The

Nawab Nawab (Balochi language, Balochi: نواب; ar, نواب; bn, নবাব/নওয়াব; hi, नवाब; Punjabi language, Punjabi : ਨਵਾਬ; Persian language, Persian, Punjabi language, Punjabi , Sindhi language, Sindhi, Urd ...

s of Dhanbari ( bn, ধনবাড়ীর নবাব) were a

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

aristocratic family of feudal landowners. The

zamindari A zamindar ( Hindustani: Devanagari: , ; Persian: , ) in the Indian subcontinent was an autonomous or semiautonomous ruler of a province. The term itself came into use during the reign of Mughals and later the British had begun using it as a ...

estate encompassed parts of the

Tangail District Tangail ( bn, টাঙ্গাইল জেলা) formerly a small Mohokuma of Greater Mymensingh district is a district (''zila'') in the central region of Bangladesh. In 1969, Tangail district was created by Tangail Mohokuma from its 237 ...

, particularly around

Dhanbari Dhanbari ( bn, ধনবাড়ী) is a town of Dhanbari Upazila, Tangail, Bangladesh. The town is situated 63 km northeast of Tangail city and 143 km northwest of Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), forme ...

. Although their aristocratic status was lost with the

East Bengal State Acquisition and Tenancy Act of 1950 The East Bengal State Acquisition and Tenancy Act of 1950 (also known as the East Pakistan Estate Acquisition Act 1950) was a law passed by the newly formed democratic Government of East Bengal in the Dominion of Pakistan (present day Bangladesh) ...

, the Dhanbari estate remains an important part of the history of Tangail and tourist attraction.

Location

The family is based in the town of

, which is presently in

Dhanbari Upazila Dhanbari ( bn, ধনবাড়ী) is an upazila under Tangail District in the division of Dhaka. It was formed in 2006 by the efforts of Fakir Mahbub Anam Swapan,Central BNP leader who contest in the constituency Tangail-1 (Madhupur -Dhanbari ...

of northern

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

History

The family claim to be a descendant of Shah Atiqullah, a

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

preacher from

Baghdad Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon ...

, who had migrated to

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...

in the Mughal period. However, historian

Muhammad Mojlum Khan Muhammad Mojlum Khan (born 6 December 1973) is a Bangladeshi-born British non-fiction writer. Early life Khan was born in Habiganj District, Bangladesh, and was brought up and educated in England. Khan studied classical Arabic and traditional ...

argues that "there is no conclusive evidence" of the family's descent from Shah Atiqullah. A certain Shah Sultan from this family migrated to

Bengal Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...

. The title of

was granted to Shah Khoda Bakhsh of this family, making him the feudal landowner of Dhanbari and surrounding areas. He married his only daughter, Talebunnisa, to Raza Ali Khan, another Zamindar based in Tangail and the son of Ekabar Ali Khan. Bakhsh was succeeded by his son, Nawab Syed Muhammad Shah, who was granted the title of

Chowdhury Chowdhury is a title of honour, usually hereditary, originating from the Indian subcontinent. It is an adaption from Sanskrit. During the Mughal rule, it was a title awarded to eminent people, while during British rule, the term was associated ...

. His wife Syedani Karimunnesa became the owner of

Zamindar A zamindar ( Hindustani: Devanagari: , ; Persian: , ) in the Indian subcontinent was an autonomous or semiautonomous ruler of a province. The term itself came into use during the reign of Mughals and later the British had begun using it as a ...

i in course of circumstances. They were succeeded by their son, Nawab Janab Ali Chowdhury. He married the daughter of Muhammad Ali Khan Chowdhury, the

Zamindar of Natore Zamindars of Natore were influential aristocratic Bengali Zamindars (rent-receiving landholders), who owned large estates in what is today Natore District in Bangladesh . They contributed to the development of East Bengal and later Bangladesh t ...

. He died at the age of 28, leaving a son and a daughter (Sarah Khatun-Chowdhurani). The next son, Syed Nawab Ali Chowdhury, married Altafunnesa Chowdhurani, daughter of Nawab Abdus Sobhan Chowdhury, the

Bogra Bogra ( bn, বগুড়া), officially known as Bogura, is a major city located in Bogra District, Rajshahi Division, Bangladesh. The city is a major commercial hub in Northern Bangladesh. It is the second largest city in Rajshahi Divi ...

. After the death of Altafunnesa,

Nawab Ali Nawab Ali (1902–1977) was a Bangladeshi physician and academic. He was an elected member of East Pakistan provincial assembly. He was also principal of Dhaka Medical College. Early life He was born at Matlab Uttar of Chandpur in the then un ...

married Syedani Shahida Akter Khatun, a descendant of

Baro-Bhuiyan The Baro-Bhuyans (or ''Baro-Bhuyan Raj''; also ''Baro-Bhuians'' and Baro-Bhuiyans) refers to the confederacies of soldier-landowners in Assam and Bengal in the late Middle Ages and the early modern period. The confederacies consisted of loose ...

chief

Isa Khan Isa Khan (c. 1529 – September 1599) was a Muslim Rajput zamindar who was one of the Baro Bhuiyans (twelve landlords) and a Zamindar of Khizirpur in 16th-century Bengal. Throughout his reign he resisted the Mughal empire invasion. It was on ...

. Thirdly, he married Syedani Sakina Khatun Chowdhurani, another daughter of Nawab Abdus Sobhan Chowdhury. Syed Nawab Ali Chowdhury had two sons and two daughters: * Syed Faizul Bari Altaf-ul Ali Chowdhury : He had 4 sons & 2 daughters: ** Syed Muhammad Ali Chowdhury ** Syed Ahmad Ali Chowdhury ** Syed Hamed Ali Chowdhury ** Syed Mahmud Ali Chowdhury * Syedani Umme Fatima Zahera Khatun : She married Lt. Muhammad Hossain of Delduar

House. *

Syed Hasan Ali Chowdhury Syed Hasan Ali Chowdhury ( bn, সৈয়দ হাসান আলী চৌধুরী; – 30 May 1981) was a Bangladeshi politician, minister and the former Nawab of Dhanbari. He served as a Minister for Commerce and Industry in East Pak ...

: He married Razia Khatun, daughter of Barrister Ashraf Ali Chowdhury (Ashraf Ali was the son of

Ershad Ali Chowdhury and grandson of Nabab Abdus Sobhan Chowdhury). * Syedani Umme Fatima Humera Khatun: She married Muzaffar-ul Masvi (nephew of

Wajed Ali Khan Panni Wajed Ali Khan Panni (also known as Chand Mian; 14 November 1871 – 25 April 1936) was a Bengali politician, educationist and the zamindar of Karatia. Early life Panni was born into a Bengali Muslim family in Karatia Union, Karatia, Tangail D ...

of Karatia). ** Mohammed Haider Ali Khan Panni (Son of Syedani Umme Fatima Humera Khatun & Grandson of Syed Nawab Ali Chowdhury) *** Mehedi Ali Khan Panni ****

Muhammad Bayazeed Khan Panni Bayazeed Khan Panni ( bn, বায়াজীদ খান পন্নী; 1925–2012) was a politician, homeopathic medicine practitioner, writer, and social reformer. He was a member of East Pakistan provincial assembly. Early life Pann ...

**** Khurram Khan Panni (cousin of Muhammad Bayazeed Khan Panni)

References

{{Bengal Nobility Mughal Empire Bengali families

Location

History

See also

References