Lokamata Rani Rashmoni

Lokamata Rani Rashmoni Lokamata Rani

Rashmoni, who is very much a history passing
into a legend, was born of a Mahishya agriculturist
family of village Kona, Halisahar, 24 Parganas
(North), West Bengal, on 26th September 1793.
Her father was Harekrishna Das and mother
Rampriya. At the age of eleven she was married to
RajchandraDas, famous zamindarof Janbazar,
Calcutta. Zamindari of Janbazar was well known
for its wealth, honour and benevolence those days.
Price Dwarakanath Tagore, grandfather of
Rabindranath, once approached Rashmoni for the
post of Manager of this Janbazar Estate after the
death of her husband. ‘Rashmoni’ was her name
and she was called by the name ‘Rani’ and after
the marriage she became known as ‘Rani
Rashmoni’ becoming Rani in real terms also.

She was a very pious lady since her childhood and it was in her vision that Sri
Ramakrishna first appeared. She founded the temple of Dakshineswar on the bank of the
Ganges in 24 Parganas (North) by purchasing land which comprised land of Haisti, a
Christian, and of a muslim mousque and built there what is known as Dakshineswar Temple.
It was symbolic and, so to say, meant to be a place where all religions were to meet as
manifested in Sri Ramakrishna’s life and vision. The story has it that Rani Rashmoni was
proceeding to Baranasi on pilgrimage Goddess Kali in her dream who commanded her to
build a temple there on the bank of the Ganges and arrange for daily “Anna Bhogh” (Rice
offering). She was just mother to Sri Ramakrishna who called her ‘mother’. While many of
her own men and Estate were against Gandhar’s (who was not Ramakrishna till then) ways of
worship which in their view and rightly perhaps, were
not according to shastras and were nothing but full of
sheer madness, it was Rani Rashmoni who with her
son-in-law Mathur Babu, observed from a secret place
the ways of worship of Gadadhar and found in him
divine manifestations and allowed him full freedom to
do whatever he liked in worshipping Goddess Kali,
doing away with the formal worship according to
strict Sastras. This Gadadhar, who was treated by
others as mad, became Sri Ramakrishna and without
Rani Rashmoni, Gadadhar would have been turned
out of the temple and would have possibly remained
Gadadhar and not become Sri Ramakrishna.
 Though extremely religious and observing hard
austerity in personal life taking only one meal a day and
sleeping on bare floor, she had the capability and credit of
managing such a very big Zamindari increasing its
prestige and income to a very great extent.

She was out and out a nationalist in her out look. She
prepared a Silver Ratha (Chariot) by native smiths
disregarding suggestions of others to call m/s Hamilton,
the world famous English Jewellers, for the purpose.

It was she, though a Pardanassin lady, who was the

first to have the courage to come in conformation, in those
days of sepoy Mutiny and after, with the Britishers, a
terror to everyone, big or small. Nobody was ready to
incur their displeasure and wrath in any way and every body was up and doing in pampering
the British rulers and traders. Rashmoni was a different personality. She stood solidly by
what she considered fair and just. To cite only a few examples: The britishers imposed tax on
poor fishermen for fishing in the Ganges. They rushed to Rani to save them. Rashmoni then
arranged to take on lease against payment of huge sums the portion of the ganges from
Ghusuri to Metiabruz and laid strong chains across the river. As a result no ship could pass
and trade and commerce started collapsing. The Britishers had then to bow down to her will
that there would be not tax on fishing in rivers and upon this assurance only she removed the
chains.

The Britishers stopped puja processions with beat of drums and shoutings of cheers on
the plea that it disturbed peace. Rashmoni became furious at this interference in religious
rights and ordered processions with beat of drums and shouts of cheers to proceed ahead. She
 was fined Rs. 40/- for her so doing. The news of
imposition of this penalty spread like wild fire and
thousands of people thronged for remission of her
fine and the Britishers had to bow down again by
remitting the fine.

On another occasion, some British soldiers

badly behaved with some poor women subject of
her and she immediately got them arrested by her
pykes. The British soldiers got enraged and seiged
the Janbazar Palace. The undaunted Rani took
sword in her own hand and stood at upstairs gate to
save her men and the idol of Raghunathjee, her
family diety. This scene reminded the Britishers of
the Goddess Kali and they retreated. It is only in her
Zamndari that some of the Nilkar people were given
such exemplary punishment that they dared not do again any repression in fear of her.

She made a debuttar of the Dakshineswar Temple by making gift of properties out of
income of which the Seva-Puja would be continued.

Charitable, religious and pious works of Rani knew no bounds. She built road from the
Subarnarekha river to Puri for the pilgrims, Babughat, Ahiritola Ghat, Nimtola Ghat, for daily
beathers in the Ganges and the big shade at Nimtola Ghat cremation ground for public
convenience. She donated land and money for the Beliaghata Canal, the Madhumati
Connecting Canal etc. She also made substantial contributions to the them Imperial Library
(now National Library), Hindu College (Now Presidency College), Bengal Femine Relief
Fund and numerous other known and unknown charitable trusts and institutions. Such
instances of benevolence are unparalled in the history of this as well as any other country.
She patronized Vidyasagar’s Widow Remarriage movement with substantial financial
help.

Many such other instances of her courage, bravery, far sight, benign love for the country
and its people, religion culture, history and
heritage, which are very much history, passed into
legends and myths as already said.

While in those day, the elite and the general

public lost faith in Indian religion, culture history
and heritage, Rashmoni resisted and revivalism
started right from then. The great Indian
Renaissance, which started with that is known as
Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Movement, owed its
origin to Rani Rashmoni. Indian nationalism,
culture, religion and all owed for their revival
singularly to Vivekananda, the disciple of Sri Ramakrishna both of whom were product of
Rani Rashmoni‘s dream. According to Nivedita, without Rani Rashmoni, there would have
been no Dakshineswar, without Dakshineswar, Gadadhar would have remained Gadadhar and
would not have become Sri Ramakrishna; without Sri Ramakrishna, Narendranath Dutta
would have remained Narendranath and would not have become Vivekandna and without
Vivekananda renaissance of India would not have been possible.

Rani Rashmoni is in the real sense the mother of Indian Renaissance