By Luna Chatterjee & Indranil Halder
Banaras: It is one of the oldest spiritual hub in the Indian subcontinent with ghats(steps), river Ganges and World’s 3rd largest meditation centre. Visited by The Beatles, Hollywood actors such as Brad Pitt and thousands of Indian saints and tourists. Today, it is very popular with both local and international tourists for its cleanliness, easy access and multiple staying options such as The Dalmia Mansion, Brij Rama Palace and Taj Nadesar Palace.
Dalmia Family & Dalmia Mansion :
The Dalmia Mansion is a mansion located in Kamachha , Bhelupur, Banaras, India. The family is known for preserving Indian heritage for their philanthropic activities. The present owner of the property is Mr. Kunal Dalmia. The late Laxminiwas Dalmia (Kunal Dalmia’s father) had donated a 425-room hostel in the memory of his father Late Duli Chandji Dalmia to Banaras Hindu University ( BHU) in 1973. Further, a Home Science block for the students in BHU named “Savitri Devi Dalmia Vigyan Bhavan”. Luna Chatterjee was invited as a guest to stay at The Dalmia House. The Dalmia family purchased the mansion during the 1960s. Luna is who known for her work as social media influencer and blog writer was able to undertake this mansion focused research during her stay.
Luna’s The Dalmia Mansion Research Highlights:
The Dalmia Mansion has a rich history associated with its location. According to Luna, “ The area Kamachha which is said to be named after Goddess Kamakhya. The temple dedicated to the goddess located in the same area.” As per records the mansion belonged to Raja Kishori Lal Goswami, son of Gopi Lal Goswami, a Bengali hailing from Srerampore, West Bengal, India. According to historical records, the mansion was built by Kishori Lal’s grandfather Raghuram Goswami. Due to the division in the Goswami ancestral property, this family garden mansion was given to Raja Kishori Lal Goswami. He was known for his business with the Danish and the British and philanthropic activities which earned him the title of ‘ Raja ‘ by the British Raj in India.
Currently in India, there are only few buildings that can be associated with the Danish East India Company like this mansion. It can be clearly linked to a phase of Indian history that needs further study and research. The Goswamis were initially employees of the Danish East India Company (DEIC) but later on did a roaring trade with DEIC. Raja Kishori Lal Goswami developed his own royal seal. It can still be seen in one of the property gates where one can clearly see the initials ‘ K ‘ , ‘ L ‘ and ‘ G’ of Raja Kishori Lal Goswami.
Previously the mansion was known as The Goswami House which witness the changing phases of Banaras history including important personalities who stayed there. Narratives of those personalities about the mansion finds significant mention in many Indian books, giving the mansion a touch of dignifying flair. With the passing of time, the mansion had been a witness to the struggle between the Danish East India Company and the British East India Company and the subsequent victory of the latter. The house bears testimony to the period when Bengalis were large part of Bananas and its glory days, dominating both spiritual and financially.
During this period, several eminent personalities had also stayed at this magnificent Raja Kishori Lal Goswami mansion, which included Annie Besant (a British theosophist). She advocated the Home Rule Movement and started a Hindu School close to this property. It is believed, she initially stayed in this property. Then the elders of the locality still remembers and narrates the story of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi’s visit to this property during 1902 and how he even brought his goats along with him. The room where Gandhiji’s goats were kept during his stay, still exists today. The mansion’s glory days were enjoyed by Asia’s first noble laureate Rabindranath Tagore, who briefly visited the property when he went to Banaras to attend Probashi Bangla Sahitya Sammelan(1923). The mansion also hosted famous Indian political activist Sarojini Naidu during her visit( 1947) to Banaras.
Luna during her stay, felt that the mansion stills holds an old world charm with Danish influenced architecture in its arches and the grand wooden corridors with the Victorian cast iron railings invite guests for a significant historical journey into its past. It is certain, that the mansion with all its characteristics can become the next best place to stay in Banaras and for Luna, it has created a wonderful memory for a life time.