Murshidabad,

Murshidabad, a town of India, situated on the left bank of the Bhagirathi, a branch of the Ganges, 124 miles N. of Calcutta. During the 18th century it was the capital of Bengal and a very populous city; but about the time (1790) the British made Calcutta their headquarters Murshidabad began to decline. Pop. (1881) 39,231; (1891) 35,576. The chief buildings of note are the palace of the Nawab (1837), the Imambāra ('house of prayer'), and a mosque. Two miles south of the city is Motijhil or Pearl Lake; on its bank stood the palace of Suraj-ud-Dowlah, in which Clive enthroned Mir Jafar, and the English Residents—Warren Hastings the first—dwelt. On the opposite side of the river is the old cemetery of the Nawabs, containing a mausoleum, mosque, &c. The city is noted for its ivory-carving, its embroidery in gold and silver lace, silk-weaving, and the manufacture of hookah pipes and musical instruments. It is moreover a busy centre of trade. The district has an area of 2144 sq. m., and a pop. (1881) of 1,226,790; (1891) 1,250,946.