Page:Twelve men of Bengal in the nineteenth century (1910).djvu/121



Mahtab Chand Rai, Maharajadhiraj of Burdwan, was one of the great figures of the nineteenth century. Inheriting a high position among the nobles of Bengal, he won further distinctions by his own loyalty, energy and ability. Not only did he succeed in obtaining confirmation of all the distinctions conferred upon his predecessors by the Moghul government, but by the judicious management of his vast estates he enormously increased their value, handing on a yet more splendid inheritance to his successor even than that which he had himself received. Of a retiring disposition, and quiet and dignified in manner, he never thrust himself into the political arena. He was content to exercise wisely and with restraint the great influence that his position gave him, never forgetful of the heavy responsibilities that that position entailed.

Born on the 17th of November 1820, Mahtab Chand was the fourth son of Lala Paran Chand Kapur. The latter's sister Kamal Kumari had married the Maharaja Tej Chand Rai of Burdwan and on the death of their only son, the Maharaja