Rani Bhabani

Rani Bhabani (Bangla: রাণী ভবাণী [http://bn.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%A6%A8%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%9F%E0%A7%8B%E0%A6%B0%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%B0_%E0%A6%AE%E0%A6%B9%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B0%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%A8%E0%A7%80] ) (1716-1795) was a zamindar of Rajshahi, in (now) Bangladesh during the British colonial era.

Life

Born in Bogra District, Bhabani was married off to Raja Ramkanta, the then zamindar of Rajshahi. After his death, Bhabani became the de jure zamindar, and started being referred to as "Rani", meaning queen. A woman as a zamindar was extremely rare in those days, but Rani Bhabani managed the vast Rajshahi zamindari most efficiently and effectively for over four decades. Holwell, an English writer, speculated that the stipulated annual rent of the estate to the crown was 7 million rupees, the real revenues being about 15 million.

However, what made Rani Bhabani a household name among the common people was her philanthropy and general generosity, combined with an austere personal life. The number of temples, guesthouses and roads she constructed across Bengal is believed to be in the hundreds. She also built numerous water tanks, alleviating the acute water problem of her subjects. She was also interested in the spread of education and donated generously to many educational institutes.

During the era of Rani Bhabani, she might have made some great contributions for the development and renovation of Bhabanipur temple. The deity or Goddess of Ma Tara of the Bhabanipur Temple is probably named after Rani Bhabani. Bhabanipur is a shakti-peeth which is located at Sherpur Upazila of Bogra District.

Rani Bhabani's house in Natore remains a main tourist attraction in Bangladesh to date.