Laksmikanta Roy Choudhury

Lakshmikanta Roy Choudhury, sometimes spelled as Laksmikanta Roy Choudhury (লক্ষ্মীকান্ত রায় চৌধুরী), also known as Ray Lakshmikanta Gangopadhyaya Majumdar Chowdhury, 1570-1649, was a medieval Brahmin scholar and illustrious character who received tax free jaigirdari of eight parganas on the eastern bank of river Hoogly,including the land in and around Kolkata as Gurudakshina in 1608 from the Mugaal Emperor Jehangir through Raja Man Singh, along with titles of Ray and Choudhuri. He was the 21st descendant of the Sabarna Roy Choudhury family. The name of Laksmikanta and the Sabarna Roy Choudhury family is an integral part of the history of Kolkata.

Jiya Gangopadhyay (1535–1620) was a famous classical Sanskrit scholar of Halisahar. He was a Vidya Bachaspati. Jiya got married with a pious and charming lady named Padmabati Devi. However, as they couldn’t produce any child, they were advised to go to Kalishetra (Kalighat) and pray before the Goddess for Her blessings. Their hard penance at Kalighat, under the guidance and advice of the chief priest of the temple and renowned saint Thakur Atmaram Brahmachari, and a Divine Oracle on an early January morning in 1570 earned them a boy child the same year on the day of Kojagori Laksmi puja, however soon Padmabati died. The boy child was named Laksmikanta.

Jiya, highly grieved, at the death of his beloved wife Padmabati, decided to renounce the worldly life and become an ascetic. He left the child with Thakur Atmaram Brahmachari, and after being consecrated as Kamdev Brahmachari, he left for Varanasi.

Laksmikanta grew up at Kalishetra under the guidance and utmost care of the family Gurudev Thakur Atmaram Brahmachari and soon became a versatile scholar of Sanskrit, Arabic and Persian languages. He was also a tough warrior.

At the age of 21 in the year 1591, Raja Basanta Ray of Jessore Estate (one of the Baro Bhumiyas created by Emperor Akbar) with fatherly affection took Laksmikanta with him to Jessore and made him to join at the work of the estate as the Revenue minister. Pratapaditya, the nephew of Raja Basanta Ray and Laksmikanta working hand in hand made Jessore one of the most prosperous estates.

However, Pratapaditya who was so much loved by Emperor Akbar, suddenly after the death of his father Vikramaditya, became a tyrant and declared independence from the Mughal empire. Laksmikanta protested and tried to resist this unethical decision and treason with the Mughal Emperor. Pratap didn’t pay any heed to Laksmikanta’s words. Very soon, out of high ambition Pratap murdered his uncle Raja Basanta Ray at Raigarh fort on the bank of river Hoogly near Kolkata.

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