The travels of Bengalis in the past
Sumana Dam
Finally, on 17 Ashwin 1264 (2 October 1857), a boat journey commenced from Kashi to return to the homeland.
Initially, a few days were spent in Gazipur, Bihar. Gazipur is a good town with 5,000 houses, primarily inhabited by Muslims. There are various shops and markets. Gazipur produces a variety of high-quality fabrics. Additionally, rose water is extensively made and sold. The town was formerly known as Gadhipur. Lord Cornwallis’s tomb is located on the banks of the Ganges.
By river, the boat next reached Bogsar or Buxar, where the Company’s sepoys breed and rear necessary horses. Gradually, the boat continued through Bihar’s Trivabani (Tariyani Chapra?), Saran-Chapra (Chapra), Danapur (Danapur), and Bankipur (Bankipur). These places are under the leader of Sepoy Mutiny Kumar Singh or Kunwar Singh’s domain, so the Company was very cautious. They then arrived in Patna.
Patna is a very old city. Spanning five miles, it houses over one hundred thousand Hindus and Muslims. The Chauk Market is large and well-decorated. The city is bustling with judges, magistrates, collectors, commissioners’ offices, post offices, opium dens, military quarters, and bungalows for the Sahibs. Patna has the Patan Devi temple. Earlier, the town was called Patna. Due to the impact of the Sepoy Rebellion, movement on the streets in Patna after ten at night is restricted. If one does not respond after being asked three times, there is an order to shoot. Shopkeepers in Patna do not have good sales; fearing loot, they keep minimal goods in their shops.
In this tense situation, the author, along with two companions, traveled by palanquin to Gaya. Due to the monsoon, road conditions were poor. Some wooden bridges over rivers were broken, and they had to cross rivers over palm trunks. After bathing and performing rituals at various pilgrim sites, they arrived in Gaya, where they saw Bengali and Gaya people performing Shyama Puja. The market in Gaya was not as well-decorated as before. Traders were struggling, and many Bengalis had sent their families back to their homeland. Temples were closed at night. In an atmosphere of terror and banditry, people hid money and valuables underground and disguised themselves in shabby clothes. The author and companions performed rituals in Gaya and then returned to Patna.
In Patna, the author witnessed the Chhath or Shashti Puja on the Ganges ghats. All the women of the city were dressed in fine clothes and ornaments, arriving by palanquin, doli, or on foot; accompanied by musicians playing drums, cymbals, and other instruments; and carrying various fruits, sprouts of five kinds of pulse, different types of puris, kachoris, and ripe bananas; as well as new lamps, alta, haritaki, betel leaves, and betel nuts etc. At sunrise, everyone bathed in the Ganges and worshiped the sun before returning home. No cooking was done on that day; people ate food prepared the day before. This event lasted for three days, starting the previous day.
On 11 Kartik 1264 (28 October 1857), everyone set off from Patna towards Kolkata by boat. The boat traveled through Maruganj (Marufganj), Baikunthpur (Baikunthpur), and Rupasgram (Rupaspur). Near Rupas, there were houses of the bandits Jalem-Jolam, who used to rob boats and attack traders with letters. The East India Company had dealt with these bandits and executed them. However, the plundering of the sepoy rebels was even more terrifying than these bandits. Afterward, they arrived in Munger via Bahrgram (Baradh) and Dariyapur.
In the market of Munger on the Ganges banks, there were well-decorated shops selling all kinds of goods. Hunters were selling birds they had caught. Good-quality stone plates and bowls were also available. From Munger, traveling two miles by water brought them to Sita Kund, a hot spring surrounded by walls. The water was too hot for bathing, there were also cool springs like Ram Kund, Lakshman Kund, Bharat Kund, and Shatrughna Kund. From Munger, they walked eight miles to Jangira (Jahangira), a place where the sage Jahnu had performed penance and had drunk the Ganges water. The Ganges surrounded the hill on all sides. On the hill, a Shiva idol established by sage Jahnu is present. The hill is inhabited by large snakes, making it uninhabitable. They then continued by boat through Bhagalpur, English Bazaar, and Kohalgram (Kohalgaon). The Ganges here is very swift, and due to underwater rocks and submerged hills, the boat had to be navigated carefully. They then reached Patharghata (near Patharghata Hill and the Boteswar Sthan of Bhagalpur), Pirpainti, and Sankrigali Hills (Sakri Gali) and arrived in Rajmahal.
From Rajmahal, Bihar ended, and present-day Jharkhand began. Rajmahal is a bilingual region where both Hindi and Bengali are equally spoken. The area, once covered in forest, has gradually become a city. It has magistrates, offices, post offices, doctors, and a railway station. They then arrived at Shibganj (Sahebganj), where rice and tasar silk are inexpensive. Traders take these goods westward for business. They next came to the confluence of the Ganges and the Padma. After two more miles, they reached the old mouth of the Bhagirathi. The water was very low, and there was no navigable route for the boat. After another mile, they came to another mouth, which was also closed. Another mile ahead, a canal had been cut from the Padma to supply water to the Ganges, allowing boat traffic.
Crossing Jharkhand, the travelers entered the area of Bengal, now West Bengal. They gradually passed through Jangipur, Balanagar, Gayasabad, and arrived in Murshidabad. Here, they saw the Nawab’s Imambara and the Nawab’s palace. The Nawab’s palace is three stories high, with seven courtyards and a thousand doors and windows (Hazarduari). Each courtyard has a daroga (supervisor). The Nawab’s family homes extend nearly a mile. There is also Chandni Chowk, where merchants from various countries have set up well-stocked shops. The streets are illuminated by lanterns. On the Ganges banks, a meeting house for enjoying the river is set up. There used to be cannons on the Ganges banks, but during the Sepoy Rebellion, all cannons, pistols, and swords were removed by the Company. The Nawab’s guards now only protect the gate with sticks.
The Nawab has a hundred begums, guarded by khoja (eunuch) guards. The Nawab’s court maintains decorum, salutations, and all protocols. However, the Nawab is guided in politics and education by two British officials. Despite the defeats in the Battle of Plassey in 1757 and the Battle of Buxar in 1764, the Nawabi system continued in Bengal. From 1765, the Company gained the diwani rights of Bengal, but the Nawab remained as the administrator (Nizamat) of Bengal. From 1793, the Nawab became a nominal figurehead, and this status continued until 1858, when the British directly took over the administration of the region. In 1830, the Hazarduari Palace was built for the Nawabs, and the British officials used it as well. The Nawab’s title was completely abolished in 1880.
In Murshidabad, wealthy merchants like Jagat Seth, Raja Harinath Kumar, and Rai Saheb had well-built, plastered, two-story and three-story houses. These houses were furnished with chandeliers, mirrors, sofas, and chairs. Many scholars proficient in Arabic and Persian are present in Murshidabad.
They then traveled to present-day Kasimbazar, Syedabad, and Khagra. Khagra is famous for its brass utensils and sugar-coated puffs, which are fried in pure ghee and full of syrup. They then reached Baharampur, where the Company had various offices and military quarters. The native infantry stationed there once had guns and swords, but now they only carry sticks for guarding.
( To be Continued )
The period covered in this episode is from 17 Ashwin 1264 (2 October 1857) to 21 Kartik 1264 (6 November 1857).
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