Paying Homage to one of the greatest Nationalist & Epitome of Women Empowerment "LOKMATA RANI RASHMANI" on her 228th Birth Anniversary.

Rani Rashmoni left an indelible mark on Calcutta way back in the early 19th century.

(By Bhaskar Ganguly)
@LostTemple7
She also offered considerable charity to the Imperial Library (now the National Library of India) and the Hindu College (now Presidency University).
The most magnificent contribution of Rashmoni was the construction of the famous Dakshineswar Temple dedicated to Goddess Kali.
Rashmoni persuaded these families and helped them to build up fisheries in the surrounding water bodies that later turned into large rich bheris (fish ponds). They gradually gave up their plundering and transformed themselves into a community of fishermen.
One of the first Indian industrialists, Dwarkanath Tagore, had mortaged a part of his zamindari to Rashmoni for his passage to London in 1847. This part of the land which was then a part of the Sunderbans was marshy and almost uninhabitable except for some families of thugs.
Rani Rashmoni was widowed in her 40s and the burden of the business and managing the zamindari fell on her and she handled it with great efficiency. Her humble origins also meant that she had great compassion for the poor and she donated huge sums to charity.
Rashmoni was lucky to have found in Rajchandra, a progressive husband who didn’t believe in confining women within the four walls. Instead, he involved her in his business & so good was Rashmoni in matters of business that in a short span of time the duo amassed a huge fortune
Rani Rashmoni was born on 28th September 1793 into a Kaivarta (fishermen) family of Halisahar in West Bengal. Even before she entered her teens, her father who was a petty labourer, married her to a much older widower, Rajchandra Das, a scion of a wealthy zamindar from calcutta
A lot to achieve for a young girl, born into poverty, to parents from a low caste, way back in 1793.
The story of how Rani Rashmoni broke through patriarchy, orthodoxy and every other ill, to rise up in 19th century India is truly breathtaking.
It was she who built the famous Dakshineswar Temple dedicated to Goddess Kali, she took on the British, was unmatchable on matters of business, she was an inspiration for social reformers and also one of the greatest philanthropists Calcutta has ever seen.

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
 

Keep Current with Monidipa Bose - Dey (মণিদীপা)

Monidipa Bose - Dey (মণিদীপা) Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @monidipadey

Apr 27
Hinduism in China.

Hinduism is still present in China, though it is now in minuscule numbers. However archaeological evidences suggest there was once a thriving presence of Hindus in different provinces of medieval China.

In photos is the Kaiyuan temple, in Quanzhou, a province of southeast China. According to the historians, there were more than a dozen Hindu temples, including two big shrines, in Quanzhou and the surrounding villages, which were built by a group of Tamil traders who lived here during the Song (960-1279) and Yuan (1279-1368) periods.

In 1271, a visiting Italian merchant recorded that the Indian traders "were recognised easily. These rich Indian men and women mainly live on vegetables, milk and rice, unlike the Chinese who eat meat and fish."

The Kaiyuan temple show many Shaiva motifs, similar to the ones seen on temples in Tamil Nadu of the same period (10th-14th centuries).

@LostTemple7Image
Image
Image
Image
In the 1930s, many murtis of Narasimha were unearthed from Quanzhou during an archaeological excavation by Wu Wenliang. Among other Hindu artefacts, images depicting Puranic stories associated with Vishnu and Shiva were also found, showing a style similar to what is seen on temples in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh of the same period (10th -14th centuries).

Besides the Tamil traders, Indians entered China through the Kamrup route (Assam) via Burma into south Chinese province of Yunnan, as well as other southwestern regions of modern China. This is supported by by the discovery of Shiva-linga and yoni in Jianchuan caves, while many other Hindu artefacts were found during excavation of Dali temple in Yunnan.

Another route to enter China was through Kashmir, and it was this route that carried Buddhism to China.

(All images from Google)Image
Image
Image
Image
My post is in context to a Hanuman murti photo that I had shared on Hanuman Jayanti. The murti was from China, and few then had said there was no Hinduism ever in China, and the hanuman murti was actually from a jataka tale of Buddhism.
Read 4 tweets
Apr 21
FYI @ambedkariteIND
The first photo is that of the Hindu Devi Sri - Gajalakshmi. The two elephants that are bathing her are the two nidhis- Sankha and Padma. This iconography is clearly defined in the Vishnudharmottara (III. 82, 7 ; and 82, 10).
Sri is also found described in Sri-Sukta of the RV and in the Taitttiriya Upanishad.

The wrong identification of Sri-Gajalakshmi images as Maya, the mother of Buddha, was made by Alfred Charles Auguste Foucher (1865–1952), a French scholar, who had made another wrong claim- Buddha image had Greek origins.

Read Anand Coomaraswamy’s article on “Early Indian Iconography” for correct history and interpretation of Gajalakshmi.Image
Two BCE era Gaja Lakshmi coins depicting the Hindu Devi Gajalakshmi

1. Kaushambi: Copper, 300 BCE, Gajalakshmi.

2. 1st c. BCE era Gajalakshmi coin, refer: J. Allan catalogue on coins.

3. Coin of Azilises showing Gaja Lakshmi standing on a lotus, 1st century BCE.

One of the earliest iconography , frequently found on coins, is that of Gaja-Laksmi, i.e., Laksmi standing (rarely seated), being bathed by two etephants . It appears on an uninscribed coin from Kausambi (3rd century B.C.E), coins of Visakha-deva, Sivadatta and probably also of Vayudeva of Ayodhya (1st century B.C.E), and uninscribed coins of Ujjayini (2nd-3rd century B.C.E).

Gajalakshmi was so popular that many Indo-Scythian satraps of northern India like Azilises, Rajuvula, and Sodasa had Her inscribed on their coins.Image
Image
Image
This is Buddha’s mother Maya.
Completely Different iconographic representation from Devi Gajalakshmi.
Read 5 tweets
Apr 6
The Azad Hind Sarkar was the first 'swadeshi' government of India. Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose had formed this government and taken oath as the Prime Minister on 21st October, 1943. This makes him the first PM of India.

The Azad Hind government was not a token government. This provisional government was recognised by Japan, Germany, Italy, Croatia, Burma, Thailand, Philippines, Manchuria, and the Republic of China (under Wang Jingwei), while a note of congratulations was sent by Eamon de Valera (the then PM of Ireland).

The Azad Hind Sarkar had presented policies-opinions on several important matters pertaining to Indian life. It also had its own postal stamps, bank, civil code, court, currency, territory (Andaman Nicobar islands), and intelligence service. Developing all these things in a short time frame, with limited resources, and with the British still in control was no mean feat.

The Azad Hind government started working from Singapore. It had 11 ministers and 8 representatives from the INA. This government was formed with the objective of freeing India from British rule, and it was necessary to bring together all political and military resources under one government for that purpose. The Azad Hind government also allowed Netaji to hold talks with various countries, while helping in mobilising NRIs to join and support the war of independence.

Image: 10000 Rupee Note issued by the Azad Hind Bank of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.Image
FYI @INCIndia not accepting this basic truth, the history that had actually happened, is being a perfect British slave. Of course, it suits you that way. One must not forget that Allan Octavian Hume, a former British civil servant, was one of the founding members of the Indian National Congress.
@INCIndia Netaji at the Greater East Asia Conference in Japan, 1943.
The Azad Hind Sarkar facilitated Netaji to attend such conferences as a State head and mobilise global support for India against the British.
Read 5 tweets
Feb 1
|| 31st January- the 45th anniversary of the forgotten mass*cre of Dal¡t Refugees in WB under CPI (M)- Left rule ||

On 31st January in 1979, the Marichjhanpi mass*cre took place, when the police under CPI (M) led communist government Ki!!ed Dal¡t Namashudra refugees living in Marichjhanpi island in the Sunderbans.

The namashudra refugees from East Pakistan had fled the Islam!c persecution, & settled in Dandakaranya & other parts of India, both after 1947 and 1971. During early 70s, the communists had spoken largely in favour of these refugees.

1/n 🧵..Image
Hearing the supportive statements by the communist leaders, in early 1978, the Da!it Bengali H¡ndu refugees started moving out from Dandakarnya and settled in the islands of Sunderbans, the main centre being at Marichjhanpi. By June 1978, about 30,000 refugees had settled in Marichjhanpi and started various livelihoods, becoming self reliant.

However by then, having used the sympathy wave for the refugees to win elections in WB, the policy of the communists towards the Dal¡t refugees changed, and they took a complete U turn.
The communists then declared that there was no space for the refugees in West Bengal, and asked them to return to Dandakaranya & other parts of the country where they had been earlier resettled.

From end of December 1978, the police & CPM cadres started harassing the settlers in Marichjhapi, ordering them to leave. Friction started as the settlers refused and drove away the CPM goons. Marichjhapi stood out in defiance against the fascism of the communist government.
Read 6 tweets
Sep 16, 2023
|| Hinduism in Armenia and how Christianity destroyed it ||

India and Armenia have recorded historical relations dating back to 149 BCE, which included Hindu settlements in Armenia. This region back then was a part of Turkey and Iran, and two princes from India (Kannauj) had travelled there carrying with them a group of people who were Krishna worshippers, and with the Armenian king’s help they established a city named Veeshap or Odz (a reference to their Indian Takshak ruling house : Takshaka means Naga King, & Odz also meaning snake).

The descendants of the two princes later erected two temples, which held two brass murtis, 5 and 7 metres high, of a god named Kissaneh (Krishna), as recorded by the Syrian historian Zenob Glak in his “History of Taron” written in 4th c. CE.

Under the pagan Armenian government the Hindu colony flourished for a considerable time in Armenia. It was a fairly large one comprising over 15,000 members. The Hindu-Indians in a short period of time built twenty towns, and in each of them they erected their temples. Some of these towns, mentioned by Zenob, retained their names and stood till the middle of the 19th century. Until early 20th century one of the villages in Taron was called Hindkastan. The names Hindubek, Hindu, Hindukhanum, Hindumelik were often used by the Armenians of Taron.

1/2


Image
Image
Image
However, things changed when Christianity was brought to Armenia, the religion which was imposed by fire and sword. As per Zenob, the two temples were destroyed in 301 CE by St. Gregory, the Iluminator, after killing more than 1000 resisting Hindus and priests. The ones that survived were forcibly baptized. The followers of Christianity demolished all other heathen temples and erected churches on their site.

On the site of the two Hindu temples in the town of Veeshap or Odz, St. Gregory built a Christian monastery in 301 CE where he placed relics of St. John the Baptist and Athanagineh the Martyr. This edifice still exists and is known as St. Karapet of Moosh (now in Turkey, near Lake Van). It is noteworthy to mention that almost till the end of the 19th century, not far from this monastery there was a settlement, which used to be called Odz.

With brutal Christian impositions, the Hindu colony that had peacefully existed in Armenia for more than 450 years, came to an end.
@GemsOfINDOLOGY might interest you. Am sure you know of this connection
Read 5 tweets
Sep 12, 2023
A forgotten freedom fighter- Bagha Jatin.

After retirement Sir Charles Tegart, an Irish police officer who served in British India as the 12th Police Commissioner of Calcutta from 1923–1931, wrote “if this revolutionary was born in England instead of India his statue would have been placed at the Trafalgar Square beside Nelson.”

Who was this revolutionary that Tegart had praised despite being from the enemy camp?

In 1905, to break down the Bengal nationalist movement Lord Curzon adopted the divide and rule policy of breaking Bengal. Bengal youth revolted against it and under Rishi Aurobindo formed a group named Jugantar, which soon spread across India with many branches sprouting at many places. At its head was a young 20 year old man named Jatindranath Mukherjee (better known as Jatin). The slogan at that time was “amra morbo, jogot jagbe”. Translated it means- we will die, world will wake up.”

1/6 🧵

Image
Image
It was the start of a new era in Indian freedom movement known as Agniyug or the era of fire. At various places these young revolutionaries started bomb making factories, and to inspire other young men, attacks were made on the British high officials. At this time Aurobindo along with Jatin was taken into police custody for involvement in the Alipore bomb case. After spending 11 months in jail, Jatin realised such small incidents will not bring freedom. What was required was a pan India revolution on the lines of the 1857 mutiny.

In 1912 when the German prince Wilhelm came for a visit to India Jatin met him, as an enemy’s enemy, and explained why the revolutionaries needed arms and other assistance against the British.
In Europe the WWI had just started, and Jatin realised it was ripe time for India to start its armed resistance against the British too. He soon brought all the rebels who were in exile, and living in Germany and US, under one umbrella. Sarojini Naidu’s brother Birendranath was living in Germany at that time and he had formed a Berlin Committee. Under Jatin’s guidance he convinced the German authorities to help Indian revolutionaries with arms and weapons in their common fight against the British. From the US, Lala Hardayal Mathur and his Gadar party also extended their hands for help. Jatin meanwhile started talking with the Indians in the British army stationed in Fort William, Calcutta.
Read 6 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Don't want to be a Premium member but still want to support us?

Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal

Or Donate anonymously using crypto!

Ethereum

0xfe58350B80634f60Fa6Dc149a72b4DFbc17D341E copy

Bitcoin

3ATGMxNzCUFzxpMCHL5sWSt4DVtS8UqXpi copy

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us!

:(