Rani Bhabani
 |
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (September 2009) |
 |
This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. (Consider using more specific cleanup instructions.) Please help improve this article if you can. The talk page may contain suggestions. (June 2011) |
Rani Bhabani (Bengali: রাণী ভবাণী) (1716–1795) was a zamindar of Rajshahi, in (now) Bangladesh during the British colonial era.
[edit] Life
Born in Chhatin gram,Thana: Adamdighi, 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, meaning 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. 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.
During the era of Rani Bhabani, she made some great contributions for the development and renovation of Bhabanipur temple. 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.
[edit] 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 Ma Tara (goddess Tara) & Her son Sadhak Bamakhepa (Bamdev).[1] 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.[2] In Varanasi, there are two Ma Durga temples. One is established by Rani Bhabani & another by Rani Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore. Both of them are beautiful and gorgeous. Till today the golden Durga is being worshipped in Varanasi (Benaras). We have to note that both of these Ranies of India came at the same period. Both of them have made great contributions on Indian heritage.
