Murshidabad

2026-04-07T14:21:02Z

85.255.237.56: fixed issues

{{Short description|City in West Bengal}}

{{About|the town in West Bengal, India |its namesake|Murshidabad District}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2019}}
{{Use Indian English|date=October 2018}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name = Murshidabad
| native_name =
| native_name_lang =
| other_name = Makhsudabad<ref>{{Cite web |title=Murshidabad {{!}} India, Map, & Population {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Murshidabad |access-date=2025-04-19 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref> Lal Bagh
| settlement_type = [[Town]]
| image_skyline = {{multiple image
| border = infobox
| total_width = 300
| image_style =
| perrow = 2/2/2/2
| caption_align = center
| image1 = Nizamat Imambara 2, Murshidabad.jpg
| caption1 = [[Nizamat Imambara]]
| image2 = Wasif Manzil, Murshidabad.jpg
| caption2 = [[Wasif Manzil]]
| image3 = Jahankosha Kaman Murshidabad.jpg
| caption3 = [[Jahan Kosha Cannon]]
}}
| image_caption =
| image_map =
| pushpin_map = India West Bengal#India3
| pushpin_label_position = right
| pushpin_map_caption = Location in West Bengal, India
| coordinates = {{coord|24.18|88.27|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = {{flag|India}}
| subdivision_type1 = [[States and territories of India|State]]
| subdivision_name1 = [[West Bengal]]
| subdivision_type2 = [[List of districts of India|District]]
| subdivision_name2 = [[Murshidabad District|Murshidabad]]
| established_title = 
| established_date =
| founder =
| government_type = [[Municipal council (India)|Municipality]]
| governing_body = Murshidabad Municipality
| leader_title = Chairperson
| leader_name = Lalita Das Nandi
| leader_party = [[Trinamool Congress|AITC]]
| leader_title2 = [[Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha|Lok Sabha MP]]
| leader_name2 = [[Abu Taher Khan]] ([[Trinamool Congress|AITC]])
| leader_title3 = [[West Bengal Legislative Assembly|MLA]]
| leader_name3 = [[Gouri Shankar Ghosh]] ([[Bharatiya Janata Party|BJP]])
| unit_pref = Metric
| area_footnotes = <ref>{{cite web|title=Welcome to Murshidabad Municipality|url=http://www.murshidabadmunicipality.org/|access-date=25 November 2020}}</ref>
| area_total_km2 = 17.25
| area_rank =
| elevation_footnotes = <ref name="Census2011Gov"/>
| elevation_m = 10
| population_total = 44,019
| population_as_of = 2011
| population_rank =
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_demonym =
| demographics_type1 = Languages
| demographics1_title1 = Official
| demographics1_info1 = [[Bengali language|Bengali]]<ref name="wblangoff">{{cite web|title=Fact and Figures|url=https://wb.gov.in/portal/web/guest/facts-and-figures;jsessionid=JzdD9RHb7aMY5esZPtcsIVLy|website=Wb.gov.in|access-date=23 May 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=52nd Report of the Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities in India|url=http://nclm.nic.in/shared/linkimages/NCLM52ndReport.pdf|website=Nclm.nic.in|publisher=[[Ministry of Minority Affairs]]|access-date=23 May 2019|page=85|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525141614/http://nclm.nic.in/shared/linkimages/NCLM52ndReport.pdf|archive-date=25 May 2017}}</ref>
| demographics1_title2 = Additional official
| demographics1_info2 = [[English language|English]]<ref name="wblangoff"/>
| timezone1 = [[Indian Standard Time|IST]]
| utc_offset1 = +5:30
| postal_code_type = [[Postal Index Number|PIN]]
| postal_code = 742149
| area_code_type = Telephone code
| area_code = 91-3482-2xxxxx
| registration_plate = WB-57, WB-58
| blank1_name_sec1 = [[Lok Sabha]] constituency
| blank1_info_sec1 = [[Murshidabad (Lok Sabha constituency)|Murshidabad]]
| blank2_name_sec1 = [[Vidhan Sabha]] constituency
| blank2_info_sec1 = [[Murshidabad (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Murshidabad]]
| website = {{URL|http://murshidabad.nic.in/}}
| named_for = [[Murshid Quli Khan]]
}}

'''Murshidabad''' ({{IPA|bn|murʃidabad}}) is a town in the [[India]]n [[States and territories of India|state]] of [[West Bengal]]. This town is the headquarters of [[Lalbag subdivision]] of [[Murshidabad district]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Subdivision and Blocks {{!}} District Murshidabad {{!}} India |url=https://murshidabad.gov.in/subdivision-blocks/ |access-date=2025-04-22 |language=en-US}}</ref> It is located on the eastern bank of the [[Hooghly river|Bhagirathi River]]. During the 18th century, Murshidabad was a prosperous and cosmopolitan town.<ref name="Dalrymple2019">{{cite book|author=William Dalrymple|title=The Anarchy: The East India Company, Corporate Violence, and the Pillage of an Empire|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=42aYvgEACAAJ|date=10 September 2019|publisher=Bloomsbury USA|isbn=978-1-63557-395-4}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thedailystar.net/op-ed/politics/which-india-claiming-have-been-colonised-119284|title = Which India is claiming to have been colonised?|date = 31 July 2015}}</ref> Murshidabad was the capital of the [[Bengal Subah]] for seventy years. This town was the home of wealthy banking and merchant families from different parts of the [[Indian subcontinent]] and wider [[Eurasia]]. European companies, including the [[British East India Company]], the [[French Indies Company|French East India Company]], the [[Dutch East India Company]] and the [[Danish East India Company]], conducted business and operated factories around the city. The town was also a centre of art and culture.<ref>{{Citation |title=Darbar of Alivardi Khan at Murshidabad's Court |date=c. 1753 |url=https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/781858 |access-date=2025-04-19}}</ref>

The city's decline began with the defeat of the last independent Nawab of Bengal [[Siraj-ud-Daulah]] at the [[Battle of Plassey]] in 1757. The Nawab was demoted to the status of a [[zamindar]] known as the [[Nawab of Murshidabad]]. The British shifted the treasury, courts and revenue office to [[Calcutta]]. In the 19th century, the population was estimated to be 46,000. Murshidabad became a district headquarters of the [[Bengal Presidency]]. It was declared as a municipality in 1869.

==Etymology==
Murshidabad was named after its founder, Nawab [[Murshid Quli Khan]]. ''[[Murshid]]'' is an Arabic term for a teacher or guide with integrity, sensibility, and maturity. The suffix ''[[-abad]]'' is derived from the Persian word ''abad'', which referred to a cultivated place.

==Geography==
{{OSM Location map
| width=350| height=400| zoom=13
| coord={{coord|24|11|10|N|88|16|40|E}}| float=left|caption='''Murshidabad''' F: facility, H: historical site Owing to space constraints in the small map, the actual locations in a larger map may vary slightly
|mark-coord1={{coord|24|11|11|N|88|16|9|E}} | label-pos1=left|label1= Hazarduari Palace| numbered1=H | mark-title1=[[Hazarduari Palace]] (H)|label-color1= #800000 |label-size1=12| mark-size1=13|shape1=l-circle|shape-color1=#AA6666|shape-outline1=white|label-offset-x1=2
|mark-coord2={{coord|24|11|30|N|88|16|7|E}} | label-pos2=right|label2=Nizamat Imambara | mark-title2= [[Nizamat Imambara]] (H)| numbered2=H| shape-color2=#AA6666|label-offset-y2=-2
|mark-coord3={{coord|24|11|24|N|88|16|10|E}} | label-pos3=right|label3= Clock Tower | mark-title3= [[Clock Tower of Murshidabad]] (H)| numbered3=H
|mark-coord4={{coord|24|11|24|N|88|16|4|E}} | label-pos4=left|label4= Madina Mosque | mark-title4= [[Madina Mosque (Bengal)]] (H)| numbered4=H
|mark-coord5={{coord|24|10|55|N|88|16|10|E}} | label-pos5=right|label5= Wasif Manzil | mark-title5= [[Wasif Manzil]] (H)| numbered5=H
|mark-coord6={{coord|24|12|4|N|88|16|0|E}} | label-pos6=right|label6= Jafaganj Cemetery | mark-title6= [[Jafarganj Cemetery]] (H)| numbered6=H
|mark-coord7={{coord|24|11|0|N|88|17|17|E}} | label-pos7=right|label7= Katra Masjid | mark-title7= [[Katra Masjid]] (H)| numbered7=H
|mark-coord8={{coord|24|11|5|N|88|16|10|E}} | label-pos8=left|label8= Chawk Masjid | mark-title8= [[Chawk Masjid]] (H)| numbered8=H
|mark-coord9={{coord|24|9|43|N|88|16|32|E}} | label-pos9=left|label9= Jama Masjid, Motijheel | mark-title9= [[Jama Masjid, Motijheel]] (H)| numbered9=H
|mark-coord10={{coord|24|11|9|N|88|16|49|E}} | label-pos10=top|label10= Fauti Mosque | mark-title10= [[Fauti Mosque]] (H)| numbered10=H
|mark-coord11={{coord|24|12|23|N|88|16|20|E}} | label-pos11=right|label11= Kathgola Palace | mark-title11= [[Kathgola Palace]] (H)| numbered11=H
|mark-coord12={{coord|24|12|12|N|88|15|50|E}} | label-pos12=right|label12= Mir Jafar's Palace | mark-title12= [[Namak Haram Deorhi]] (H)| numbered12=H
|mark-coord13={{coord|24|12|23|N|88|16|0|E}} | label-pos13=left|label13= Nashipur Rajbari| mark-title13= [[Nashipur]] (H)| numbered13=H
|mark-coord14={{coord|24|10|34|N|88|16|58|E}} | label-pos14=right|label14= Murshidabad |labela14= railway station| numbered14=F| mark-title14= [[Murshidabad railway station]] (F) |shape-color14=#967117
|mark-coord15={{coord|24|12|5|N|88|15|25|E}} | label15= Bhagirathi River| label-color15 = #77A1CB| label-angle15=59| label-pos15=right| label-size15=10| mark-size15=0| mark-title15 =none
|mark-coord16={{coord|24|11|17|N|88|16|5|E}} | label-pos16=left|label16= Yellow Mosque | mark-title16= [[Yellow Mosque]] (H)| numbered16=H
|mark-coord17={{coord|24|12|32|N|88|16|0|E}} | label-pos17=right|label17= House of Jagat Seth | mark-title17= [[House of Jagat Seth]] (H)| numbered17=H
|mark-coord18={{coord|24|11|53|N|88|15|54|E}} | label-pos18=right|label18= Tomb of Azimunnisa Begum | mark-title18= [[Tomb of Azimunissa Begum]] (H)| numbered18=H
|mark-coord19={{coord|24|12|51|N|88|15|50|E}} | label-pos19=right|label19= Nashipur |labela19= railway bridge| numbered19=F| mark-title19= [[Nashipur Rail Bridge]] (F) |shape-color19=#967117
|mark-coord20={{coord|24|11|8|N|88|16|15|E}} | label-pos20=right|label20= Tripolia |labela20= Gate | mark-title20= Tripolia Gate Sorry, no page link (H)| numbered21=H}}

===Location===
Murshidabad is located at {{coord|24.18|88.27|display=inline}}.

[[Hazarduari Palace]] and its associated sites in the Kila Nizamat area (forming the central area in the map alongside) is the centre of attraction in Murshidabad. Just a little away are [[Katra Masjid]], [[Fauti Mosque]], [[Jama Masjid, Motijheel|Jama Masjid]], and the [[Motijhil]] area. There is a group of attractions in the northern part of the town (as can be seen in the map alongside). Some attractions such as [[Khushbagh]], [[Rosnaiganj]], [[Baranagar, Murshidabad|Baranagar]], [[Kiriteswari Temple]], [[Karnasuvarna]] and others are on the other side of the river and there are attractions in the neighbouring [[Berhampore]] area also (not shown in the map).<ref>{{cite web | url = https://offbeatweekend.com/mushidabad/ | title = Offbeat Weekend in Murshidabad | work = Outskirts of Killa Nizamat (Northern part) | publisher = Offbeat Weekend | accessdate = 20 July 2021}}</ref>

Note: The map alongside presents some of the notable locations in Murshidabad city. Most of the places marked in the map are linked in the larger full screen map. A few, without pages yet, remain unmarked. The map has a scale. It will help viewers to find out the distances.

==History==
[[File:Moti Jheel Palace 2.jpg|thumb|right|Painting of the garden, mosque and prince's pavilions in [[Motijhil]] (pearl lake)]]
[[File:'ALIVARDI KHAN AND A COURTIER.jpg|thumb|upright|Nawab [[Alivardi Khan]] with a courtier, painted in the [[Company style|Company Style]], where it first emerged in Murshidabad<ref>{{Cite web |title=Company school {{!}} Indian art {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/art/Company-school |access-date=2022-08-29 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref>]]
[[File:Katgola Palace at night 2.jpg|thumb|Illuminated Katgola Palace at night]]
[[File:The Nawab of Murshidabad's boats on the Ganga (6125141004).jpg|thumb|left|The Nawab's boats on a river]]
[[File:JAGATSETH HOUSE TEMPLE - panoramio.jpg|thumb|left|A [[Jain]] temple in the mansion of [[Jagat Seth]], a historically prominent banking family of Murshidabad]]
The area was part of the [[Gauda Kingdom]] and [[Vanga Kingdom]] in [[ancient Bengal]]. The ''[[Riyaz-us-Salatin]]'' credited the initial development of the town to a merchant named Makhsus Khan. The merchant's role is also mentioned in the ''[[Ain-i-Akbari]]''.<ref name="Banglapedia">{{cite web |title=Murshidabad - Banglapedia |url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Murshidabad |website=[[Banglapedia]] |access-date=26 August 2019}}</ref>

During the 17th-century, the area was well known for [[sericulture]]. In 1621, English agents reported that large quantities of silk were available in the area. During the 1660s, it became a [[pargana]] of the Mughal administration, with jurisdiction over European companies in [[Cossimbazar]].<ref name="Banglapedia"/>

In the early 18th-century, [[Murshid Quli Khan]], the prime minister of Bengal Subah, had a bitter rivalry with Prince [[Azim-ush-Shan]], the viceroy of Bengal. The latter even attempted to have Khan killed.<ref name="Banglapedia"/> The Mughal court in [[Delhi]] was also rapidly losing authority in much of the subcontinent. Amid the decline of the central government, the [[Mughal Emperor]] [[Farrukhsiyar]] promoted Khan to the status of a princely [[Nawab]]. As Nawab, Khan was given the opportunity to create a princely dynasty as part of the Mughal aristocracy.

Murshid Quli Khan shifted the capital of Bengal from [[Dhaka]], which lost its strategic importance after the expulsion of the [[Arakan]]ese and [[Portuguese Chittagong|Portuguese]] from [[Chittagong]].<ref name="Banglapedia"/> He founded the city of Murshidabad and named the city after himself. It became the centre of political, economic and cultural life in Bengal. The jurisdiction of the Nawab included not only Bengal, but also Bihar and Orissa.<ref name="Scroll">{{cite news |last1=Silliman |first1=Jael |title=Murshidabad can teach the rest of India how to restore heritage and market the past |url=https://scroll.in/magazine/862281/murshidabad-can-teach-the-rest-of-india-a-lot-on-how-to-restore-heritage-and-market-the-past |access-date=26 August 2019 |work=[[Scroll.in]] |date=28 December 2017}}</ref> Murshidabad was also located centrally in the expanded jurisdiction of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa.

The presence of the princely court, the [[Mughal Army]], [[artisan]]s and multiethnic merchants increased the wealth of Murshidabad. Wealthy families and companies established their head offices in the city. The Murshidabad [[Mint (facility)|mint]] became the largest in Bengal, with a value amounting to two percent of the minted currency. The city witnessed the construction of administrative buildings, gardens, palaces, mosques, temples and mansions. European companies operated factories in the city's outskirts. The city was full of brokers, workers, peons, naibs, wakils, and ordinary traders.<ref name="Banglapedia"/>

Murshid Quli Khan transformed Murshidabad into a [[capital city]] with an efficient administrative machinery for his successors. He built a palace and a [[caravanserai]] with a grand mosque, known as the [[Katra Masjid]]. The main military base was located near the mosque and formed the city's eastern gateway. The third Nawab [[Shuja-ud-Din Muhammad Khan]] patronized the construction of another palace and military base, a new gateway, the revenue office, a public audience hall ([[durbar (court)|durbar]]), a private chamber, the treasury and a mosque in an extensive compound called Farrabagh (Garden of Joy) which included canals, [[fountain]]s, flowers, and fruit trees.<ref name="Banglapedia"/>

Nawab Siraj-ud-Daulah established a palace near the [[Motijhil]] (Pearl Lake). The [[Nizamat Imambara]] was built for [[Shia Muslims]]. The palace complex was fortified and known as the Nizamat Fort. The main entrances of the Nizamat Fort had musicians' galleries. The gates were high, imposing and tall enough for an elephant to pass through. The Khoshbagh garden was the burial place of the Nawabs.<ref name="Banglapedia"/> The city had a [[Bengali people|Bengali]] majority population, including [[Bengali Muslims]] and [[Bengali Hindus]]. There was an influential [[Jain]] community involved in trade and commerce.<ref name="Scroll"/> An [[Armenians|Armenian]] community also settled and became financiers for the Nawab. The [[Jagat Seth]] family was one of the prominent banking families of Murshidabad. They controlled [[money lending]] activities and served as financiers for administrators, merchants, traders, the Nawabs, the Zamindars, as well as the British, French, Armenians and Dutch. The merchants built many mansions, including the Azimganj Rajbati, [[Kathgola]] house and [[Nashipur]] house.

The Nawabs of Bengal entered into agreements with numerous European trading companies allowing them to establish bases in the region. The French East India Company operated factories in Murshidabad and Dhaka. The British East India Company was based in [[Fort William, India|Fort William]]. Murshidabad was a part of the [[Dutch Bengal]] Department. The [[Ostend Company]] of [[Austria]] established a base near Murshidabad. The Danish East India Company also set up trading posts in the Bengal Subah.

The last independent Nawab, Siraj-ud-Daulah was defeated in the [[Battle of Plassey]] in 1757. Despite receiving assurances of French support, the Nawab was betrayed by his commander [[Mir Jafar]]. The British installed Mir Jafar's family as a puppet dynasty and eventually reduced the Nawab to the status of a landlord (zamindar). The British continued to collect revenue from the area's factories. The merchant families continued to prosper under [[company rule in India]].<ref name="Scroll"/> In 1858, the British government gained direct control of India's administration.

Murshidabad was very badly affected by the [[Great Bengal famine of 1770|Bengal Famine of 1770]].<ref name="Dalrymple2019" />

Murshidabad was a district city of the [[Bengal Presidency]]. [[Warren Hastings]] removed the supreme civil and criminal courts to [[Calcutta]] in 1772, but in 1775 the latter courts were brought back to Murshidabad again. In 1790, under [[Lord Cornwallis]], the entire revenue and judicial staffs were moved to Calcutta. The city was still the residence of the Nawab, who ranked as the first nobleman of the province with the style of [[Nawab Bahadur of Murshidabad]], instead of [[Nawab of Bengal|Nawab Nazim of Bengal]]. The [[Hazarduari Palace]] was built in 1837 as a residence for both the Nawab and British civil servants. Murshidabad became a [[municipality]] in 1869. The population in 1901 was 15,168. The silk industry was revived with assistance from the government. The area also became notable for [[mango]] and [[litchi]] production.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/entertainment/mango-people-of-murshidabad/cid/1399401|title=Mango people of murshidabad|newspaper=The Telegraph | date=18 June 2015 | location=India|language=en|access-date=22 October 2018}}</ref>

See also - [[Nawabs of Bengal and Murshidabad]]
<gallery mode="packed" caption="Art of Murshidabad" style="font-size:88%; line-height:130%; border-bottom:1px #aaa solid;" heights="160">
File:Bazrupmati.jpg|Two horsemen, Murshidabad style of painting
Gujjari Ragini.jpg|Woman playing the [[sitar]], Murshidabad style of painting
Royal Peacock Barge LACMA M.82.154.jpg|Ivory sculpture of a royal barge
Ivory carving in the Indian Museum, Kolkata 03.jpg|Ivory sculpture of a royal barge
Nahabat Khana - Nashipur Palace - Murshidabad 2017-03-28 6239.JPG|An elevated musicians' gallery where drums, flutes and Indian classical music would be played.
</gallery>

==Economy==
[[File:One of the four Char Bangla Temple at Baronagar in Murshidabad District 01.jpg|thumb|Murshidabad District has several terracotta Bengali Hindu temples]]
[[File:Silver Rupee struck during the tenure of Bengal Nawab Alivardi Khan in Murshidabad mint, in the name of Mughal emperor Ahmad Shah Bahadur, photographed in West Bengal, India, September 18, 2024.jp.jpg|thumb|Silver Rupee struck during the tenure of Bengal Nawab [[Alivardi Khan]] in Murshidabad mint, in the name of Mughal emperor [[Ahmad Shah Bahadur]], with his regnal year 3 in Persian, AD 1751.]]

The city today is a centre for agriculture, handicrafts and [[sericulture]]. The famous [[Murshidabad silk]], much in demand for making [[sari]]s and scarves, is produced here.{{citation needed|date=November 2013}}

==Demographics==
As of [[2011 Indian Census]], Murshidabad had a total population of 44,019, of which 22,177 were males and 21,842 were females. Population within the age group of 0 to 6 years was 4,414. The total number of literates in Murshidabad was 32,451, which constituted 73.7% of the population with male literacy of 77.3% and female literacy of 70.1%. The effective literacy rate of 7+ population of Murshidabad was 81.9%, of which male literacy rate was 86.0% and female literacy rate was 77.9%. The [[Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes]] population was 13,762 and 302 respectively. Murshidabad had 9829 households in 2011.According to 2011 census the religious make-up of Murshidabd city was: Hindus (75.09%), Muslims (23.86%) and others(1.05%)<ref name="Census2011Gov">{{cite web |title=Census of India: Murshidabad |url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/pca/SearchDetails.aspx?Id=355736 |website=www.censusindia.gov.in |access-date=20 November 2019}}</ref> However, during the [[Murshidabad violence]], many Hindus, including women and children, were displaced from the affected areas and took shelter in neighboring [[Malda district]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-04-15 |title=Bengal communal violence: ‘We have become refugees in our own land… We may never return’ |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/kolkata/bengal-murshidabad-communal-violence-we-have-become-refugees-in-our-own-land-we-may-never-return-9944482/ |access-date=2025-04-15 |website=The Indian Express |language=en}}</ref>

== Educational institutes ==

===Schools===


* [[Raghunathganj High School (10+2)]]
* [[Sargachi Ramakrishna Mission High School]]
* [[Srikantabati P.S.S. Sikshaniketan]]

===Colleges===


[[File:Main gate 15.jpg|thumb|[[Government College of Engineering & Textile Technology, Berhampore]] ]]
* [[Berhampore College]]
* [[Berhampore Girls' College]]
* [[Bimal Chandra College of Law]]
* [[Dukhulal Nibaran Chandra College]]
* [[Dumkal Institute of Engineering & Technology]]
* [[Government College of Engineering & Textile Technology, Berhampore]]
* [[Jakir Hossain Institute of Polytechnic]], [[Hafania]], [[Suti II]]
* [[Jangipur College]]
* [[Kandi Raj College]]
* [[Krishnath College]]
* [[Management Development Institute Murshidabad]]
* [[Murshidabad College of Engineering & Technology]]
* [[Murshidabad Institute of Technology]]
* [[Murshidabad Medical College and Hospital]]
* [[Nur Mohammad Smriti Mahavidyalaya]]
* [[Prof. Syed Nurul Hasan College]]
* [[Rani Dhanya Kumari College]]
* [[Sripat Singh College]]
* [[Subhas Chandra Bose Centenary College]]

===Universities===


*[[Aligarh Muslim University|Aligarh Muslim University Murshidabad Centre]]
*[[Murshidabad University]], [[Berhampore]]

==Murshidabad Heritage Festival==
[[File:Murshidabad Day 2 Dance 2.jpg|thumb|Dance performance in [[Kathgola Palace|Kathgola]] gardens during the Murshidabad Heritage Festival]]
The Murshidabad Heritage Festival aims at reviving the tangible and intangible heritage of Murshidabad along with those nearby heritage towns of Azimganj, Jiaganj and Cossimbazar. The festival aims at preserving the past and integrating it with the present and to bring Murshidabad back in the tourism, cultural and heritage map of India. It is an initiative of Murshidabad Heritage Development Society (MHDS). The festival began in 2011 and has been celebrated ever since. There are no fixed days for the festival but it is celebrated during the winter season, especially during January or February. The festival is complete with cultural performances, heritage walks, cruise along the Bagirati River and exotic food. The Food served during the festival is purely vegetarian, with special emphasis on Sheherwali cuisine.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Datta |first1=Rangan |title=Murshidabad Heritage Festival 2023: A journey back to the days of the nawabs in Bengal |agency=The Telegraph |issue=My Kolkata |date=15 February 2023}}</ref>

==Notable residents==
{{Div col|colwidth=30em|content=* [[Abdul Alim (folk singer)|Abdul Alim]]
* [[Abul Barkat]]
* [[Abul Hayat]]
* [[Abul Bashar]]
* [[Abul Hasan Quraishi]]
* [[Amiya Kumar Bagchi]]
* [[Arijit Singh]]
* [[Arup Chandra]]
* [[Babar Ali (teacher)|Babar Ali]]
* [[Badshah Moitra]]
* [[Basu Bhattacharya]]
* [[Farida Yasmin (singer)|Farida Yasmin]]
* [[Govindadasa]]
* [[Iskander Mirza]]
* [[Karuna Bhattacharya]]
* [[Mahasweta Devi]]
* [[Manish Ghatak]]
* [[Mir Afsar Ali]]
* [[Murshid Kuli Khan]]
* [[Nabarun Bhattacharya]]
* [[Nirupama Devi]]
* [[Rakhaldas Bandyopadhyay]]
* [[Ramendra Sundar Tribedi]]
* [[Sarat Chandra Pandit]]
* [[Shreya Ghoshal]]
* [[Siraj ud-Daulah]]
* [[Syed Mustafa Siraj]]
* [[Nalini Bagchi]]
* [[Tapan Sinha]]}}

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Portal|India}}
{{Commons category}}
* {{Wikivoyage-inline|Murshidabad}}
* [http://murshidabad.nic.in/ District website]

{{Murshidabad District}}
{{Murshidabad topics}}
{{Municipalities of West Bengal}}
{{Tourist attractions in Murshidabad}}
{{Authority control}}

{{West Bengal}}

[[Category:Cities and towns in Murshidabad district]]
[[Category:Former capitals in India]]
[[Category:Capitals of Bengal]]
[[Category:Murshidabad| ]]
[[Category:Cities in West Bengal]]

Bharatpedia - User contributions [en]

Murshidabad