Set in the Brilliant landscape of rural Bengal, Murshidabad is a historic city lies close to the commercial town of Behrampur. Several 18th century monuments along the banks of the Hoogly stand as reminders of its days as the last independent capital of Bengal. Established early in the 18th century by the Nawab Murshid Quli Khan, Murshidabad was soon eclipsed when the force of Nawab Siraj –ud-Daula were defeated by Robert Clive at the Battle of Plassey in 1757. British established their garrison in Murshidabad and came to dominate Bengal from the new city of Calcutta. Murshidabad was equally grandeur as London at that time as Rober Clive described it in his memoir. Murshidabad is adorned with many palaces and whopping seven hundred mosques. Now it’s not even a city and most of its past glory lies in ruins, though it is still renowned for cottage industries, especially silk weaving.



Murshidabad’s intriguing mixture of cultures is reflected in its architectural styles. Hazarduari, the Nawab’s palace is the chief attraction of the town, which is excellent example of Italian architecture. Another one is Katra Mosque, established by Murshid Quli Khan followed the style of Mecca mosque. Another famous attraction is the Jahankosh cannon, which is 17.5 ft long and 16,880 lbs in weight. The grave of Sira-ud-Daula at Khusbagh also known as Garden of Delight is another attraction.

Sight And Activities

Hazarduari Palace
The biggest draw of Murshidabad, is spread in 41 acres. The palace was established in 1837 by Duncan Macleod in an Italian style. The palace is now changed into a museum that preserve a rare collection of armory, paintings, potraits of Nawabs, Ivory works of China and many more. In addition there are vintage cars used by Nawabs.

Nasipur Palace
King Kirtichand Bahadur built this palace in the 19th century. The palace compund has twin temples: the Ramchandra Temple and Lakshmi Narayan Temple. Two cannons are placed in front of the palace is believed to be gifted by British to Mir Jafar.

Motijheel
The lake is a popular attraction among travelers, which is 3 km from Hazarduari. Nawab Naoajas Mohammad Khan built a huge palace near the lake. The place is also known as ‘Company Bagh’ for its occupation by east India Company. There is an interesting tale about this lake as people still believe that the wealth of Nawab is buried in the lake.

Kath Gola
The small but beautiful palace is surrounded by gardens. The palace is only exception in the region, which was built by a Ajin businessman. The palace holds some rare collection of western items and nearby the Adinath temple is another tourist attraction.

Shopping
Murshidabad is famous for its silk textile, baluchari sari, Ivory carvings and handicrafts items.