Rajnagar, Birbhum
|
Rajnagar রাজনগর |
|
|---|---|
| Census Town | |
 Rajnagar
|
|
| Coordinates: 23°57′N 87°19′E / 23.95°N 87.32°ECoordinates: 23°57′N 87°19′E / 23.95°N 87.32°E | |
| Country |
 India
|
| State | West Bengal |
| District | Birbhum |
| Elevation | 101 m (331 ft) |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Total | 13,965 |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Bengali, English |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
| PIN | 731 130 |
| Telephone code | 91 3462 |
| Sex ratio | 961 ♂/♀ |
| Lok Sabha constituency | Birbhum |
| Vidhan Sabha constituency | Suri |
| Website | birbhum |
| CD Block | |
Rajnagar (also called Nagar and 'Nagore') is a census town in Suri Sadar subdivision of Birbhum District in the Indian state of West Bengal. It was formerly the capital of Royal Kingdoms in the area. With the fading away of the kingdoms, the town lost much of its importance.
Rajnagar was founded by Bir Singh, a great Hindu Raja in ancient times on whose name the district Birbhum was formed. In 1206, Rajnagar was occupied by Muhammad Shiran, a General of Muhammad Bakhtiyar, and annexed by Ali Mardan, on 1211. However, Pathans do not seem to have enjoyed undisputed control over the entire district or area. At least the western part of the district, with Rajnagar as its capital, seems to have been ruled by the descendants of Bir Singh, the Bir Rajas. The rent roll of Todar Mal leads to the conclusion that by the middle of the 16th century the entire district was brought under the administration of the Mughals through numerous wars raged on this 'Gateway of Bengal'. The later Muslim Zamindars of Rajnagar, known as "Nagar Raj", were feudatories of the Mughals.
Jonad Khan, an adventurous Pathan, is said to have established the House at Nagar in 1600, having treachouresly killed the Bir Raja under whom he served. He was succeeded by his son, Bahadur Khan, alias Ranmast Khan. Asadullah Khan (1697-1718), grandson of Bahadur Khan, was a pious man who was on good terms with Murshid Quli Khan, the Nawab of Bengal. A devout person, he enjoyed full autonomy.
His son, Badi-uz-zaman Khan (1718–52) made an abortive attempt at shaking off the nominal allegiance to Murshidabad. He was invested with the title of Raja by Murshid Quli Khan. During his reign Birbhum was ravaged by the Marathas. They also overran Rajnagar. It was during the reign of his son, Asad-uz-Zaman Khan (1752-1777) that the Nagar Raj witnessed the zenith of its power and then started declining. The Raja was faithful to the Nawab and after the Battle of Plassey, was on bad terms with the British. He was defeated by the combined forces of the British and Mir Qasim in 1761. He fled, regrouped and fought back again. He was completely routed at the Battle of Hetampur in 1765. By a treaty, he was restored to his estate but much of his autonomy was lost. In the course of time, they lost their supremacy to the Hetampur Raj. The British set up their district headquarters at Suri, and by the early 19th century, Rajnagar had been reduced to a deserted town with dilapidated palaces and ruins of habitation, and the forest slowly encroaching.
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