Motijhil (also Motijheel, literal translation: Pearl Lake), also known as Company due to its association with the
East India Company
The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...
, is a
horse-shoe shaped lake in
Murshidabad
Murshidabad fa, مرشد آباد (, or ) is a historical city in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is located on the eastern bank of the Bhagirathi River, a distributary of the Ganges. It forms part of the Murshidabad district.
During ...
,
West Bengal
West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fourt ...
, India. It was created by Nawazish Muhammad Khan, the son-in-law of Nawab
Alivardi Khan
Alivardi Khan (1671 – 9 April 1756) was the Nawab of Bengal from 1740 to 1756. He toppled the Nasiri dynasty of Nawabs by defeating Sarfaraz Khan in 1740 and assumed power himself.
During much of his reign Alivardi encountered frequent Mar ...
. He also constructed a precious palatial palace beside this lake which is called the ''Sang-i- dalan'' (literal translation:stone palace) which is also known as the ''Motijhil Palace''. It is located at the bend of this lake. It was used as the residence of Nawazish and
Ghaseti Begum
Mehar un-Nisa Begum ( fa, ), better known as Ghaseti Begum ( bn, ঘসেটি বেগম, Ghôśeṭi Begôm), was the eldest daughter of Alivardi Khan, Nawab of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa during 1740–1758.
Early life
Ghaseti Begum was the ...
, Nawazish's beloved wife.
It is said that after Nawazish died, Ghaseti Begum lived here until Nawab
Siraj ud-Daulah
Mirza Muhammad Siraj-ud-Daulah ( fa, ; 1733 – 2 July 1757), commonly known as Siraj-ud-Daulah or Siraj ud-Daula, was the last independent Nawab of Bengal. The end of his reign marked the start of the rule of the East India Company over Beng ...
took over the palace and seized the residents' in 1756 AD. With this money he built a similar lake with a beautiful palace, Hirajheel, on the opposite side of the
Bhagirathi River
The Bhāgīrathī (Pron: /ˌbʌgɪˈɹɑːθɪ/) is a turbulent Himalayan river in the Indian state of Uttarakhand, and one of the two headstreams of the Ganges, the major river of Northern India and the holy river of Hinduism. In the Hindu fa ...
. The palace has a lofty gateway, a mosque known as the ''"Shahamat Jang"'' and the ''Kala Masjid'' and some other buildings which were all built by Nawazish. This palace was built in 1740. As far as etymology is concerned, the palace has been named so as it was built using black basalt pillars which were brought from the ruins of
Gaur
The gaur (''Bos gaurus''; ), also known as the Indian bison, is a bovine native to South Asia and Southeast Asia, and has been listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1986. The global population was estimated at a maximum of 21,000 m ...
. Thus, it was given the name of ''Sang-i-Dalan'' or the Stone Palace. This palace was then decorated with different varieties of flower plants and precious marbles.
![Motijhil](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8e/Motijhil.jpg)
According to
James Rennell
Major James Rennell, (3 December 1742 – 29 March 1830) was an English geographer, historian and a pioneer of oceanography. Rennell produced some of the first accurate maps of Bengal at one inch to five miles as well as accurate outlines of Ind ...
Motijhil is a horse shoe shaped lake. Motijhil is situated about one and a half kilometers away from Murshidabad in the south and about three kilometres away from the
Hazarduari Palace
Hazarduari Palace, earlier known as the ''Bara Kothi'', is located in the campus of Kila Nizamat in Murshidabad, in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is situated near the bank of river Ganges. It was built in the nineteenth century by archit ...
in the south east. It has been excavated on the former beds of the Bhagirathi River that once flowed near this lake. The river was much nearer in 1766 that now. At south there is a tank known as the ''Shanti Pukur''. The offices were built on its banks.
Motijhil was also the residence of
Warren Hastings
Warren Hastings (6 December 1732 – 22 August 1818) was a British colonial administrator, who served as the first Governor of the Presidency of Fort William (Bengal), the head of the Supreme Council of Bengal, and so the first Governor-Genera ...
from 1771 to 1773, when he became the political President at the court of the Nawab. It had also paid host to
Robert Clive
Robert Clive, 1st Baron Clive, (29 September 1725 – 22 November 1774), also known as Clive of India, was the first British Governor of the Bengal Presidency. Clive has been widely credited for laying the foundation of the British ...
and
John Shore, 1st Baron Teignmouth
John Shore, 1st Baron Teignmouth (5 October 1751 – 14 February 1834) was a British official of the East India Company who served as Governor-General of Bengal from 1793 to 1798. In 1798 he was created Baron Teignmouth in the Peerage of ...
.
Kala Masjid
![Motijhil Mosque, Kala Masjid](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/35/Motijhil_Mosque%2C_Kala_Masjid.jpg)
''Kala Masjid'' or ''
Jama Masjid, Motijheel
Jama Masjid (also known as both Kala Masjid and Motijheel Mosque) is a congregational mosque located at Motijhil, in the historic city of Murshidabad, West Bengal, India.
Geography
Location
Jama Masjid is located at .
Jama Masjid stands on the ...
'' is situated in the vicinity of the lake and was constructed in 1749–50 AD. The construction date is also mentioned in a Persian inscription which is embedded in the wall of the mosque.
The mosque is rectangular in plan and has three domes. The mosque rests on several octagonal drums which are plain and are devoid of any decoration and the domes are crowned by lotus and ''kalasha'' (pot) finials. It also has four octagonal minarets at the four corners which taper upwards and are topped by bulbous kiosks which are supported on slender pillars. The minaret shafts are decorated. The facade is also ornamented. Three arched doorways on the east open to a prayer hall. A copy of the Quran, calligraphed by Nawazish Muhammad Khan himself is also kept preserved inside the mosque.
The plinth area of the mosque is 5986 square feet.
![Motijheel Lake View murshidabad By Ansuman Bhattacharya](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/40/Motijheel_Lake_View_murshidabad_By_Ansuman_Bhattacharya.jpg)
Opposite to this masjid on the east banks of the lake used to be an ornamented mosque known as the ''Raesh Bagh''.
Motijheel lake and the structures in its vicinity are protected monuments and are looked after by the
Archaeological Survey of India
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is an Indian government agency that is responsible for archaeological research and the conservation and preservation of cultural historical monuments in the country. It was founded in 1861 by Alexande ...
.
Tombs
![Motijheel Mosque Murshidabad By Ansuman Bhattacharya](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/93/Motijheel_Mosque_Murshidabad_By_Ansuman_Bhattacharya.jpg)
East of the Kala Masjid are several enclosures which host the tombs of Nawazish Muhammad Khan, his adopted son Ekram-ud-Daula, Ekram's tutor, Ekram's nurse and Nawazish Khan's General, Shumsheree Ali Khan. The tombs of Ekram and Nawazish are made of marble and that of Shumsheree is made of sandstone. The grave of Ekram's tutor is made of black stone. Ekram was the younger brother of Nawab Siraj ud-Daulah.
To the west of the mosque and beyond the compound wall of the Motijhil Lake, stands a ruined royal gateway, also built by Nawazish Muhammad Khan.
Motijhil also hosts the grave of the son of Mr. Keating, Edward Keating. In 1774, Mr. Keating was the Superintendent of the Murshidabad Mint and later became the judge of the court of appeal. The slab embedded on the grave says that his son was born on 20 December 1779 and died on 3 March 1785 (aged 5 years, 2 months and 11 days).
New constructions
In 1758, after Siraj ud-Daulah's defeat in at the
Battle of Plassey
The Battle of Plassey was a decisive victory of the British East India Company over the Nawab of Bengal and his French allies on 23 June 1757, under the leadership of Robert Clive. The victory was made possible by the defection of Mir Jafar, ...
,
Mir Jafar
Sayyid Mīr Jaʿfar ʿAlī Khān Bahādur ( – 5 February 1765) was a military general who became the first dependent Nawab of Bengal of the British East India Company. His reign has been considered by many historians as the start of the expan ...
, who succeeded Siraj as the
Nawab of Bengal
The Nawab of Bengal ( bn, বাংলার নবাব) was the hereditary ruler of Bengal Subah in Mughal India. In the early 18th-century, the Nawab of Bengal was the ''de facto'' independent ruler of the three regions of Bengal, Bihar, ...
, constructed a palace with 12 doors here and named it Bara Duari (''the palace with twelve doors''). Robert Clive is said to have lived here. He also stayed here to negotiate with the Nawabs for the transfer of the Diwani to the East India Company. On 29 April 1766 he held the first ceremony of beginning the revenue collections here with Clive as the Dewan, when
Nazam-ud-Daulah was the Nawab.
References
External links
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{{Mosques in India
Tourist attractions in Murshidabad
Islamic rule in the Indian subcontinent
Lakes of West Bengal