religious endowments and charities of bengal zemindars by ich dien

8/9/2019 Religious Endowments and Charities of Bengal Zemindars by Ich Dien

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RELIGIOUS ENDOWMENTS ANDCHARITIES OF BENGAL ZEMINDARS

by ICH DlEN

Published on THE CALCUTTA REVIEWVOLUME January 1901.

By University of Calcutta

Page 231- Page 237

.I now pass from the City of Palaces in Lower Bengal to the capital of EastBengal. Dacca is now a wreck of its former self. Its old splendour and commerce,due to the flourishing trade of Greek, Italian and Portuguese merchants, aregone. When the Mussulmans conquered and settled in East Bengal, they namedDacca Jehangirabad, after the Emperor Jehangir, and made it the capital. Out of

the wreck of its past grandeur and its ancient nobility, has arisen, tower-like, anoble house, whose traditions can trace their direct connection with theEmperor's service at Delhi. The noblest representative of this house was SirKhwaja Abdul Ghani, K.C.S.I., Nawab of Dacca, who was famous throughoutBengal for his vast wealth, liberality and public spirit. Loyal to the backbone,Nawab Ghani distinguished himself greatly during the Sepoy revolt of 1857,assisting the British Government with all sorts of necessary information, adviceand funds. During the severe famine of 1874 and after the cyclone of 1876, heplaced his steamer "Dacca" at the disposal of Government for the purpose ofcarrying out relief work. He was the greatest benefactor to the city of Dacca,having materially contributed to all works of public usefulness in it and subscribed

lavishly in all times of public distress. For the improvement and sanitation ofDacca he spent four lakhs of rupees. The Dacca Water Works, which provide torich and poor alike an abundant supply of filtered water in the far off capital ofEast Bengal, and which have helped very greatly to wine out the reproach of theinsanitation from the city, owe their existence to his munificence and liberality. Hesubscribed a sum of two lakhs and fifty thousand rupees towards the funds fortheir construction and subsequent extension. But it is the manner of giving thisprincely subscription that has made it so famous, for he did it in commemorationof the Prince of Wale's recovery from a dangerous illness. The water-works atDacca thus stand out as a monument to his devoted loyalty to the Queen-Empress of India. The drainage of Dacca had been notoriously bad, and sanitary

laws were as completely ignored in the city as in the villages. Cesspools werefound on the banks of tanks or within a few feet of a well; and the dead wereburied in the midst of the living. The sewage was never removed and the rainwater conveyed it into the river, whence only wholesome water was procurable.Weeds were seldom eradicated and tanks were never cleansed. Drains wereseldom flushed and had rarely any outlet. Led by a laudable desire to improvethe public health of Dacca, Nawab Abdul Ghani gave a donation of one lakh ofrupees for the purpose of carrying out improvements in the drainage system of
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Ramchandrapore Mosque and Ghat ... 10,000

Female Ward Mitford Hospital, Dacca ... 25,245

Cost of sending 115 poor pilgrims to Mecca ... 24,800

For constructing two roads to the tomb of Huzrat Shah Al i ... ... 10,000

Charity to a Moslem lady ... ... 6,000

Charity to a Hindu lady ... ... 10,944

Ripon Scholarship ... ... 8,000

Famine Relief Fund ... ... 10,000

Victoria Square, Dacca ... ... 12,000

Victoria Zenana School ... ... 10,000

Tornado Relief ... ... 10,000

In the matter of his charities he was widely catholic. To the Alligur College,as well as to the Benares College, he gave a donation of Rs. 2,000 each.Towards the furtherance of the translation of the Mahabharat he lent a helpinghand, as he did also towards the Balaclava Heroes Fund.

Among his minor charities, which are legion, I mention below only a few ofthe more important:

Rs.

Cyclone of 1864 .. ... 5,000

Land for Dacca Madrassa ... ... 5,500

Burdwan Famine, 1885 ... ... 1,000

Burdwan Famine, 1872 ... ... 4,300

Barrisal Famine, 1887 ... ... 5,ooo

Barrisal Hospital, 1871 ... ... 4,000

Barrisal Famine, 1874 ... ... 5,000


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For the snake house in the Zoo ... ... 2,000

Lancashire Fund ... ... 3,000

H.R. H. Princess Alice's Memorial ... 2,000

Cattle trough and drinking fountain, Calcutta i,5",

Dacca Club ... ... 4,000

Repairs of Khonala at Mughazar ... ... 3,000

Famine Relief, Poona and Amhedabad ... 2,000

Prince Albert Victor's Reception ... ... 5,000

Naraingunge Hospital ... .. 2,000

Dufferin Hospital ... ... 3,500

Victoria Hospital, Madras ... ... 2,000

Jubilee Memorial Fund ... ... 5,000

Dufferin Memorial ... ... 2,000

Eden Statue ... ... 1 jOOO

Sir Steuart Bayley Memorial ... ... 2,000

Relief of Wounded Soldiers, Cabul War ... 1,000

Madras Famine ... ... 2,500

Abdul Hamid's Mosque ... ... 4,000

Darjeeling College and Recreation Ground ... 2,000

Moslem Girls School ... ., 1,000

Barrisal Recreation Club ... ... 3,900

Repairs of the Mitford Hospital ... ... 2,000

Empress Commemoration Fund ... ... 1,000


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Chittagong Cyclone ... ... 1,000

Indian Mission Fund ... ... 5,000

School at Teheran ... ... 2,000

Deaf and Dumb School ... ... 3,000

Chandpore Mosque ... ... 5,000

Chandpore Town Hall to commemorate Lord

Elgin's visit .. ... 5,000

As to sums of less than Rs. 1,000, the late Nawab Abdul Ghani spent them likewater, giving them whenever and wherever a party approached him for

assistance.

His zeal for the Moslem faith led him to build and repair mosques and tombswhich but for his pecuniary aid would have crumbled to pieces. Some of thesemosques, notable amongst which is the Hossani Dalan of Dacca, are renownedfor their architectural beauty and antiquity. For the repairs of the DaccaImambarah the Nawab gave a princely donation of one lakh of rupees. Hisworthy son Nawab Ahsanullah subscribed a sum of two lakhs of rupees for thereconstruction and repairs of the Hossani Dalan. Nawab Abdul Ghani spentalmost a fortune in the repairs and renovation of about 25 of the principalmosques and tombs of this country.

In addition to these numerous charities, he maintained a Free School, aMadrassa for Mahommedan students and an alms-house. The last, which isknown popularly at Dacca as the Nawab's Langarkhana, was opened in the year1866. The majority of the inmates are either blind or lame. All these institutionsstill exist and are creditably maintained by his son.

The Nawab of Dacca supports entirely at his own cost six charitable dispensariesat the following places:(1) Ramchanderpore, (2) Gouripore, (3) Dollye, (4)Konokdeiya, (5) Phooljurey, (6) Pamoorkey.

The loyal services rendered to Government by the Nawab of Dacca form abrilliant record in the family history of this noble house. I give below a completelist of them :

1. During the late Mutiny Nawab Sir Abdul Ghani presented three elephants tothe Government.


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2. The night before the fight in Dacca he placed his paddleboat " Dolphin'' atthe disposal of the authorities to take a detachment of the naval brigade toDawoodcandy, in order to intercept a body of the Mutineers from Chittagong whowere supposed to be marching upon Dacca.

3. During the Lushye War, Nawab Sir Abdul lent his steamer the "Ada" to taketroops to Sylhet.

4. During the Kookie Raid in Hill Tipperah, he placedhis steamer the "Star ofDacca" at the disposal of the authorities to take re-inforcements to the front.

5. In the 2nd Lushye Campaign, he lent six elephants to carry baggage andstores.

6. He also supplied the authorities with 300 country boats for the samepurpose.

7. During the great famine of 1874 he lent his steamer the " Star of Dacca " forservice at Rajshaye, where she was very usefully employed for some fourmonths.

8. During the Naga War, Nawab Ahsanullah sent 15 of his best shikarielephants fully equipped for service in the Hills, where they all died.

9. Nawab Ahsanullah placed his Barge "Track " at the disposal of Mr. Prestagefor the use of H. R. H. the Prince of Wales at Goalundo, where a pig sticking wasorganised for His Royal Highness.

10. He lent his steamer the "Star of Dacca" for famine relief work at Burrisaul.

11. He placed his steamer the "Dacca" at the disposal of the Telegraphauthorities to enable them to repair the cable at Boid's Bazar after the greatearthquake of 1897.

12. He placed his steamer the "Bornnpore" at the disposal of the authorities atChiitagong to carry food grain to the sufferers after the great cyclone.

13. He also placed his steamer the '' Star of Dacca" at the disposal of

Mr.Pellew when he was Commissioner of Dacca for famine relief work.

14. He lent his steamer launch "Jamoreky'' to Mr. J. F. Brocklehurst.

15. Lent his elephants to the Railway authorities to carry on the survey works.

16. Lent his steamer the "Peri" to Mr. Pitman for urgent work in connection withthe Government Telegraph Department


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Nawab Ahsanullah has followed closely in his footsteps of his noble father,both as a liberal and enlightened zemindar and in vast public benefactions. Ineed only instance his latest act of generosity. He placed at the disposal ofGovernment a sum of one lakh of rupees to take necessary measures forpreventing the spread of plague to Dacca, and in case of its appearance in that

town for proper treatment of poor, both Hindus and Mahommedans, who mightsuffer from the disease. The Nawab has offered to pay another lakh, ifnecessary, for the same purpose. The vast extent of his charity, can beappreciated by looking at the following cutting from a daily paper of 2OthSeptember last, which notices his princely liberality on the occasion of his son'smarriage :

"The marriage of his second son, Khajeh Atikullah, passed off on the 1othSeptember at Delkosa Garden-house. On this auspicious occasion, the Nawabmade donation of nearly a lakh by a present of one full month's pay to all hisofficers and servants from the highest to the lowest, and proposes to make a

further donation of Rs. 5,000 to each of the five Districts of East Bengal in whichhis Zemindary lies."

The names of Nawab Abdul Ghani and his son Nawab Ahsanullah standout as beacon-lights to the rest of the landholders of Bengal and elsewhere, andno better example of a liberal landholder can be found anywhere in the country.

religious endowments and charities of bengal zemindars by ich dien

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