Wandering in the Vibrant City... Kolkata... Day 4 Part 3

    Day 4 Part 3

In the premises itself is a memorial dedicated to Rani Rashmoni… For her spiritual inclination and the philanthrophy, she was called Rani or Rani Ma.. The life of Rani Rashmoni itself is quite interesting…

Rani Rashmoni of JanBazar, Kolkata was a pillar of strength in the mid-nineteenth century, amidst the male dominated society. Born in 28th Sept. 1793, at the tender age of 11, Rashmoni was married to Babu Rajchandra Das of JanBazar. When she gained maturity and came to live with her in-laws and husband, the greatest possible tragedy struck her quite early in her life...  

Her husband passed away leaving her all alone. Though initially thunder struck, Rashmoni was quick to recover from the shock and took charge of the family business and drove away the vultures hovering around. Later with the help of her son-in-law Mathur babu, who was married to her third and youngest daughter, Karunamoyi, she not only expanded the business but also became a champion for the people. The responsibility of administration of the zamindari and commerce after her bereavement brought out her management traits and inbuilt supervisory skills.

The Rani was a visionary of her times and stood by what she measured reasonable and just. Rani Rashmoni was also a well-known philanthropist.  She constructed the  road from Subarnarekha river to Pari for pilgrims, Babu Ghat, Ahirtola Ghat and Nimtola Ghat for the everyday bathers in the Ganges. She also contributed generously,  considerable funds to the then Majestic Library (now National Library) and Hindu College (now Presidency College)  

She took a bold step to help the fishermen thriving on Hoogli waters, whose livelihood were hampered by the speeding British steamers. Rashmoni blocked the river traffic by iron chains and did not remove it until her demands were met. Her daring stance to confront the British and her resilience had grown to be a legend in her time. 






However, her well known contribution was the founding of the Dakshineshwar Kali Mandir. She patronized Shri Ramkrishna Paramhamsa as the guardian of the Dakshineshwar Temple.

                                                                    ~~~ oOo ~~~