A Brief History of Cooch Behar
Cooch Behar…..the name itself speaks a thousand words of rich history and glorious past. Situated in the foothills of the Eastern Himalayas and blessed with incredible beauty of Mother Nature, this peaceful city has been a witness to a number of gallant rulers over many hundred years. According to historical sources, the western part of ancient province of Kamrup was known as “Kamta/Kamtapur”. Ruins of the ancient city of Kamtapur from the 12th century have been excavated at Gosanimari in Dinhata subdivision. In the 16th century, the advent of Koch dynasty in the Kamta region by Maharaja Viswa Singha, established the independent Koch kingdom. After that, a chain of rulers ruled the city for several hundred years.
The modern city of Cooch Behar owes itself to the great Maharaja Nripendra Narayan Bhup Bahadur. He was the architect who planned and conceptualized the city, and was way ahead of his times. A walk around the city portrays the Maharaja’s unparalleled vision and building ability. The central water tank at the heart of the city called “Sagardighi” is flanked on all sides by administrative buildings like the Court, Treasury Office, Registration office, and the SDO office among others. The present Palace of Cooch Behar, and the Madan Mohan Temple were all constructed during his regime. The city is dotted with numerous water bodies, elegant buildings and straight roadways, which speak volumes about the bygone days. Cooch Behar has been declared a heritage town, and most of the historical buildings have been taken over by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
(L) The Palace now,(R ) The Palace in 1897 at the time of earthquake
It was in this palace that the Maharani of Jaipur Gayatri Devi spent her childhood. She was the grand daughter of HH Maharaja Nripendra Narayan Bhup Bahadur, and daughter of Maharaja Jitendra Narayan and Maharani Indira Devi (princess of Baroda).She was listed by Vogue as one of the ten most beautiful women of the world. At the age of 19, Princess Gayatri fell in love with Man Singh, the heir to the Jaipur throne, when they met at Calcutta. He was much senior to her and was already married at that time. But after much persuasion, her determination gave way to her parents accepting their relationship, and they finally married in the year 1939. The last Maharaja of Cooch Behar was her brother Maharaja Jagaddipendra Narayan.
(L) Maharani Gayatri Devi , (R) with her husband at their wedding
Under an agreement between the kings of Cooch Behar and the Indian Government at the end of British rule, Maharaja Jagaddipendra Narayan transferred full authority, jurisdiction and power of the state to the Dominion Government of India, effective 12 September 1949. Cooch Behar District became part of the state of West Bengal on 19 January 1950, with Cooch Behar town as its headquarters.
As the days passed, the Princely state of Cooch Behar lost many of its treasured possessions, in the sands of time, leaving behind their traces in the pages of history. Few of them are mentioned below:
1. The royal throne of Cooch Behar: It was made of solid silver with statues of Lion on four sides and placed on a large wooden stand. It could be assembled and dismantled as desired. It was placed in the large durbar hall of the Palace. It belonged to the time of Maharaja Visva Singha, the founder of Cooch Behar. Only a black and white picture from 1903 is available today.
The Cooch Behar Throne
2. It is not known to many that Maharani Indira Devi was the first Indian woman to get herself a pair of shoes designed by the Italian stalwart luxury shoe maker Salvatore Ferragamo in the year 1938. The footwear was cork wedge heeled and encrusted with rubies, emeralds and other precious stones. 72 years later Priyanka Chopra was the second Indian to own a Ferragamo pair ,custom made by the Italian shoe giant in the year 2010. Evidently, our Maharani’s fashion sense was quite ahead of her time. Nobody knows where the iconic shoe might be today.
The Ferragamo Shoe and Maharani Indira Devi
3. The Victoria Jubilee Tower: On the north of the square in which the Laldighi is situated is the market place in front of which stood the Victoria Jubilee Tower erected by the citizens in 1887, in commemoration of the Jubilee of the reign of Queen Victoria, (the God Mother of Prince Victor Nitendra Narayan of Cooch Behar). The tower which rose on an open space in south and octagonal in shape,70 feet high, was provided inside with a winding stair case. It had four stories, each of which opens on a hanging platform provided with a breast high parapet. The top was a dome on iron pillars with open sides, and formed a belfry. A great bell hung in the middle and was rung whenever a fire broke out in the town, as a warning to the fire brigade, as well as to the citizens.
This tower was demolished, in the year 1988 by Cooch Behar Municipality, in plea of extending the market place. Thus a monument of incredible architecture & historical significance was lost forever.
The Victoria Jubilee Tower
The winds that blow through our city have a distinct smell of its rich history. We the proud inheritors of the legacy should make an effort to restore the glorious past and save the remaining treasures from being lost forever in the pages of history.
The mention of Cooch Behar will be incomplete, without the mention of the royal Palace of Cooch Behar. The sprawling palace, constructed in the year 1887, during the regime of HH Maharaja Nripendra Narayan Bhup Bahadur, spreads over an area of 4768 square metres. It was conceptualized upon the classic European style of the Italian Renassaince. The beautiful large dome is a very prominent feature of the palace. It is said that the palace was initially three storeyed, but the great earthquake on1897, damaged much of its structure. It was renovated to its present form after that.
Maharaja Nripendra Narayan Bhup Bahadur
The palace now
The Palace in 1897 at the time of earthquake
Gallery photos by : Debashree Bhaduri, Somenath Chaudhury, Somnath Rudra and Sounak Datta