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Biswas Bari (meaning House of Biswas) is a hamlet in Ishan Gopalpur Union, Faridpur Sadar Upazila, Faridpur District. The hamlet has several heritage buildings. It was the seat and birthplace of the Faridpur Biswas Estate, which was one of the most prominent zamindar families of Bengal.
Location
The Faridpur Biswas Estate covered the southern bank of the Padma River (the main distributary of the Ganges). It included many deltaic islands as well as extensive farmland. It was mostly located in present-day Faridpur and Rajbari districts; but included landholdings in West Bengal, Manikganj, Mymensingh, Pabna, Gazipur, Rangpur, The Punjab, and Arabia. The Goalundo Ghat historically belonged to the estate. At its height, the estate covered 1 million acres of land during British rule. The estate covered 2.6% of territory in Bangladesh and 1.65% of territory in undivided Bengal.
History
According to the family historian Chowdhury Abd-Allah Quaseed, the Bengali Muslim family of the estate migrated from the Jaunpur Sultanate. The estate was originally a Mughal endowment. The family gained the right to cultivate and govern the land after it was awarded a jagirdari during the reign of Emperor Jahangir. During the 18th century, the British East India Company fought against the lathial army of the estate. After defeat at the hands of the British, the estate was carved up and auctioned off. The family retained a small portion of the estate, which is now the hamlet of Biswas Bari. Most of the Hindu-owned zamindar estates in Faridpur emerged from the auctioned portions of the former Mughal jagirdari. The original family was given the surname Biswas by the locals of the area. They commanded their own army of rugged, athletic soldiers. Their tenants included Muslims, Hindus and Christians, including paydahs who served the household. The family eventually adopted Chowdhury as both a prefix and surname. Until the mid-20th century, female members of the family were styled as Chowdhurani. In the late 19th century, Chowdhury Moyezuddin Biwshash expanded the estate through his mercantile activities. He set up his own branch of the family in the town of Faridpur, where he built the Moyez Manzil. The estate was eventually divided into four branches, including the original Biswas Bari, Moyez Manzil, Biswas Bari II, and Chowdhury Bari. The Zamindars of the Faridpur Biswas Estate were photographed towards the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century. Biswas Bari is renowned for its woodwork, including classical zamindar beds, doors and wooden structures. A wooden structure known as the Baithak Khana still stands on the main grounds of the Biswas Bari. The structure was built with Burmese wood. Beds and doors from Biswas Bari are preserved in the Bangladesh National Museum.
The estate was abolished by the East Bengal State Acquisition and Tenancy Act of 1950 after the partition of India. Ironically, land reforms in the 1950s were spearheaded by descendants of the estate, including Yusuf Ali Chowdhury. Further land reforms after the creation of Bangladesh ended all traces of the zamindari system. Under the Bangladesh Land Holding Limitation Order 1972, a family could not own more than 100 bighas of land. But many socialist policies were eventually discarded after 1975. Bangladesh moved away from the socialist economy of the early 1970s towards a market-based mixed economy in which property rights were emphasized.
In 1954, former Prime Ministers of Bengal A. K. Fazlul Huq and Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy visited the estate during the United Front election campaign. Erstwhile Prime Minister of Bangladesh Moudud Ahmed also visited the estate during the presidency of Hussain Muhammad Ershad. Former prime ministers Mizanur Rahman Chowdhury and Kazi Zafar Ahmed also visited the estate.
Railway
The Amirabad Railway Station in Faridpur is named after Amir Ali Chowdhury (also known as Amir Ali Biswas). Amir Ali Chowdhury was one of the important zamindars of the estate.
Notable members
- Chowdhury Abd-Allah Zaheeruddin, member of the Bengal Legislative Council
- Yusuf Ali Chowdhury, member of the Bengal Legislative Assembly
- Enayet Hossain Chowdhury, member of the National Assembly of Pakistan
- Shamsuddin Chowdhury, de facto head of the estate and custodian of properties since 1940s
- Chowdhury Kamal Ibne Yusuf, former cabinet minister of Bangladesh
- Imran Hossain Chowdhury, first chairman of Faridpur Sadar Upazila (1986-1990)
- Kamran Hossain Chowdhury, member of the 4th Parliament of Bangladesh
- Chowdhury Akmal Ibne Yusuf, member of the 8th Parliament of Bangladesh
- Eza Chowdhury, socialite and podcaster
- Shusmita Amin Chowdhury, socialite
- Chowdhury Abd-Allah Quaseed, media personality
- Umran Chowdhury, columnist
Chairmen of Faridpur District Council
See also
References
- https://faridpur.substack.com/p/podcast-episode-7-congress-muslim
- https://faridpur.substack.com/p/podcast-episode-7-congress-muslim
- https://www.dhakatribune.com/opinion/longform/367666/in-memoriam-kamran-h-chowdhury
- https://www.fao.org/faolex/results/details/en/c/LEX-FAOC035569/#:~:text=(P.O%20No.-,98%20of%201972).,owned%20by%20family%20or%20individuals.
- https://faolex.fao.org/docs/pdf/bgd35569.pdf
- https://www.dhakatribune.com/opinion/longform/367666/in-memoriam-kamran-h-chowdhury
- https://www.dhakatribune.com/opinion/longform/367666/in-memoriam-kamran-h-chowdhury