Rani Rashmoni

Rani Rashmoni was the legendary philanthropist of 19^th century Bengal. She was termed as the Ahilyabai Holkar of Bengal. Rashmoni was born in 1793 in a place called Halishahar of 24 Parganas North in the state of West Bengal to agriculturist Mahishya Hindu parents Harekrishna Das and Rampriya Das. As she was good looking, she was married off at the age of 11 years to a scion of a rich aristocratic zamindari landlord family of Janbazar located in north Calcutta. It was third marriage for her husband Babu Raj Chandra Das. Raj Chandra Das was an educated erudite man , mentally ahead of his time. He was unconventional and liberal in outlook in an era when it was considered that Bhadralok upper class Hindu Bengali women should not cross purdah or do things which are considered manly. Such things were strictly prohibited and were considered shameless. Rashmoni was encouraged to participate in the day to day administrative affairs of the vast zamindari estate. She picked up things quickly and proved her efficiency in the management of the estate.

 

Rani Rashmoni house at 18 S N Banerjee Road, Kolkata. Photo - Kanad Sanyal

 

Rashmoni went on to have 4 daughters - Padmamani, Kumari, Karunamoyee and Jagadamba but no son. She became mentally inconsolable after the death of her husband Babu Raj Chandra Das. Her husband left her a huge estate to manage. Soon, she had to forget her grief and started concentrating in the management of the estate. She went on to prove her leadership qualities in managing the business and administration of the estate. Later, out of her 4 daughters, Karunamoyee died after 2 years of her marriage. Her widower husband Mathuramohan Biswas was married off to another daughter Jagdamba. Rani Rashmoni was ably assisted by her son in law Mathuramohan in the day to day affairs of her business. Rashmoni was a very pious Hindu woman and a mother figure. In Mathura Mohan, she had the son which she never had biologically.

 

Descendants of Mathuramohan Biswas at 20 S N Banerjee Road,Kolkata. Photo - Kanad Sanyal

 

Rani Rashmoni was also known as a feisty and defiant lady. Her clashes with English East India Company are legendary. Two particular incidents are always remembered with reverence. First,  the officials of English East India Company  imposed tax on poor fishermen for fishing in the River  Ganga. The fishermen rushed to Rani to give them justice. Rashmoni took a step by taking on lease against payment of huge sums the portion of the Ganga from Ghusuri to Metiabruz and laid strong chains across the river. This caused great hindrance for big ships to pass over that portion of the river resulting in collapse of trade and commerce. The officials had no choice but to bow down to the wishes of Rani Rashmoni and withdrew the imposed tax on the fishing. Only then, she removed the iron chains from the river.

 

Original Janbazar Palace at 20A S N Banerjee Road, Kolkata. Photo - Kanad Sanyal

 

Secondly, once the officials of English East India Company stopped her Puja procession on the pretext that the sound emanated from the procession due to drum beats and shouting of cheers was causing disturbances to the peace of the area. Rashmoni became furious on this religious interference and ordered the procession to continue ahead. The officials fined her Rs 40 which was a princely sum in first half of 19^th century. Again public came to know about this and made huge protests. East India Company again had no way but to bow down to the public demand.

 

Ahiritolla Ghat. Photo - Wikimedia Commons

 

Finally, once news reached Rani Rashmoni that some English soldiers from indigo plantations were disturbing local Hindu Bengali women of the villages. She immediately sent her guards and arrested those soldiers. As a result, the Janbazar palace of Rani Rashmoni was attacked and seized by East India Company. When English officials wanted to enter the sanctum sanctorum of her Raghunathjee’s temple in her worship room, Rashmoni took the sword and guarded the room with vengeance, just like Maa Kali. This punishment was so severe upon the English indigo planters that they never dared to venture into any clash again with her.

 

Babughat in 19th century. Photo - Wikimedia Commons.

 

Like Maharani Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore who was legendary with her pan India philanthropic activities, Rani Rashmoni etched out her name in Indian history as one of the most benevolent figures of 19^th century Bengal. She did a lot of charitable works in her entire life. The most prominent was the establishment of Dakshineshwar Kali Temple in 1840. As per the records of Dakshineshwar Temple Trust,

“The famous Dakshineswar temple which houses the Goddess Kali was founded by Rani Rashmoni following a dream she saw when she was about to start on her pilgrimage to Benaras. A long term plan of the Rani materialized which she had longed to perform when her husband died with unfulfilled wish of constructing a Kali temple.

Expenditure on plot

The dream had moved the Rani intensely and she instructed her trusted people specially her youngest son-in law to look for plots to construct the Kali Temple. After a massive hunt for suitable plots, a 20-acred plot in the village of Dakshineswar was selected. The land resembled a hump of a tortoise. One part of this land belonged to a European Christian while the other part was a Muslim burial ground. The Rani began to construct this Hindu temple in 1847 on this very ground thus integrating different faiths.”

 The Deed of Endowment states –

“In order to fulfill his wish, on 6th September 1847 I purchased 54.4 bighas of land at the cost of Rs. 42 thousand and 500 from James Hasty. I made to build a puca Navaratna temple, twelve Shiva temples (twelve jyotirlingam), a Vishnu temple and a Natmandir on the land. On 31st May 1855 I placed luxminarayan Shila in the Navaratna temple as per the wish of my late husband and also for the welfare of his soul.” The deed was executed on 31st May 1855. Land of the Kali temple complex is 60 bighas.”

 

Dakshineshwar Kali Temple, West Bengal. Photo - Google Images

 

Dakshineshwar Temple was not only dynamic in nature but also proved the dynamism of the Rani. The Kali temple is a symbol of national unity being standing on the land once owned by Muslims and Christians both. She was also the chief patron of the revered Hindu saint of 19^th century, Ramkrishna Paramahansa Dev who was the spiritual Guru of Swami Vivekananda. Ramkrishna Paramahansa was named Gadadhar before his hermit life. It was his elder brother Ramkumar Chatterjee who was appointed as the chief priest of Dakshineshwar Temple. But seeing the ecstatic trance like devotion of Gadadhar, Rani gave him a free hand in worshiping Kali and made him the head priest. Ramkrishna stayed a good 12 years in the temple complex.

 

Shri Ramkrishna Paramahansa. Photo- R K Mission

 

Rani Rashmoni also was famous for other charitable works. She built road from the Subarnarekha river to Puri for the pilgrims, Babughat after her late husband’s name, Ahiritola Ghat, Nimtala Ghat, for daily bathers in the Ganges and the big shade at Nimtola Ghat cremation ground for public convenience. She donated land and money for the Beliaghata Canal, the Madhumati Connecting Canal etc. She also made substantial financial contributions to Imperial Library (now National Library), Hindu College (Now Presidency College), Bengal Famine Relief Fund and numerous other known and unknown charitable trusts and institutions. She also patronized Vidyasagar’s Widow Remarriage movement with substantial financial help.

 

National Library, Kolkata. Photo - Wikimedia Commons

 

Rani Rashmoni left substantial assets even for her generations surviving today. The descendants still reside at Jan Bazar Palace in central Kolkata, Rani Rashmoni Bhavan on Rash Behari Avenue in south Kolkata. Her descendants from three of her daughters still occupy the family premises. She expired in 1861.

 

19th century Presidency College, Kolkata. Photo - Wikimedia Commons.