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পশিচণবনগ (Paścimbangga)

মুশিদাবাদ (Murshidābād)

মুশিদাবাদ (Murshidābād or Murshidabad) is a former capital of Bengal, centered on the left (east) bank of the Bhāgirathi River1 in the district named for the city in Malda Division, পশিচণবনগ (Paścimbangga2), भारत (Bhārat3). British administration moved south in the 19th century but it remained important for a while as the residence of the region's nawab. Today it has a population of 44 thousand.4 Tourists enjoy the Hazarduari Palace (19th century) and the Nizamat Imambara (19th century replacing the prior structure that was accidentally destroyed by celebratory fireworks).5

NameYearPopulation
Murshidabad1800 CE190,0006
Murshidabad2011 CE44,0003

Historical maps

map of Malda and Jalpaiguri divisions of Paścimbangga State, and of Sikkim State, both of Bhārat, and of Druk Yul, 1800 CE

map of Druk Yul, and part of Bhārat, specifically, Paścimbangga and Sikkim, 2000 CE

External references

Nazimat Imambara, Murshidābād city and district, Malda Division, Paścimbangga, Bhārat

Footnotes

1. Known as the Hugli (or Hooghly) downstream. It is a distribary of the Ganga (or Ganges), and ends in the Bay of Bengal.
2. West Bengal in English.
3. India in English.
4. 2011 figure from side margin of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murshidabad, accessed July 10, 2018.
5. Selected from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tourist_attractions_in_West_Bengal, accessed July 11, 2018. The first nine were examined but the Donars was omitted as too vague, so eight were included for these articles. An imambara is a ceremonial hall for Shi'ah Moslems.
6. Tertius Chandler, Four Thousand Years of Urban Growth, 2nd ed. (The Edwin Mellen Press, 1987), "Tables of the World's Largest Cities." Murshidabad was the largest city in what is now West Bengal in 1800.