Murshidabad

Murshidabad (MOOR-shee-dah-bahd) became the capital of Bengal under Murshid Quli Khan in 1727. He was the first independent ruler of the region, which consisted of present-day Bangladesh and the Indian states of West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand and Odisha. Murshidabad was a flourishing trade and commerce centre and historical records even suggested that Murshidabad contributed about 20% of the Indian economy and a staggering 5% of the world GDP. After the Battle of Plassey in 1757, Murshidabad was considered as prosperous as London. Sadly, Murshidabad has long lost its former glory and only traces of its glorious past survive to this day. Whatever has survived is still enough to turn Murshidabad into a leading tourism destination, but sadly the place lacks proper tourist infrastructure. Still, Murshidabad along with Bishnupur and Gour-Pandua are the three important historic tourist destinations of West Bengal.