Hara Kumar Tagore

Hara Kumar Tagore or Hara Coomar Tagore (1798–1858) was a leading land owner, philanthropist, Sanskrit scholar, writer and musician from Calcutta. He belonged to the Pathuriaghata branch of the Tagore family.

He was the eldest son of Gopi Mohan Tagore and headed the Pathuriaghata family after demise of his father.^[1]

Hara Kumar Tagore, was learned in the Hindu scriptures, Sanskrit and English. He had compiled critically admired books and assisted Radhakanta Deb (1783–1867) in compiling Sabdakalpadrum.^[2] Further, the noted texts - Haratat-tvaatdhiti (1881), Puras'carana-bodhini (1895) and Lila-akrarthabodhini were composed by him. The last text deals with various types of stones, which are worshiped as symbol of Narayana.^[3] Also he authored a manual on procedural matters relating to various Tantric rites, particularly Kali worship.^[4]

He was a refined musician with a scholarship in Sanskrit and was composer of noted music.^[5]

He was the elder brother of Prasanna Kumar.^[1] Hara Kumar died in 1858 ; and was succeeded, as head of the Pathuriaghata branch of family, by his eldest son, Maharaja Sir Jatinodro Mohun Tagore.^[1]

He had built a temple at Mulijore with his brother Prosona Coomar in memory of his father.^[6] Further, he donated monies liberally for benefit of arts and music.

He had built a beautiful mansion - the famed "Emerald Bower,". It was taken over by Government of West Bengal and is now a part of Rabindra Bharati University.^[7][8][9]

A square in Kolkata is named after him as Hara Kumar Tagore Square

References

1. The Golden Book of India: A Genealogical and Biographical Dictionary of the Ruling Princes, Chiefs, Nobles, and Other Personages, Titled Or Decorated, of the Indian Empire by Sir Roper Lethbridge, Publisher : Macmillan & Company, 1893 pp: 527
2. Sengupta, Subodh Chandra and Bose, Anjali, p. 611
3. A handbook of West Bengal - Volume 2. Sanghamitra Saha, International School of Dravidian Linguistics. 1998. p. 667.
4. Sanskrit Culture Of Bengal by Sures Chandra Banerji. Sharada Publishing House. 2004. p. 116.
5. Musicians of India: Past and Present : Gharanas of Hindustani Music and Genealogies. Amala Dāśaśarmā Naya Prokash. 1993. pp. 260–261.
6. The Modern History of the Indian Chiefs, Rajas, Zamindars, & C: The native ... By Lokanātha Ghosha. 1881. pp. 168–171.
7. "Nuptial nostalgia". The Telegraph, Kolkata. 23 March 2008. Retrieved 12 March 2014.
9. Hara kumar Tagore, the poet’s uncle, built a mansion called the Emerald Bower, and this building and its park-lands, later acquired by the Government of West Bengal, finally became a complex of academic institutions among which this University has the central and larger share.