Kingdom of Bhurishrestha ভূরিশ্রেষ্ঠ বা ভুরশুট | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15th century–18th century | |||||||
 The extent of Bhurshut kingdom as reflected in a map of present-day West Bengal | |||||||
| Capital | Bhursut, Bhavanipur | ||||||
| Common languages | Bengali | ||||||
| Religion | Hinduism | ||||||
| Government | Monarchy | ||||||
| Historical era | Medieval India | ||||||
• Established | 15th century | ||||||
• Disestablished | 18th century | ||||||
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| Today part of | India | ||||||
Bhurshut (Bengali:ভুরশুট,romanized: Bhurśut) orBhurishreshtha (Bengali:ভূরিশ্রেষ্ঠ,romanized: Bhūriśreṣṭha) was a medievalBengali Hindu kingdom spread across what is nowHowrah andHooghly districts in theIndianstate ofWest Bengal.[1][2]
Bhurshut kingdom grew up in the southern parts ofRarh region. It had a high concentration ofBhurisresthis, a community of traders and as such came to be called Bhurshut. However, it was possibly the main centre of Rarhi Brahmins. It could have been ruled by a Sur king during the period when thePala Empire was a rising force. Different feudatory kings may have ruled over the kingdom. At a later time there is mention in folklore of a Dhibar dynasty, possibly in the 14th–15th century. Subsequently, the area came to be ruled by a Brahmin family.[3]
Shanibhangar, the last Dhibar king of Burshut, was defeated by Chaturanan Neogi of Garh Bhawanipur. Chaturanan's grandson (by his daughter) Krishna Roy of the Mukhti royal family of Phulia took over thereign and established the Brahmin dynasty of Bhurishrestha. Krishnanarayan Ray ruled in 1583–84, at a time whenAkbar was theMughal emperor. MaharajaRudranarayan Raymukhuty was the ruler of Bhurishrestha, who consolidated and expanded the kingdom and converted it into one of the most powerful Hindu kingdoms of the time. He broke the traditional alliance with the Pathan sultans of Odisha and accounted for the downfall of the Pathan regime in Bengal. Krishna Ray's great-grandson Pratap Narayan Ray (ruled around 1652–1684) was the greatest of Bhurshut kings. There is mention about the exemplary bravery of a lady of the family, popularly referred to asRoy Baghini, but it is difficult to identify the person.[3] She is probably named RaniBhavashankari Devi.[4]
InAin-i-Akbari, it is mentioned that amongst the thirty-one mahals under Sirkar Suleimanabad, the highest revenue was earned by Basandhari pargana, followed by Bhurshut. No other pargana underSirkar Satgaon or Sirkar Mandaran earned so much revenue. Bhurshut was conquered byKirtichand Rai of Bardhaman in the 18th century.[3]
Bhushut kingdom had three forts at Garh Bhabanipur, Pandua ('Pedo' or 'Pedo Basantapur') andRajbalhat. There is hardly any trace of these forts, There are still places called Dihi Bhurshut and Par Bhurshitta in Howrah district, across theDamodar from Rajbalhat.[3]
Bharatchandra Ray (Raygunakar), 18th-century Bengali poet, hailed from Pedo Bhurshut and possibly belonged to the ruling family of Bhurshut kingdom.[3]
Sridhara, the famous 10th-century mathematician, was also from Bhursut.
