The name of Shobhabazar Rajbari (Royal Palace) will inevitably be on the list of traditional household pujas (worship/festivals) in North Kolkata. Amidst the city's themed pujas, the worship at this house still maintains its unique identity.
Many people know Raja Nabakrishna Deb as the founder of
Shobhabazar Rajbari. But do you know that he was the French language teacher of
Warren Hastings and Robert Clive? In fact, he had acquired special proficiency
in Urdu and French languages. And precisely for this reason, Nabakrishna Deb
was also known as Nabakrishna Munshi. In 1766, the Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II
conferred the title of 'Maharaja Bahadur' upon the Raja.
This is not the end of it; many such unknown facts about him
emerge from the pages of history. Just as he earned fame and renown, the Raja
also had no lack of influence and affluence. Nabakrishna Deb constructed a long
51-kilometer road from Behala to Kulpi entirely at his own expense. It is heard
that when his mother passed away, he spent nine lakh rupees for her funeral
rites (Shraddha ceremony). In the context of that time, the value of nine lakh
rupees was unimaginable.
It is said that the tradition of the palanquin was also
introduced by him. However, Nabakrishna Deb's main fame revolves around his Durga
Puja. It is claimed that he was the first to introduce Durga Puja in Kolkata in
1756. Although, there is considerable controversy regarding this claim.