Bardhaman Raj

The Bardhaman Raj (Bengali: বর্ধমান রাজ, Bengali pronunciation: [Bôrdhoman Raj]), also known as Burdwan Raj, was a zamindari Raja estate that flourished from about 1657 to 1955 in the Indian state of West Bengal. Maharaja Sangam Rai Kapoor, a Khatri from Kotli, Punjab, who was the first member of the family to settle in Bardhaman, was the original founder of the house of Bardhaman, whereas his grandson Abu Rai, during whose time the zamindari started flourishing, is considered to be the patriarch of the Bardhaman Raj family.

Maharaja Kirti Chand Rai (1702-1740) extended the estates far and wide by attacking and defeating the Raja of Bishnupur. At its height, it extended to around 5,000 square miles (13,000 km) and included many parts of what is now Burdwan, Bankura, Medinipur, Howrah, Hooghly and Murshidabad districts. After his victory against the king of Vishnupur, he constructed a victory gate, Baraduari (the outer gate), at Kanchannagar in Bardhaman.