The enigmatic ‘Green' Ramchandra of Bengal

 

Bengal worships the ‘Maryada Purushottam’ (Ideal Man) or the ‘Green' Ramchandra who resembles a warrior-king and wears a prominent moustache … a look that is much more historically consistent with Bengal’s royal history and the life of a prince living in the forest for fourteen years. Krittibas Ojha’s ‘Ramayana’ / ‘Sri Ram Panchali’, the 15th-century Bengali adaptation of the ancient Sanskrit epic, also refers to Sri Ramchandra’s green complexion which is radically different from the North Indian depiction of Lord Ram. This depiction is known as ‘Durba-dol Ram’ or ‘Nava Durba Dol’ (Fresh Green Grass) manifestation showing his humility … or lack of ego just like the sacred Durba grass that is tread underfoot. In recent times, I visited a few places where ‘Durba-dol Ram’ is being worshipped for centuries.

The Brindaban Chandra Math complex in Guptipara (Hooghly) built in the 17^th /18th centuries enshrines the idol of ‘Green Ram’ along with Sita and Lakshman. The conclave has four temples … and one of them is dedicated to Sri Ramchandra. The temple is decorated with intricate terracotta depicting scenes from the Ramayana. It is believed that the temple was built by Raja Harish Chandra Ray around 1822 ... but the idol dates further back in time. A local devotee of Lord Ram (Ramkanta) once went to Ajodhya for pilgrimage and brought back a ‘Shaligram Shila’ by divine grace. He enshrined it in a temple near the Bhagirathi River which was unfortunately washed away in flood. The idol survived … and is now worshipped in the Guptipara temple complex. 

Ram Temple. Brindaban Chandra Math of Guptipara

There is an interesting anecdote associated with this temple. During the reign of Alivardi Khan, the Nawab of Bengal (1740-1756) it was reported that Brindaban Chandra had not paid taxes for a plot of land in his name. The Nawab summoned Brindaban Chandra to his court for trial. He had no idea that Brindaban Chandra was none other than Lord Krishna. The worshippers made a replica of the deity and took it to Alivardi Khan. The Nawab was astonished to see the deity on trial and immediately waived off all dues and gave permission to build a temple for Brindaban Chandra. The temple stands in the eastern-side of the conclave and enshrines images of Ramchandra, Lakshman and Sita in the sanctum sanctorum.

Ramchandra in  Brindaban Chandra Math 

Ramrajatala (Howrah) derives its name from the presence of a Ram Temple and its 300-year-old tradition of ‘Ram Puja’. Ramchandra (also, ‘Ram Thakur’) here is depicted in green and has a moustache. He is worshipped along with Sita, Lakshman, Hanuman and several other deities. This worship began in the 18th-century when Zamindar Ayodhyaram Chowdhury received a divine directive to worship Ramchandra. The Chowdhury family helped Nawab Alivardi Khan to resist the Maratha invaders (bargees) who raided Bengal repeatedly during this time. As a reward, the Nawab gifted Ayodhyaram the Zamindari of Ramrajatala and its adjoining areas. As per legend the Zamindar saw Ram’s reflection on River Ganges while he was taking his daily bath and started the Ram worship in 1740. The local people initially opposed him as they worshipped Goddess Saraswati. However, the matter was settled when the Zamindar agreed to place the image of Saraswati above the image of Ramchandra … and thus, two traditions blended into one. The festivities in Ramrajatala start from Ramnavami and continue for nearly three months.

Ramchandra in  Ramrajatala

Ram Puja at Ramrajatala 

Ramchandra is also worshipped in the ‘Boro’ (Elder) Goswami Bari of Santipur (Nadia) for around 300 years as ‘Raghunath Jiu’. He is depicted as a “Warrior-King” with a green complexion and a prominent moustache. The Goswami family also initiated the Ram-Rathyatra in Bengal, where Lord Ram (Raghunath) is taken along with Lord Jagannath out in a chariot. As per the tradition of several scions of the Goswami family of Santipur, Sri Raghunath Jiu is the chief deity of Rathyatra.

Nat Mandir. Boro’Goswami Bari of Santipur 

Photo of Raghunath Jiu

Ramchandra has been a part of the socio-cultural and religious traditions of Bengal since the rise of the Bhakti Movement of the 15^th and 16^th centuries when Sri Chaitanya popularized the worship of Krishna and Ram as the supreme manifestations of Vishnu. In fact, Ram was the household deity (kul devta) of Jayananda, the biographer of Sri Chaityna, and his family members practiced ‘Ramayat Vaishnavism’ - a sect of Vaishnavism that venerates Ram-Sita - which pre-dated Gaudiya Vaishnavism. Gaudiya Vaishnavism gained prominence in Bengal owing to the immense popularity of Sri Chaityna but it was never entirely wiped out. Interestingly, though Sri Chaitanya himself was more popular than Ramchandra, he himself worshipped Ram and Krishna. 

Krittibas Ojha’s ‘Ramayana’ has remained popular for centuries, stories of Ram-Sita were popular in Bengal’s folk art forms such as, Jatra-Pala (folk theatre), Chhou Naach (masked dance) of Purulia and Patachitra (scroll painting) of Midnapore / Burdwan throughout the 18th / 19th centuries. The legacy of Sri Ramchandra retains a prominent place in the Bengal’s cultural consciousness … more artistic and intellectual, rather than devotional … as Sri Ramchandra never really gained mass popularity in a religious sense as in other regions of the country.

Rani Rashmoni - A Woman ahead of her Time

 

In recent times, the Hormuz crisis in West-Asia has dominated headlines and sparked intense debates / discussions on social media platforms worldwide. The Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman that controls the passage of a significant portion of the world’s oil supply has become a flashpoint for geopolitical tension. This echoes the importance of controlling waterways seen centuries earlier in Bengal’s riverine struggles, albeit on a smaller scale. My seventh ‘heritage walk’ with Crosswalks to explore the houses of Rani Rashmoni gave me a rare insight into a curious parallel between the Hooghly River fishing crisis in 19^th century Bengal to the high-stakes crisis of the Strait of Hormuz vis-à-vis the control and management of waterways.

Rani Rashmoni, a visionary woman of 19^th century Bengal, challenged prevalent repressive norms of gender, caste, class and religion, to emerge as a successful entrepreneur and powerful administrator committed to the welfare of her people. She was loved for her compassion and admired for her courage in Calcutta’s administrative circles. In the 1840s, the British East India Company declared that small fishing boats were impeding the movement of ferries on the Hooghly River and imposed a tax to generate revenue while reducing fishing activities on the river. The worried fishermen travelled to Calcutta to approach the elite landlords for help but they did not receive any. As a last resort, they appealed to Rani Rashmoni. The Rani fearlessly challenged the British to safeguard the interests of the  fishing community. She acquired an ‘ijara’ (lease agreement) from the East India Company for a 10-km stretch of the River Hooghly for Rs 10,000. Then she barricaded the area with two iron chains and asked the fishermen to cast nets within this zone. This had an immediate impact as riverine traffic came to a halt. When the British demanded an explanation, Rani Rashmoni asserted her legal right to protect her ‘ijara’ as steamships were disrupting fishing in her leased area. The East India Company officials had to come to an agreement with Rani Rashmoni - they abolished the fishing tax and the fishermen had open access to the river once more. Rani Rashmoni’s leadership and the present-day crisis in Hormuz … though very different, demonstrate how waterways - whether in the form of rivers or straits - continue to shape human history, connecting past regional challenges to contemporary global issues with enduring significance.

Threshold. Janbazar Palace

The 'Thakur Dalan' where Durga Puja is held every year

Chandeliers

Throughout the history of India, remarkable women like Rani Rashmoni have been at the forefront of social-cultural and political movements, however, their profound impact, and even their life stories, has remained obscure or forgotten in mainstream history. 

Rani Rashmoni was born into a Mahishya family in Halisahar (North 24 Parganas) in 1793 and was married at the age of eleven, to Rajchandra Marh, son of Preetoram Marh, a wealthy landlord of Janbazar, Calcutta. The impressive rise of the Marh family from rather humble beginnings to Zamindari glory remains a testimony to the combination of a progressive mindset and mercantile success. The family, originally from the Koley clan, migrated from Burdwan to Howrah and then to Janbazar in Calcutta, transforming from bamboo traders to wealthy landlords. The family acquired the name ‘Marh’ due to their ancestral profession as wood and bamboo traders - ‘baash marh’ (rotten bamboo) was used in their commercial activities. Among the prominent figures of this family were Babu Preetoram Marh, a wealthy merchant of 18th-century Calcutta, his son and daughter-in-law, Rajchandra Das and Rani Rashmoni. Babu Rajchandra was a man of progressive ideals; who defied prevailing socio-cultural norms and encouraged his wife to work alongside him in his business and philanthropic ventures. Together they amassed a fortune and spent a significant amount for funding schools, hospitals, shelters and built two of Calcutta’s oldest ‘ghats’ - the Ahiritola Ghat and the Babu Rajchandra Das Ghat / Babughat. After he passed away in 1836, Rani Rashmoni confidently took charge of the family’s business and continued with the philanthropic, administrative and religious endeavours. This was quite unusual in the then-prevailing patriarchal society that suppressed women in general and stigmatized widows in particular. Rani Rashmoni had to thwart the attempts of her husband’s acquaintances as well as adversaries who wanted to manage her estate and ultimately entrusted the responsibility to her son-in-law, Mathur Babu. Rani Rashmoni had four daughters: Padmamani, Kumari, Karunamoyee and Jagadamba; and she accomplished much of her work through her sons-in-law. Babu Mathur Mohan Biswas (Mathur Babu), the third son-in-law, was her confidante and manager of the Janbazar family estate. He was initially married to Karunamoyee, and after her untimely death, to Jagadamba. He was also entrusted with the responsibility of building the Kali Temple of Dakshineswar. The families of the other daughters Padmamani and Kumari continued through their respective marriages, although their accounts are less prominent in historical records. 

Rani Rashmoni’s life and legacy are entwined with the iconic Dakshineswar Kali Temple, a landmark in Bengal. It is believed that the Rani was about to embark on a pilgrimage to Kashi, when she had a dream that inspired her to build a temple in her own city. So, she purchased a tract of land on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River that was owned by a European Christian, Englishman named John Hastie, which was previously used as a Muslim burial ground. On this land, Rani Rashmoni commissioned the construction of a temple for Goddess Bhavatarini in Nava-Ratna architectural style of Bengal. Perhaps she was inspired by ‘Shyama Sangeet’ of Ramprasad Sen who lived near her ancestral home in Halisahar. The construction of the Dakshineswar Temple faced major challenges, as Rani Rashmoni was a lower caste Mahishya widow, Brahmins priests declared the temple patronage as inauspicious and refused to consecrate the deity. Zamindar Ramratan Roy of Narail and Prananath Choudhury of Satkhira filed sixteen law-suits to stop the construction of the temple. Rani Rashmoni solved this crisis by formally dedicating the temple in the name of her Guru Ramsundar Chakraborty to ensure its acceptance. Eventually, Ramakrishna Paramhansa arrived at Dakshineswar in 1855 to assist his elder brother, Ramkumar Chattopadhyay, the first priest at the newly-consecrated Kali Temple. Following his brother’s death, Ramakrishna became the priest, beginning his journey of intense spiritual devotion in this temple. Bhabatarini Kali temple remains one of the most revered temples despite not being a Sati Peetha.

Rani Rashmoni Bhawan (Biswas Bari)

Rani Rashmoni's Office (Kachari Bari) ... now a godown for local businesses

Statues and Murals in Kachari Bari Courtyard

Rani Rashmoni protested against prevalent social ills against women - child marriage, polygamy and Sati - and extended her support to social reformers like Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar. Her progressive attitude and pioneering spirit resonate with feminist principles though the term ‘feminist’ was not known in her era. Rani Rashmoni’s legacy lies in her assertion of agency as a widow in a male-dominated society to re-define the possibilities for women’s leadership long before organized feminist movements took shape in the Western World. Her life and activities encourage one to acknowledge the historical depth and span of feminist thought in diverse cultural contexts. From fearlessly taking on the East India Company to establishing the iconic Dakshineswar Kali Temple, Rani Rashmoni left an indelible mark on the history of Calcutta. She remains a lady whose legacy defies titles - she was not a queen (‘Rani’) by birth / marriage, but a queen of her people who lovingly called her ‘Lokmata’.

Malati Murmu and the Light of Knowledge !!

 

Change does not always need a big effort … sometimes, a small step is enough.

In the remote village of ‘Jilingsereng’ near Ajodhya Hills, a remarkable story of grassroots education is unfolding gradually … and I had the good fortune to witness it during my recent trip to Purulia. Malati Murmu, a tribal housewife, has transformed her humble mud house into a free school that provides foundational education to around 60 tribal children. The school caters to children from grades one to four, and primarily instructs in Santhali, the mother-tongue of the tribal community, employing the Ol Chiki script. Alongside Santali, the curriculum incorporates Bengali and English, fostering multilingual proficiency among the students. The school has sparked a desire for learning among the children as they have the opportunity to learn in their native language for the first time.

Malati Murmu started the school in 2020 as a single-handed effort to educate the children of her locality. The world was under lockdown at that time, schools were closed and online education was the new normal for those who had Smartphones, internet connection and a quiet place to study. The children of Jilingsereng had none of these. They only had Malati Murmu, a new bride and a new mother … who decided to take matters into her own hands. Malati’s husband, Banka Murmu, supported her unconditionally. Malati gained significant social media attention in 2025 which brought support in the form of stationery and, sometimes as funds. The school expanded from a single mud hut to a facility with two classrooms equipped with learning materials and even a computer. Malati regrets that she does not know how to use it … but proudly informed us that her husband has enrolled in a computer course. They share household work, raise their two children and manage the school together. In fact, when we visited the school in the afternoon, Malati had gone to fetch water and her husband offered us a warm welcome with tea and biscuits.  

Education experts, like Professor Shripati Tudu, Assistant Professor in the Department of Santali at Sidho-Kanho-Birsha University, describes Malati’s initiative as a pioneering model for tribal and rural education across India. The humble school among the Ajodhya Hills shows how women-led education, rooted in indigenous languages and culturally relevant teaching-learning methodologies, can empower learners from historically marginalized communities and thereby bridge longstanding educational divides in India.

'Winter Nest Reveal'

In the late winter / early spring, the urban landscape of Kolkata offers a subtle yet enchanting spectacle that is often overlooked in the rush of daily life: the ‘winter nest reveal’ … i.e. the sight of empty birds’ nests in the city’s trees. This occurs as trees shed their leaves, revealing nests that were once hidden by the lush summer foliage. These nests are the silent witnesses to vibrant springtime activity … when birds built their homes to raise their young. The nests, now empty and exposed, speak of seasonal rhythms in urban spaces. For many, like me, the sight sparks childhood wonder … a reflective pause, perhaps at a traffic signal, amidst the city’s relentless pace. 

The ‘winter nest reveal’ is more than just a seasonal occurrence; it is a moment to connect with the natural wonders that endure even in the heart of a bustling metropolis.