival of what was otherwise a declining city. There was even an association of such establishments and the people who ran them, and this body was quite active in projecting the needs of the city and tourist trade. That is a good sign, as such active local associations are the best way to get the attention of the local legislators and MPs, and ensure that funding for important civic projects is forthcoming.

The visit to Murshidabad opened a chapter of India’s checkered colonial history, that is little noticed by Indians, or even finds a mention in the history books. Living in the home of one of the fabled bankers, traveling by boat on the mighty Bhagirati, visiting the weaving centers and watching the muslin being created as if out of thin air, and listening to the traditional stories and tales while lounging in the opulent furniture of these havelis, is a magical experience that we will never forget. With a little imagination, once inside these magnificent residences, it was possible to recreate in our minds, the scenes from three centuries ago, outside in the narrow streets, thronging with merchants and visitors, while multi-million-rupee deals were negotiated and agreed upon between bankers and traders, and wily nawabs and princes pondered their next moves in the chess game of power unfolding around them. We could then recreate the unlikely and incredible story of a few executives of the East India Company laying the foundations of what was to become the mightiest empire the colonial world had ever seen.         

The Author: C Balagopal is the Chairman of Federal Bank in India, and the founder of Terumo Penpol, the company with the largest manufacturing plant in the world for making medical bags for storing blood, located in Kerala. He is an avid traveler and the author of several books. Balagopal is one of the promoters of Harji’s India Ltd. https://harjisindia.co.uk/about-us#team-section.