The history of colonial rule in the Indian subcontinent is very old. This region inhabited by Hindus was under European rule for a long time. The British in particular have ruled the region for almost 200 years. The zamindari system was introduced during all the colonial regimes to maintain local governance, justice and discipline.
These zamindari practices came to an end after the partition of the country with the setting sun of the British Empire. The zamindari is lost but leaves traces of their one-time influence throughout the country. These zamindar houses scattered all over the country carry our past, testifying to an ancient period. Let’s find out about one such zamindar house.
Gopalganj district is situated on the banks of Madhumati and is associated with the memory of the father of the nation. In Muksudpur upazila of this district there is a pattern of lost zamindari, Ujani Rajbari. The zamindar house is located at Ujani in Ujani Union, 20 km south of Muksudpur Upazila Sadar on the Muksudpur-Ujani road.
It is known from history that during the colonial period, during the reign of Queen Victoria, two zamindar descendants named Roy Govinda and Sur Narayan came from Jessore to Gopalganj district and settled in this village.
Later they established their zamindari with about 50,000 hectares of land in Telihati Pargana. To facilitate their settlement and zamindari, they built several two-storied and three-storied palaces in the area, one of which is the Ujani Palace, better known as the Ujani Palace.
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Ujani Rajbari Gopalganj
It is known from Samarendra Chandra Roy, a descendant of Zamindar Sur Narayan in the eighties, that his ancestors had six zamindaris in the whole region at that time. When the zamindari system was abolished after partition, the zamindars migrated to India, but Samarendra remained close to his ancestral home.
It is further learned from him that the property under this anonymous zamindari is gradually being lost from their families. Once upon a time, there was a huge area under this zamindari including Chander Beel, some of which were lost and some of the documents were destroyed in the catastrophic storm of Bengal 1352.
History Of Rajbari
In addition to the palace, the Ujani Rajbari complex has a sitting room, a huge pond at Sanbadhano, a monastery, and a temple. In the course of time, many of these patterns are on the verge of destruction today. The huge monastery built by the zamindars has sunk about 30 cubits below the ground, the peak only peeking above the ground. The Kali Mandir adjacent to the palace also survives in ruins.
The octagonal idol of the Kali temple has long been the object of human lust. Next to zamindar’s house you will see a huge lake of crystal clear water. The foundations and patterns of these two zamindars of Ujani will be found all over the region. There are an ancient temple and a huge lake of Dharmaraya in the village of Mahatali near Ujani.
There are also similar palaces, temples, monasteries, and sanbadhano ghats at Khalia in Rajoir Upazila, 15 km to the east, with a clear resemblance to the zamindar house of Ujani. This vacant zamindar house and the adjoining zamindari area were donated by them to two zamindars Raja Rammohun Roychowdhury.
In the whirlpool of time today, those zamindars are not there, they do not have that shanshokat, joulus, and aristocracy. The road that was once used by the zamindars to ride their elephants with arrogance has now turned into a forest due to lack of human movement. Hundreds of years of history stand on their chests, only the ruins of their palaces and temples. And one of the descendants of these zamindars is still alive. You can come back from Ujani Rajbari, you can feel the ancient history. Old history is our root, let history be the beginning of a new era.
How to Go Gopalganj Ujani Rajbari
If you want to see Ujani Rajbari, you have to go to Muksudpur Upazila under Gopalganj from any part of the country. From Dhaka’s Gabtali, Saidabad, Fulbaria, etc. Tungipara Express, Amin Paribahan, Seba Paribahan, Panna Deluxe, Greenline, Imad, etc. buses leave for Gopalganj. The bus fare will be 250 to 300 Tks. The distance from Gopalganj Sadar to Ujani Rajbari is about 35 kilometers.
The distance from Dhaka to Gopalganj by road is 209 km and it will take about 5 to 6 hours. You can get off the bus at Gopalganj Police Line or Ghonapara and from there you can reach Ujani Rajbari located south of Ujani Bazar with battery-powered easy bikes, autorickshaws, CNG, etc.
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