Raja Sitaram Ray ( bn, রাজা সীতারাম রায়) (1658–1714) was an autonomous king, a

vassal A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerain. W ...

to the

Mughal Empire The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the d ...

, who revolted against the empire and established a short-lived sovereign

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

dominion in

Bengal region 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 ...

of the

Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a list of the physiographic regions of the world, physiographical region in United Nations geoscheme for Asia#Southern Asia, Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian O ...

Early life

Childhood

When Mir Jumla transferred the capital back to

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest Bengali-speaking city. It is the eighth largest and sixth most densely populated city ...

in 1660, Udaynarayan also moved to Dhaka. At that time, he did not bring his family with him. Shaista Khan became the governor of Bengal in 1664. At that time, Udaynarayan rose to the post of

tehsildar In India and Pakistan, a Tehsildar or Mamlatdar is a tax officer accompanied by revenue inspectors. They are in charge of obtaining taxes from a tehsil with regard to land revenue. A tehsildar is also known as an executive magistrate of the relev ...

and shifted to Bhusna. After a few years, he built a residence at Hariharanagar near the banks of

Madhumati ''Madhumati'' is a 1958 Indian Hindi-language paranormal romance film directed and produced by Bimal Roy, and written by Ritwik Ghatak and Rajinder Singh Bedi. The film stars Vyjayanthimala and Dilip Kumar in lead roles, with Pran and Johnny ...

and brought his family there. Sitaram spent his childhood at his maternal uncle's home at Katwa. At school, he learned

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

and, though

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 ...

was not taught at the ''chatuspathi''s, he studied it at home. He could recite Chandidas and

Jaydev Jayadeva (; born ), also spelt Jaideva, was a Sanskrit poet during the 12th century. He is most known for his epic poem ''Gita Govinda'' which concentrates on Krishna's love with the '' gopi'', Radha, in a rite of spring. This poem, which prese ...

, and had very good handwriting. As he began to grow up, he had to learn

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

, the official language of the Mughal Empire. Later, when he arrived at Bhusna, he picked up

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

lathi'', and learned horse riding and

fencing Fencing is a group of three related combat sports. The three disciplines in modern fencing are the foil, the épée, and the sabre (also ''saber''); winning points are made through the weapon's contact with an opponent. A fourth discipline, s ...

after arriving at Hariharanagar.

Early adulthood

While he was growing up, Sitaram used to frequent Dhaka, the

provincial Provincial may refer to: Government & Administration * Provincial capitals, an administrative sub-national capital of a country * Provincial city (disambiguation) * Provincial minister (disambiguation) * Provincial Secretary, a position in Can ...

capital of Bengal. Shaista Khan was very impressed with his courage and work. At that time, a Pathan

rebel A rebel is a participant in a rebellion. Rebel or rebels may also refer to: People * Rebel (given name) * Rebel (surname) * Patriot (American Revolution), during the American Revolution * American Southerners, as a form of self-identification; s ...

named Karim Khan was wreaking havoc in the

pargana Pargana ( bn, পরগনা, , hi, परगना, ur, پرگنہ) or parganah, also spelt pergunnah during the time of the Sultanate period, Mughal times and British Raj, is a former administrative unit of the Indian subcontinent and each ...

of Satair. The Mughal faujdar had failed to suppress him and Shaista Khan wondered how to crush the

rebellion Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a refusal of obedience or order. It refers to the open resistance against the orders of an established authority. A rebellion originates from a sentiment of indignation and disapproval of a situation and ...

. When Sitaram came forward to subdue the rebel, the

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

sent him on the mission with a few thousand infantry and cavalry. Sitaram fought valiantly and Karim Khan was killed. Shaista Khan, very impressed with the success, rewarded Sitaram with the

jagir A jagir ( fa, , translit=Jāgir), also spelled as jageer, was a type of feudal land grant in the Indian subcontinent at the foundation of its Jagirdar (Zamindar) system. It developed during the Islamic rule era of the Indian subcontinent, start ...

of Naldi pargana.

Career

Reign as jagirdar

After obtaining the jagir, Sitaram concentrated on building an army. At Dhaka, he became acquainted with a soldier of fortune named Ramrup Ghosh, who accompanied him on the mission against Karim Khan. Ramrup was not only a great soldier, but also an accomplished strongman, well versed in

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

. He was popularly known as Mena Hati, for he had killed a small elephant with his bare hands. Ramrup became the chief of Sitaram's army. Two other generals were Rupchand Dhali and Fakira Machhkata. Bakhtar Khan, a Pathan dacoit, and Amal Baig, a

Mughal Mughal or Moghul may refer to: Related to the Mughal Empire * Mughal Empire of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries * Mughal dynasty * Mughal emperors * Mughal people, a social group of Central and South Asia * Mughal architecture * Mug ...

soldier, also joined his ranks. After the death of

Shah Jahan Shihab-ud-Din Muhammad Khurram (5 January 1592 – 22 January 1666), better known by his regnal name Shah Jahan I (; ), was the fifth emperor of the Mughal Empire, reigning from January 1628 until July 1658. Under his emperorship, the Mugha ...

, the Mughal battle for succession left the

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...

in turmoil. Lawlessness was rampant. Naldi was infested with dacoits and Sitaram had overcome them in order to restore order to the troubled pargana. Soon, the

dacoity Dacoity is a term used for "banditry" in the Indian subcontinent. The spelling is the anglicised version of the Hindi word ''daaku''; "dacoit" is a colloquial Indian English word with this meaning and it appears in the ''Glossary of Colloquial ...

was suppressed and Sitaram became the saviour of the masses, after which he began to be compared to the village deity Nishanath. Sitaram built his residence in the village of Suryakunda, where the erstwhile revenue office was also located.

Garrison A garrison (from the French ''garnison'', itself from the verb ''garnir'', "to equip") is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a mil ...

s were set up both at Suryakunda and Hariharanagar. His father was still stationed at Bhusna and he visited him regularly. At this time, he added some

taluka A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluka, or taluk) is a local unit of administrative division in some countries of South Asia. It is a subdistrict of the area within a district including the designated populated place that serves as its administr ...

s of Satair to his jagir. Around 1684, Sitaram's parents died in quick succession. After the sraddha, he went on a

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...

Gaya Gaya may refer to: Geography Czech Republic *Gaya (German and Latin), Kyjov (Hodonín District), a town Guinea * Gaya or Gayah, a town India *Gaya, India, a city in Bihar **Gaya Airport *Bodh Gaya, a town in Bihar near Gaya *Gaya district, Bi ...

. His secretary, Muniram Ray, and principal aide, Ramrup Ghosh, accompanied him. The affairs of the jagir were entrusted to his younger brother Lakshmi Narayan. After completing the ceremonial rites at Gaya, he travelled to the Mughal court at Delhi and made a plea for vassal rule under the empire. In 1688, he was granted the title of ''

Raja ''Raja'' (; from , IAST ') is a royal title used for South Asian monarchs. The title is equivalent to king or princely ruler in South Asia and Southeast Asia. The title has a long history in South Asia and Southeast Asia, being attested f ...

'' and additionally granted the right of Southern Bengal extending into the

Sunderbans Sundarbans (pronounced ) is a mangrove area in Ganges Delta, the delta formed by the confluence of the Padma River, Padma, Brahmaputra River, Brahmaputra and Meghna Rivers in the Bay of Bengal. It spans the area from the Baleswar River in Bang ...

Reign as monarch

In the same year, Sitaram was ceremonially sworn in as the king of Naldi, Satair and the Bhati region of lower Bengal. Although he had become a king, he had no capital. Therefore, he constructed a fortified capital at Mohammadpur, near Suryakunda. Mohammadpur was guarded on three sides by bils and on the east by

. The fort was square, with each side not less than , built of earthen bricks and surrounded by a

moat A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that is dug and surrounds a castle, fortification, building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive ...

. Beyond the fort were natural and artificial water bodies for protection. To the north and east was the

Kaliganga River The Kaliganga River ( bn, কালীগংগা নদী) is a river in Bangladesh that runs for 78 km. The Kaliganga takes off from the Brahmaputra River The Brahmaputra is a trans-boundary river which flows through Tibet, northeast India, ...

. To the west were the beels and Chhatravati river. To the east was Madhumati. In the south, Sitaram constructed a moat extending from east to west, measuring almost a mile in length and in width. Inside the fort, Sitaram set up garrisons and built residences, temples and tanks. He encouraged craftsmen and merchants to set up businesses at Mohammadpur, and soon it became a thriving

metropolis A metropolis () is a large city or conurbation which is a significant economic, political, and cultural center for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections, commerce, and communications. A big c ...

abuzz with trade and commerce. Sitaram added new recruits to the army and added an

artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...

division. His two famous cannons, Kale Khan and Jhumjhum Khan, were commissioned during this time. After the demise of Satrajit Ray, the son of Mukundaram Ray and one of the Bara Bhuiyans of Bengal in 1636, the royal family diminished in stature. Kalinarayan Ray, the son of Satrajit, was a

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 ...

of the small parganas of Rupapat, Poktani, Rukanpur & Kachuberia ''taraf'' of Naldi pargana under the ''chakla'' of Bhusna. During Sitaram's reign, the minor sons of Kalinarayan's grandson Krishna Prasad were the zamindars. Sitaram annexed this small feudatory into his kingdom. To the west of Satrajitpur lay the pargana of Mahmudshahi, at the time under the zamindari of Naldanga. When Sitaram invaded Mahamudshahi, Ramdev, the zamindar of Naldanga, was forced to cede the pargana to Sitaram. Later, when Sachipati Majumdar, the zamindar of Nanduali revolted against Ramdev and stopped paying taxes, Sitaram supported him and made a

treaty A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between actors in international law. It is usually made by and between sovereign states, but can include international organizations An international organization or international o ...

with him. Sitaram annexed the small zamindars in the north up to the Padma, and even some portions to the north of Padma in the district of Pabna. Most of these zamindars were under Pathan rule. To the north of Satair lay the jagir of a Pathan named Daulat Khan. After his demise, the estate broke into four parganas – Nasibshahi, Nusratshahi, Mahimshahi & Belgachhi. Sitaram invaded Nasibshahi when the battle for succession was taking place among the sons of Daulat Khan. Sitaram defeated Nasibshahi in the battle of Malanchigram and the battle of Kalikapur. After defeating the other sons of Daulat Khan, Sitaram annexed all four parganas into his kingdom. The conquest of these Pathan

feudatories A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerain. W ...

took place between 1702 and 1704. When Sitaram was away from Mohammadpur, Manohar Ray, the zamindar of Chanchra, conspired with the Nurullah Khan, the Mughal faujdar of Mirzanagar, to attack Mohammadpur. At that time, the capital was entrusted with his diwan Jadunath Majumdar. The combined forces of Manohar Ray and Nurullah Khan camped at Bunagati. Jadunath connected the streams of Chitra and Phatki by a canal to check their further advancement and

garrison A garrison (from the French ''garnison'', itself from the verb ''garnir'', "to equip") is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a mil ...

ed his troops and artillery. Manohar Ray, sensing defeat, made peace with Jadunath and retreated. When Sitaram received the news, he immediately invaded the Ishafpur pargana of Chanchra and advanced with his troops to Nilganj. Manohar was forced to accept the

suzerainty Suzerainty () is the rights and obligations of a person, state or other polity who controls the foreign policy and relations of a tributary state, while allowing the tributary state to have internal autonomy. While the subordinate party is cal ...

of Sitaram and pay revenue to him. In the Sundarbans, Sitaram's domain lay to the east of Shibsha river, corresponding to the modern district of

Bagerhat Bagerhat Sadar ( bn, বাগেরহাট সদর) is an upazila of Bagerhat District in the Division of Khulna, Bangladesh. The municipality was established in 1958. It consists of 9 wards and 31 mahallas. History Khan Jahan Ali established ...

. In 1710, when the peasants revolted and stopped paying taxes, he advanced with his troops in vessels like ''sip'' and ''palwar'' along the

towards the south. In the battle of Rampal, he defeated the rebels and annexed the parganas of Churulia and Madhudiya. Sitaram's kingdom extended from the northern banks of Padma to the

Bay of Bengal The Bay of Bengal is the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean, bounded on the west and northwest by India, on the north by Bangladesh, and on the east by Myanmar and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India. Its southern limit is a line between ...

in the south. The kingdom constituted of two distinct regions – the densely populated urban settlements to the north of the

Bhairab River Bhairab River ( bn, ভৈরব নদী) is a river in south-western Bangladesh, a distributary of the Ganges. It passes through Khulna, dividing the city into two parts. Bhairab River originates from Tengamari border of Meherpur District an ...

and the sparsely populated agricultural estates to the south of the Bhairab. The northern portion extended from Pabna in the north to Bhairab in the south and from Mahmudshahi pargana in the west to Telihati pargana in the east. The southern portion extended from Bhairab in the north to

in the south, and from river Pashar in the west to

Barisal Barisal ( or ; bn, বরিশাল, ), officially known as Barishal, is a major city that lies on the banks of the Kirtankhola river in south-central Bangladesh. It is the largest city and the administrative headquarter of both Barisal Dist ...

in the east. The kingdom consisted of 44 parganas and its annual revenue amount to more than ten million.

Conflict with the Mughals

When

Azim-us-Shan Azim-ush-Shan ( fa, ; 15 December 1664 – 18 March 1712) was the second son of Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah I, Shah Alam I, by his second wife, Amrita Bai, Princess of Kishangarh State, Kishangarh. He was the grandson of Emperor Aurangzeb, dur ...

became the

subahdar Subahdar, also known as Nazim or in English as a "Subah", was one of the designations of a governor of a Subah (province) during the Khalji dynasty of Bengal, Mamluk dynasty (Delhi), Khalji dynasty, Tughlaq dynasty, Mughal era ( of India who w ...

of Bengal, he made his close relative Mir Abu Torap the faujdar of Bhusna. Although his primary duty was to keep Sitaram under check, he unleashed a reign of terror upon arriving at Bhusna. He forced the tax defaulters to convert to Islam. When Sitaram learned of such

punitive Punishment, commonly, is the imposition of an undesirable or unpleasant outcome upon a group or individual, meted out by an authority—in contexts ranging from child discipline to criminal law—as a response and deterrent to a particular acti ...

measures, he resolved not to pay a penny to the Mughal treasury. Abu Torap sent a contemptful reminder explaining to him the consequences. Abu Torap, however, did not have a warm relation with Murshid Quli Khan, the Diwan of Bengal, and Sitaram knew that well.

, the subahdar was away in Delhi. His son Farrukhsiyar the acting

was more interested in the developments at Delhi than the affairs of Bengal. The capital of the

was relocated from Dhaka to

Patna Patna ( ), historically known as Pataliputra, is the capital and largest city of the state of Bihar in India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Patna had a population of 2.35 million, making it the 19th largest city in India. ...

, so it was difficult for Abu Torap to get any direct support either from the Diwan or the Subahdar. Therefore, he decided to act on his own. Abu Torap was only a faujdar and, therefore, he had limited resources at his disposal. Whenever he sent his forces to subdue Sitaram, they were confronted with the archers and soldiers who manned the borders of Sitaram's kingdom. In 1713, Murshid Quli Khan became the subahdar of Bengal and Abu Torap approached him for help, which he ignored. Abu Torap sent his troops once again, but Sitaram opted for

guerrilla tactics Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare in which small groups of combatants, such as paramilitary personnel, armed civilians, or irregulars, use military tactics including ambushes, sabotage, raids, petty warfare, hit-and-run tactics ...

and frustrated the Mughal army in the unfriendly terrain. Unwilling to give up, Abu Torap deputed his commander-in-chief Pir Khan, a Pathan to subdue Sitaram. The latter had set up his artillery along the banks of

and garrisoned his troops in the jungles in the tract between Madhumati and Barasia. Sitaram's troops met the Mughal army in the banks of Barasia. During the battle, the Mughal army was defeated, and Mir Abu Torap was killed by Mena Hati. Sitaram's army marched forward and captured the fort of Bhusna. Sitaram stationed a section of his army at Bhusna and put himself at the command of the fort. The Mohammadpur fort was put under the command of Mena Hati. The rest of the army was garrisoned along the Madhumati. Sitaram knew that the clash with the Mughals was inevitable. Sitaram, therefore, began to strengthen his army and reinforce his artillery. As the news of Abu Torap's death reached

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 ...

, Murshid Quli Khan immediately appointed his own brother-in-law Bux Ali Khan as the new faujdar of Bhusna. He notified all the

s to assist the faujdar in subduing Sitaram. Bux Ali Khan was accompanied to Bhusna by Sangram Singh the commander-in-chief of the

army of Bengal. Dayaram Ray, the principal aide of Raghunandan, the founder of the Natore estate, followed them with the zamindar's army under his command. Bux Ali Khan and Sangram Singh went along the Padma and embarked near Faridpur and then marched to Bhusna. Sitaram too marched forward with his troops and in the ensuing battle the Mughals were defeated. The Mughal army surrounded the fort of Bhusna and Sitaram sensed that it would be difficult to hold on to both the forts at Bhusna and Mohammadpur. In the meantime, Dayaram had marched to Mohammadpur with his forces. Knowing that it would not be easy for him to capture the fort in a direct battle, he conspired and had Mena Hati killed by

sabotage Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening a polity, effort, or organization through subversion, obstruction, disruption, or destruction. One who engages in sabotage is a ''saboteur''. Saboteurs typically try to conceal their identitie ...

, sending his severed head to Murshidabad. On receiving the news of Mena Hati's death, Sitaram retreated to Mohammadpur with most of his troops. Bux Ali Khan, too, followed him to Mohammadpur. Sitaram evacuated most of the civilian population from the fort and sent his family to

Kolkata Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...

. Dayaram and Bux Ali Khan attacked the fort from the east and the south. After defending the fort for a long time, Sitaram was captured and Mohammadpur fell. Dayaram escorted him in chains to Murshidabad. At the trial, Sitaram was sentenced to death by Murshid Quli Khan and his relatives were imprisoned for life. His final rites were performed at the banks of

Ganges The Ganges ( ) (in India: Ganga ( ); in Bangladesh: Padma ( )). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international river to which India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China are the riparian states." is ...

in Murshidabad.

Welfare

Water reservoirs

Sitaram constructed a number of water reservoirs in the capital to meet the need of

drinking water Drinking water is water that is used in drink or food preparation; potable water is water that is safe to be used as drinking water. The amount of drinking water required to maintain good health varies, and depends on physical activity level, a ...

for the fort, city and the adjacent villages. The most famous of them was the

Ram Sagar Ramsagar ( bn, রামসাগর), located in the village Tajpur in Dinajpur District. It is the most-frequently visited tourist destination in Dinajpur. Location It is situated about 8 kilometers south of the Dinajpur town. Description Th ...

, a rectangular lake measuring by . It had a depth of about . Even in the summer, it sustained a water level of at least . The reservoir was treated to prevent against any algal bloom. Towards the west of the fort, in the village of Harekrishnapur, Sitaram constructed another lake called Krishna Sagar, measuring 1000 ft by 350 ft. The excavated earth was used to raise earthen embankments at some clearance around the lake in order to prevent the

flood A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrol ...

water from contaminating the tank. To the west of Ram Sagar, towards the beels, Sitaram constructed another tank named Sukh Sagar. It was squarish in shape, with each side about . At the centre, there was a three-story luxurious

palace A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome which ...

, which served as the summer retreat for the royal family. ''Mayurpankhi'' boats ferried them to the palace in the middle of the lake.

Temples

Sitaram came from a

Shakta Shaktism ( sa, शाक्त, , ) is one of several major Hindu denominations, wherein the metaphysical reality is considered metaphorically a woman and Shakti (Mahadevi) is regarded as the supreme godhead. It includes many goddesses, all ...

family, and was initiated into

Shaktism Shaktism ( sa, शाक्त, , ) is one of several major Hindu denominations, wherein the metaphysical reality is considered metaphorically a woman and Shakti ( Mahadevi) is regarded as the supreme godhead. It includes many goddesses, al ...

in his early life. After setting up the capital at Mohammadpur, he erected a Dashabhuja Temple there. When he visited his father in Bhusna, he used to frequent the Gopinath Jiu ''akhada''. Gradually, he became attracted to

Vaishnavism Vaishnavism ( sa, वैष्णवसम्प्रदायः, Vaiṣṇavasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu denominations along with Shaivism, Shaktism, and Smartism. It is also called Vishnuism since it considers Vishnu as the ...

, becoming a disciple of Krishna Vallabh Goswami of

, who initiated him to the faith. Sitaram erected a ''pancharatna'' temple dedicated to Hare Krishna in the village of Kanainagar to the west of the fort at Mohammadpur.

Marriages and children

Sitaram married the daughter of a

Kayastha Kayastha (also referred to as Kayasth) denotes a cluster of disparate Indian communities broadly categorised by the regions of the Indian subcontinent in which they were traditionally locatedthe Chitraguptavanshi Kayasthas of North India, the C ...

resident of Edilpore in Bhusna. She did not have any children, and very little is known about her. After obtaining the jagir of Naldi, Sitaram married Kamala, the daughter of a

Kulin Kulin may refer to: Places *Kulin, Western Australia, a small town in Australia ** Shire of Kulin, a local government area *Kulin, Iran, a village near Tehran *Kulin, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, a village in south-west Poland *Kulin, Kuyavian-Pome ...

, Saral Khan Ghosh, a resident of Das Palsha village in the district of Birbhum. Kamala became his principal wife and, when Sitaram became king, she became the king's consort. She bore him two sons, Shyamsundar and Surnarayan. Sitaram's third wife came from the village of

Patuli Patuli is a village under Purbasthali police station of Kalna subdivision in Purba Bardhaman district in the Indian state of West Bengal. History Patuli was the centre of an old Hindu kingdom, which fell to the advancing Turkish forces. Subse ...

, presently under Katwa sub-division of Burdwan district. Though her name is not known, she bore him two sons, Bamdev and Jaydev. Both sons died in childhood.

References

External links

Bhusna and Raja Sitaram Ray
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ray, Raja Sitaram Rulers of Bengal 18th-century Indian monarchs 1714 deaths 1658 births People from Magura District