Khushbagh (also spelled as Khoshbagh;

literally ''Literally'' is an English adverb. It has been controversially used as an intensifier for figurative statements. History The first known use of the word ''literally'' was in the 15th century, or the 1530s, when it was used in the sense of "i ...

"Garden of Happiness") is the garden-cemetery of the

Nawabs 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, ...

, situated on the west bank 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 ...

, about a mile from its east bank, in the Murshidabad-Jiaganj

CD block In India, a Community development block (CD block) or simply Block is a sub-division of Tehsil, administratively earmarked for planning and development. The area is administered by a Block Development Officer (BDO), supported by several technic ...

Lalbag subdivision Lalbag subdivision is an administrative subdivision of Murshidabad district in the state of West Bengal, India. Overview The Bhagirathi River splits the Murshidabad district into two natural physiographic regions – Rarh on the west and Bagri ...

of Murshidabad district,

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 four ...

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

. Khushbagh hosts the graves of the Nawabs of Bengal of the Afshar dynasty and their family members; while

Jafarganj Cemetery Jafarganj Cemetery is located in Murshidabad, West Bengal, India. Geography Location Jafraganj Cemetery is located at . The Namak Haram Deorhi, House of Jagat Seth, Nashipur Rajbari , Kathgola Palace and Tomb of Azimunissa Begum are a ...

hosts the graves of the later Nawabs and their families, starting from

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 exp ...

, who belonged to the Najafi dynasty. Khushbagh is the resting place of 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 Ben ...

, his wife Lutf-un-nisa, 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 ...

, and his mother, amongst others.

Geography

Location

Khushbagh is located at . Note: The map alongside presents some of the notable locations in the subdivisions. All places marked in the map are linked in the larger full screen map.

History

The garden-cemetery was built by the first Nawab of Bengal, Nawab Alivardi Khan. It consists of walled enclosures. The outer walls had looped holes for musketry and used to be flanked by octagonal

bastion A bastion or bulwark is a structure projecting outward from the curtain wall of a fortification, most commonly angular in shape and positioned at the corners of the fort. The fully developed bastion consists of two faces and two flanks, with fi ...

s. The garden hosts the graves of

and

, inside a square, flat-roofed mausoleum surrounded by an arcade verandah. It also hosts a mosque, built by Nawab Alivardi Khan, on the lines of the Jama Masjid of Delhi, built on a plinth of area. After the death of Nawab Siraj ud-Daulah, in 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, ...

in 1757, his wife Lutfunnisa Begum refused to join

harem Harem ( Persian: حرمسرا ''haramsarā'', ar, حَرِيمٌ ''ḥarīm'', "a sacred inviolable place; harem; female members of the family") refers to domestic spaces that are reserved for the women of the house in a Muslim family. A har ...

and fled to

Dacca 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 ...

(present day Dhaka, in

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million pe ...

). She later returned to

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. Duri ...

, and it is said that she lived in Khushbagh tending to his grave and the 108 varieties of roses which once bloomed in the gardens, for several years. She also allegedly spent 1,000 for the maintenance of Khushbagh and after her death, in 1790, she was buried near the grave of her husband Nawab Siraj ud-Daulah. The garden-cemetery is built on a land and is surrounded by a long wall.

Gallery

File:AlivardiKhanTomb.jpg, Tomb of Nawab Alivardi Khan File:TombSirajUdDaulah.jpg, Tomb of Nawab Siraj ud-Daulah File:LutfunissaBegum.jpg, Tomb of Lutfunnisa Begum File:AminaBegum.jpg, Tomb of Amina Begum, mother of Siraj ud-Daulah File:GhasetiBegum.jpg, Tomb of

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 ...

, the eldest daughter of Alivardi Khan

References

External links

* * Tourist attractions in Murshidabad Cemeteries in India {{Murshidabad-geo-stub