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Have U heard about the notorious Devi Singh who founded the Nashipur Raj family ? Have you seen the Nashipur Rajbati, a stone’s throw away from the Mir Jaffer’s palace ( of which only the gates are standing in the name of “Nimak haram deuri) in present Lalbag area in Berhampur. The palace is often refered to as a "miniature Hazarduari" because of the similarity in features. The grand flight of stair, the large gothic columns, the huge hall for the court and entertainment, the courtyard with the belgian glass enclosure where the Baijis performed.
Nashipur was one of the bigger zamindaries in bengal. It had large portions of the districts of Birbhum, Murshidabad and Malda, beside the now Bangladesh districts of Rajshahi, Bagura and Pabna. The family went on to remain a major zamindar, Raja Bahadur Bhupendra Narayan Sinha died in Delhi in 1949. He had one son Ranendra Narayan Sinha and two daughters.Ranendra Narayan Sinha (the last titular head of the Nashipur Raj family, as the Zamindary system was abolished in 1953 in West Bengal) died in 1992. The nephew of Maharaja Debi Singh, Raja Udmant Singh built a temple complex in Nashipur. The present palace was totally renovated by Raja Udmant's grandnephew Raja Kirti Chand in 1856.
Nashipur was one of the bigger zamindaries in bengal. It had large portions of the districts of Birbhum, Murshidabad and Malda, beside the now Bangladesh districts of Rajshahi, Bagura and Pabna. The family went on to remain a major zamindar, Raja Bahadur Bhupendra Narayan Sinha died in Delhi in 1949. He had one son Ranendra Narayan Sinha and two daughters.Ranendra Narayan Sinha (the last titular head of the Nashipur Raj family, as the Zamindary system was abolished in 1953 in West Bengal) died in 1992. The nephew of Maharaja Debi Singh, Raja Udmant Singh built a temple complex in Nashipur. The present palace was totally renovated by Raja Udmant's grandnephew Raja Kirti Chand in 1856.
A small businessman, Devi Singh came from the then Haryana side (probably Panipat) and like all outsiders, immediately started ruling the historically spineless Bengalis as the Collector of Bengal under Mirkashem and then Lord Clive in the Post-Plassey era, about 1765. The biggest marks he has made in the history was as the extremely cruel ruthless official of the rulers, particularly in the times of the famous “Chiattor-ar monnantor” (The famine of 76) which happened in the year 1770-71, in which many lacs of Bengalis died straight out of starvation, many families sold their children for a handful of rice, not to mention selling wives or parents. Devi Singh shown absolute ruthlessness in getting the taxes though, even for a due of Rs. 1, he used to hang the starving people every day, his favourite sport. The defaulters were kept locked in a dark cellar in the palace and were executed by hanging when the mood of Devi Singh went up.
If you go to the palace now, you can still see the hanging room in all it’s glory, complete with an underground channel which went to meet the ganges river about 500 mts away, te gargoyle through which the blood flowed to the sewer, and the remains of the black hangman dresses (cloak & hood) he used to wear when he did it in his own hand. It is said that Devi Singh used to put only about 30% of the collected taxes in the coffers and spent the rest on his own aggrandizement – the torture practice being in the full knowledge of Clive (he was reprimanded on this issue which came up in the trial of Clive in the English parliament in 1778). Devi Singh is credited in the history to cause the death of at least 50000 people additionally, just by his ruthless policies.
Have you heard of Hirabai ? She was the 6’2” tall sensuous beautiful 16-year old Iranian dancer in 1755. 15-year old Shiraz bought her from the King of Kashi for Rs. 5 Lacs or 1000 gold mohurs. For this money, he kept his grandfather Alivardi captive for 3 days in his Heerazhil palace to get him to agree to pay the money. She later, post-Shiraz, stayed on on Murshidabad and used to dance in the courts of the rich, at a fee of Rs. 5000 per night !! Mirzafar is said to want to keep her as an exclusive kept. to which she refused. Hirabai was quite a regular in the house of Jagat Seth too, beside the other miscellaneous rich people who had the money at the time. There is a painting of Hirabai (then mid-aged) in the Nashipur Rajvati even now and (a friend of mine commented he is ready to pay 5000 each for 30 nights for this lady).
There was another side of Devi Singh (given the title Raja and later Maharaja) that can explain where these hard-earned money (hanging people for a due of Rs. 1 was no joke) from the taxes went. He loved to get the top class baiji-s for dancing in his courtyard, which still has the wrought iron stands on the 4 sides to hold the Belgian glasses to make the periphery where they used to dance. He often used to get Hirabai (then 30+ at a rate of Rs. 5000/- per night) too.
Except Rajballabh, there was no Bengali in any important post at any time in the era of either Alivardhy or Shiraz. In the Mir Zafar’s era, Nabakeshto Munshi was added by a soft nudge of the English and became Raja Nabakrishna Dev (after becoming the collector-general of Bengal-Bihar-Orissa, and long after he got a sizeable portion of the loot after Plassey, of what had remained after Clive took 2/3rd of what was there (but it is said that Clive did not come to know about a secret Rs. 8 crore which was shared by Nabakeshto, Mirzaffer and Mirza Mohammadi baig, son of the killer of Shiraz). By an official accounts available with the Shovabazar Raj family, Nabakrishna had spent more than a lac rupees the first time he went for Durgapujo, to impress the English Gentry. He spent Rs. 9 Lacs plus in the last rites ceremony of his mother, in the year 1782.
