Jugdia

Jugdia is a village under the Magrahat Police station of South 24 Parganas of West Bengal. Jugdia village is under the Diamond Harbour Subdivision. The village is enrolled as a Grampanchayet of Magrahat Block-II, only 40 km distance from Kolkata, and 14 km from Baruipur City. Jugdia is known as an educated village among the district which is a Muslim-dominated area. Jugdia village has 11 Gram Panchayet Members and two Panchayet Samity Members.

History

Kasimbazar and Jugdia in the eighteenth century offer a fascinating glimpse into the world of the South Asian merchants as well as the organization of the textile trade in Bengal in the first half of the eighteenth century. The East India Company determined on a course of sustained expansion of its import of raw silk from Bengal, particularly the region of Kasimbazar. A new dimension was added to this conflict when the Mughal made Bengal a Mughal province. After Kasimbazar and Jugdia conflicts destroyed the both Textile based by the East India Company. Ananta Manik of Bhalwa frequently enlisted Arakanese help to retain his zamindari in the face of the Mughal threat emanating from Bengal. This fight was complicated by the Portuguese presence in the area . The latter frequently acted as mercenaries in the countries of the Bay and were utilized as such by local rulers in their wars against each other. ¹ In the eighteenth century Jugdia became an important mart town for cotton textiles (chiefly baftas) that were produced in the surrounding areas. Then shifts that rendered the south-east delta an active area. Means basins of Ganages river in South 24 parganas. In the beginning of the eighteenth century, an ancestor of Munshi Hazi Desarat Molla and Munshi Chamcham Molla fled from Jugdia of Kasimbazar area in undivided Bengal under the Murshidabad region and settled in basins of Ganages river in South 24 parganas. They also named the village Jugdia. They gradually spread the education, Islamic culture on their own tradition. In earlier they were engaged in Munshibdar in the various part if lower Bengal, specially Bay of Bengal and Island of Sunderban. Chamcham Molla was got land as Khaznader from Jaminder and Hazi Desarat got land as Khaznader from Pathatnkhali island under the Gosaba police station in Sunderban area. But native village established at Jugdia under the Magrahat police station. This family was first encouraged to learn education in that area. later heir of the family freedom fighter Mojidul haque alias Moktar saheb (Layer)engaged with a 150 years old Islamic educational Institution at Magrahat name Muslim Anglo Oriental Institution. On that period the family members got education from Kolkata in Bhawanipur area. Earlier in the twentieth century, this family established an Islamic seminary Jugdia Hannania Madarasa. Both land of Hazi Desarat Molla and Hazi Chamcham Molla with accompanied of their heir Mojidul Haque Molla and Ibrahim Molla donated the land for Hannania Madrasa. This Madrasa was named by A Pir of Maulana Hannan (R) and taken incharge of the Madrasa by Molla families relative and Islamic schollar, clerics Maulana Masiur Rahman. Apart from this, this family contributed land to established a Degree college at pathankhali Village under the Gosaba of South 24 Parganas and named as Sunderban Hazi Desarat College affiliated with Calcutta University in 1961. They also donated land to established for Gokarni primary Health centre in 1951. Initiatives of Hazi Desarat Molla and Hazi Chamcham Molla family jugdia villages now spread the light of education and cultue in the society.

Reference: 1. Merchants and Companies in Bengal: Kasimbazar and Jugdia in the Eighteenth Century, by Rilla Mukherjee. “The French East India Company’s Trade in Eastern Bengal from 1750-53: A Look at the Chandernagore Letters to Jugdia” in Indian Historical Review