Hazarduari Palace Museum
Hazarduari Palace, Murshidabad 742 160
Murshidabad was at one time the capital of the province of Bengal under the rule of the Sultans. The Hazarduari Palace was built during the rule of the Nawab Nasib Humayun Jah. It was built by a British architect in the Greek or Doric style. The museum inside this palce is known as the Hazarduari Palace Museum and is a very interesting place with over 20 galleries. There are over 1000 antiques and most of these focus on the history of Bengal and the royals of this region. There are also exhibits of weapons, clothings and other such things.
Katra Masjid
On Baharampur-Lalgola State Highway, Murshidabad
This is one of the most important attractions of the Murshidabad town of the East Murshidabad District. It is like a weekend getaway from the metropolitan of Kolkata and is visited by tourists all round the year. The mosqe has lost much of its charm mainly due to the earthquake which took place in the year 1897. The mosque was built by Nawab Murshid Quli Khan between the years 1723 and 1724 and the tomb of the nawab is also over here. The design of the mosque was inspired from that of the Kartalab Mosque which is in the city of Dhaka in Bangladesh. The meaning of the word 'Katra' is a market. This is beacause initially the mosque was surrounded by a busy market. The mosque was once decorated with beautiful works of calligraphy, minarets, designed domes and lattice works. The presence of Persian inscriptions can also be found here. The open space right in front of the entrance of the Masjid is the place where devotees carry on the koran reading sessions. The place is so big that about 2000 people can accomodate themselves here at the same time over here.
Nizamat Imambara
Nizamat Imambara, Hazarduari, Murshidabad, West Bengal 742149, India
To the north of the Hazarduari Palace, stands the Nizamat Imambara, built in 1847 AD. by Nawab Nazim Mansoor Ali Khan Feradun Jah, son of Humayun Jah, at a cost of more than 6 lacs, after the Imambara built by Siraj-ud-Doula had been destroyed by fire. It took only eleven months to construct this Imambara. The Imambara, which is the largest in Bengal, is perhaps the largest in India.
