Cossimbazar's Fabulous Wealth: Bengal's Lost Banking Dynasty

In this episode of The Hidden History of Bengal, Lucas and Luna explore the rise and fall of the Jagat Seth family, the fabulously wealthy bankers of Cossimbazar in eighteenth-century Bengal. Through their control of the Murshidabad mint and an extensive hundi network, the Jagat Seths became the de facto financiers of the Nawabs of Bengal, and their support was crucial in the battles of Plassey and Buxar. Learn how this banking dynasty accumulated a fortune larger than the Bank of England's reserves at the time, only to see their power collapse after the British consolidation. The episode covers the family's origins under Hiranand Sahu, their peak under Fatehchand and Mahatabchand, their role in the coup against Siraj-ud-Daulah, and their eventual decline under colonial rule. We also discuss the network of hundis (bills of exchange) that moved money across India long before modern banking, and how the Jagat Seths' fall marked the end of indigenous financial sovereignty in Bengal. #JagatSeth #Cossimbazar #Murshidabad #SirajUdDaulah #BattleOfPlassey #BattleOfBuxar #BengalBanking #Hundi #NawabOfBengal #EastIndiaCompany #MirJafar #Fatehchand #Mahatabchand #HiranandSahu #18thCentury #IndianHistory #FexingoHistory #HiddenHistoryOfBengal Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo