Bardhaman Raj

The Bardhaman Raj (Bengali: বর্ধমান রাজ, Bengali pronunciation: [Bôrdhoman Raj]), also known as Burdwan Raj, was a zamindari Raja estate that flourished between 1657 and 1955 in the Indian state of West Bengal. Maharaja Sangam Rai Kapoor, a Punjabi Khatri from Kotli mahalla in Lahore, Punjab, who was the first member of the family to settle in Bardhaman, was the original founder of the house of Bardhaman, whereas his grandson Abu Rai, during whose time the zamindari started flourishing, is considered to be the patriarch of the Bardhaman Raj family.

Maharaja Kirti Chand Rai (1702–1740) extended the estates far and wide by attacking and defeating the Raja of Bishnupur. At its height in the early 19th century, it extended to around 5,000 square miles (13,000 km) and included many parts of what is now Burdwan, Bankura, Medinipur, Howrah, Hooghly and Murshidabad districts. The dominion had over 2 million people in population. After his victory against the king of Vishnupur, he constructed a victory gate, Baraduari (the outer gate), at Kanchannagar in Bardhaman. In the 20th century, it covered an area of 2,689 sq mi or 6,960 km².

According to the tradition of the family, Sangam Rai, a Khatri of the Kapoor clan, from Kotli, was the founder of the house of Bardhaman. He, on his way back from a pilgrimage to Puri, being much impressed with the advantages of Baikunthapur, a village near Bardhaman town in present-day Purba Bardhaman district of West Bengal, settled there permanently and devoted himself to commerce and money lending. From this period onwards the history of the family is identical with that of the Bardhaman district. During the battle between Jagirdar Sher Afghan of Bardhaman and Him he won. As a reward, in 1610, the Emperor of Delhi conferred upon him the titles of Char Hazari Kotwal and Munsifdar.

Sangam Rai's son Banku Behari Rai was also a Kotwal. The title of Rai-Raiyan was conferred upon him. He was also involved in his family business. Not much is known about him.

Abu Rai, the son of Banku Behari Rai, was appointed Choudhuri and Kotwal of Rekhabi Bazar in Bardhaman in 1657 under the Faujdar of Chakla Bardhaman. He is considered to be the patriarch of the Bardhaman Raj family as it was during his time the zamindari started flourishing and the zamindari was firmly established.

Babu Rai, the son of Abu Rai, was the first in the family to completely do away with the family business and invest more time in buying and managing profitable zamindari estates. He owned Pargana Bardhaman along with three other estates.

After the death of Babu Rai, his son, Ghana Shyam Rai, succeeded him.

Upon Ghana Shyam Rai's death, his son, Krishna Ram Rai (1675–1696), succeeded to the zamindari. Among many other new estates he also acquired Pargana Senpahari. In 1689, he was honoured with a farman from Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb in the 38th year of his reign. This confirmed his title as the Zamindar and Choudhuri of Pargana Bardhaman.