Jagtai, now a census town under Suti II CD block in the Murshidabad district of West Bengal, is one of the historical sites where Rani Gaurangini’s legacy is still alive with the pride of its 300 years of glory. It’s all about the feminist upliftment in Jagtai in the early 18th century. The legend about Gaurangini Devi, a bride from an erstwhile zamindar family from Pabna of British India (now in Bangladesh), is still popular in the heart of Nimtita, Jagtai, and even Aurangabad.
According to local people, once upon a time Gaurangini Devi was taking a ride in a palanquin to take a bathe in the Ganga. But, on her arrival to the ghat for women, she showed her protest when she noticed the unethical presence of Bojra (house boat) that belonged to British male officials. The then Governor of Bengal, as a consequence, touched by such gallantry of a Bengali lady, wanted to offer the zamindari of Jagtai village to Gaurangini Devi. She didn’t miss the chance to accept such offer since she understood the need of woman empowerment against British rules within Bengal Presidency.
In the 18th century, the Jagtai Choudhury Estate was established by Rani Gaurangini and she appointed her own son Babu Saheb Lal Choudhury as the first prominent landlord of Jagtai.
Today it’s been almost 240 years that the legacy of Gaurangini Devi is still alive. As per some reports, it is assumed that in 1784 Babu Saheb Lal Choudhury first started the Durga Puja of this family in Sherpur of Nimtita, which later shifted to its permanent address in the Jagtai Choudhury zamindar bari. Today, although the zamindari mansion of Choudhuries doesn’t exist (now a number of renovated modern buildings instead), the wood-apple tree within the premises of Choudhury bari of Jagtai still bears the testimony of the inception of Durga Puja of zamindari period since last 300 years. The tree itself bears the traces of aristocracy of Jagtai Choudhuries till date.