7- 'Alam Khan's Mosque at Katwa. 



By MaulavI 'Abdu'l Wall 



i 



The name Katwa is said to have been derived from the 

 Sanskrit Katadwipa, and was therefore, in ancient times, an 

 island like Nadia or Navadwipa. The town of Katwa, other- 

 wise called Ganj-i-Murshidpur, is the head-quarters of the sub- 

 division of the same name of the Burdwan District, and is 

 situated at the junction of the Bhagirathi and the Ajay. It 

 was regarded as the military key to Murshidabad. " In the 

 Gola Ganj," says Long. " there are several hundred shops which 

 sell sugar, cloth, iron, etc." At the beginning of the 18th cen- 

 tury Katwa and the surrounding places greatly suffered from 

 the raids of the Bargis or Maharattas whose yearly excursions 

 depopulated the country and converted it into jungles. Nawab 

 : Ali Vardl Khan used Katwa as a base against the invaders. 

 He defeated them in 1742 in a battle outside the walls of the 

 fort. The mud fort of Katwa was situated on a tongue of land 

 at the confluence of Ajay and Bhagirathi, about half a mile in 

 circumference. It was here that Clive after an hour's medita- 

 tion formed the decision to fight with Nawab Siraj-u'd-Daula, 

 which was done on the 23rd June, 1757, on the battlefield of 

 Plassey, with the result that India passed gradually into the 

 hands of the British. 



I visited the place on the 10th March, 1916. The Mosque, 

 of which the inscriptions are given below, is situated at 

 Baganiapara, on the bank of the river and by the side of the 

 bazar. The Mosque is a large one. At the last great earth- 

 quake it suffered terribly, but the local Muslims had it repaired, 

 and it has since been kept up In a good state of preservation. 



According to Hafiz ; Abdu's-Sattar, the husband of the lady 

 who is the sole descendant of the builder of the Mosque, the 

 Masjid was built by 'Alam Khan. The latter and his brother 

 Zulfiqar Khan lived at Delhi and were supporters of Jahandar 

 Shah. After Jahandar Shah's defeat at Agra and Zulfiqar 

 Shan's death. ' Alain Khan left Delhi with his son Bahram ; 

 and, after wandering in various places, came and settled at 

 Baganiapara in Katwa. when the Maharatta depredations were 

 at its height. 2 The place being low, 'Alam Khan raised it by 



1 The Gazetteer of the Burdwan District (1911) ascribes this ft 

 to Murshid Quli Jafar Khan. This appears to be not accurate. 



2 The following Bengali couplet is still current in the District : 



" Chhelo ghumalo, para juralo, Bargi alo deshe_ _ 

 Bulbuli-te dhan kheyechhe, khajna debo kishe 

 (The child has gone to sleep, the hamlet is quiet— (lo !) the Bargi has come 

 into the country The Bulbul has eaten up the paddy, how ill I pay the 

 r«nt ? 



