MURSHIDABAD

city and district, West Bengal state, northeastern India. The city, lying just east of the Bhagirathi River, is an agricultural trade and silk-weaving centre. Originally called Makhsudabad, it was reputedly founded by the Mughal emperor Akbar in the 16th century. In 1704 the nawab Murshid Quli Khan (following Aurangzeb's orders) transferred the capital there from Dacca (now Dhaka) and renamed the city Murshidabad. It continued to be the capital under the British until 1790 and is still the seat of the prominent descendants of the nawabs of Bengal. Of historic interest are Nizamat Kila (the palace of the nawabs), built in the Italianate style in 1837; Pearl Lake (Moti Jhil) just to the south, with Muradbagh Palace; and Khushbagh Cemetery, containing the tombs of 'Ali Vardi Khan, the last great nawab, and Siraj-ud-Dawlah, his grandnephew, who was defeated by the British at the Battle of Plassey. Constituted a municipality in 1869, Murshidabad has eight colleges affiliated with the University of Calcutta. Murshidabad district (2,062 sq mi [5,341 sq km]) comprises two distinct regions separated by the Bhagirathi River (q.v.). To the west lies the Rarh, a high, undulating continuation of the Chota Nagpur plateau. The eastern portion, the Bagri, is a fertile, low-lying alluvial tract, part of the Ganges Delta. The district is drained by the Bhagirathi and Jalangi rivers and their tributaries. Rice, jute, legumes, oilseeds, wheat, barley, and mangoes are the chief crops in the east; extensive mulberry cultivation is carried out in the west. District headquarters are in Baharampur (q.v.). The district became part of the Gaur kingdom in 1197 and passed to the British East India Company in the 18th century. Pop. (1991 prelim.) city, 30,339; district, 4,734,278.