Rani Bhabani
| Rani Bhabani | |
|---|---|
| Predecessor | Raja Ramkanta |
| Born | Bogra, Bengal Subah |
| Died | Natore, Bengal Presidency, British India |
| Spouse | Raja Ramkanta |
| Religion | Hinduism |
Rani Bhabani (Bengali: রাণী ভবাণী) (1716–1795) was a zamindar during the British colonial era in what is now of Rajshahi, Bangladesh.[1]
Life
Born in Chhatin village, Bogra District, Bhabani was married off to Raja Ramkanta, the then zamindar of Rajshahi. After his death, Bhabani became the de jure zamindar, and started being referred to as Rani, or queen. A woman as a zamindar was extremely rare in those days, but Rani Bhabani managed the vast Rajshahi zamindari most efficiently and effectively for over four decades.[1] John Holwell, an English writer, speculated that the stipulated annual rent of the estate to the crown was 7 million rupees, the real revenues being about 15 million.
However, what made Rani Bhabani a household name among the common people was her philanthropy and general generosity, combined with an austere personal life. The number of temples, guesthouses and roads she constructed across Bengal is believed to be in the hundreds. She also built numerous water tanks, alleviating the acute water problem of her subjects. She was also interested in the spread of education and donated generously to many educational institutes.[1]
During the era of Rani Bhabani, she made some great contributions for the development and renovation of Bhabanipur temple.[2] Bhabanipur is a shakti-peeth which is located at Sherpur Upazila of Bogra District.
Rani Bhabani's house in Natore remains a main tourist attraction in Bangladesh to date.
Contributions
Rani Bhabani is also famous as 'Natorer Rani'. She also made great contributions in Tarapith & Varanasi (Benaras). At that time it was undivided Bengal. Tarapith today is a place in West Bengal, India which is famous for (goddess Tara) & Her son Sadhak Bamakhepa (Bamdev). At that period he was expressing his divine powers. He expressed his divine bliss to Rani Bhabani. The result is today's Temple. She took the responsibilities of the expenses of Tarapith. Rani Bhabani is immortal in West Bengal's people's mind today for this. In Varanasi, there are two Ma Durga temples. One is established by Rani Bhabani & another by Rani Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore.
References
- 1 2 3 Mahmood, ABM (2012). "Rani Bhabani". In Islam, Sirajul; Jamal, Ahmed A. Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
- ↑ Togawa, Masahiko (2012). "Sakta-pitha". In Islam, Sirajul; Jamal, Ahmed A. Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.