ONE OF THE STATUE AT KUTHGOLA PALCE
BHAGWAN AASINATH TEMPLE AT KUTHGOLA PALACE
KUTHGOLA PALACE
RAIBHADUR DHANPAT SINGH JI DUGAR
BUDH SINGHJI PRATAP SINGH JI DUGAR FAMILY
BUDH SINGHJI PRATAP SINGH JI DUGAR FAMILY
The two families of Jiaganj known as the Badi and the Choti Kothis are collectively known to the larger Jain community as house of Buddh Singh Pratap Singh. They trace their ancestry back to the Chauhan Rajput rulers of Sidhmore and later Bisalpur (Ajmer).
Acharya Jinballabh Suri coverted the Chauhan ruler raja Mahipaldev of Bisalpur to the Jain faith. Mahipaldev had a son Manickdev (b. 938 CE), whose grandsons or great-grandsons were two brothers names Dugar and Sugar. In 1024 Acharya Jinchandra Suri constitued the Kharataragaccha to which this family has belonged ever since.
From the Dugar line eventually came Shriman Sukhji who settled in Rajgarh and in 1632 received a panch-hazari mansab and the title of Raja from Emperor ShahJehan.
In the 18th. century, Raja Sukhji's descendant Dharamdasji's son Birdasji left their native Kishangarh with his family to go to Pareshnath for a pilgrimage and eventually settled in Murshidabad where he started a banking business. Birdasji had two sons, Buddh Singhji and Ban Singhji who developed the family business further. Ban Singhji had no sons and the family business devolved into the hands of Buddh Singhji's two sons, Bahadur Singhji and Pratap Singhji (1781-1860).
Bahadur Singhji in turn had no sons and for the longest time, Pratap Singhji had none either. After the demise of his first wife, Pratap Singhji was married again to Mahtab Kumari Devi by whom he had two sons, Laxmipat Singhji (1834-1883) and Dhanpat Singhji (1840-1896). After Pratap Singhji's death the two brothers partitioned the ancestral estate and the house of Buddh Singh and Pratap Singh was divided into the BaDi and the Choti Kothis. These two houses are still jointly referred to as Budh Singh Pratap Singh for identification purposes. Pratap Singh built a Jain Temple dedicated to Bimalnath Swami in Jiaganj.
Laxmipat Singh built the famous Kathgola Gardens which also has an Adinath Shrine (Entrance) and a Dadabari on the premises. He also contributed extensively to the jeernoddhar (renovation) of Jain temples all over India.
Dhanpat Singh was the publisher of the first printed version of the Jain Agams. Among other things he also built a temple in Palitana and a dharamshala at Talaja near Palitana (see more pictures below). He was instrumental in reinvigorating the Paresnath Tirtha and established a temple to Adinath Swami at Sammet Shikhar or Paresnath, where he also built another temple in memory of his father and installed the charans of Adinath Swami, Vasupujya Swami, Neminath Swami and Mahavir Swami so that Jain pilgrims could venerate all 24 tirthankars on the pilgrimage to Paresnath (these four being the only tirthankars who did not attain nirvana there).
In addition, he built temples at Barakar (the birthplace of Lord Mahavir), Bhagalpur, Banaras (another picture), and of course in Azimganj, the last one dedicated to Sambhavnath Swami (another picture). He also built temples in Champapuri, Forbesganj, Gunayaji, Lachwad and Purnea in Bihar, in Dinajpur, Nabrahi and Rangpur in present-day Bangladesh and established Jina images and charans (foot-prints) at Mount Abu and in Girnar among other places.
Acharya Jinballabh Suri coverted the Chauhan ruler raja Mahipaldev of Bisalpur to the Jain faith. Mahipaldev had a son Manickdev (b. 938 CE), whose grandsons or great-grandsons were two brothers names Dugar and Sugar. In 1024 Acharya Jinchandra Suri constitued the Kharataragaccha to which this family has belonged ever since.
From the Dugar line eventually came Shriman Sukhji who settled in Rajgarh and in 1632 received a panch-hazari mansab and the title of Raja from Emperor ShahJehan.
In the 18th. century, Raja Sukhji's descendant Dharamdasji's son Birdasji left their native Kishangarh with his family to go to Pareshnath for a pilgrimage and eventually settled in Murshidabad where he started a banking business. Birdasji had two sons, Buddh Singhji and Ban Singhji who developed the family business further. Ban Singhji had no sons and the family business devolved into the hands of Buddh Singhji's two sons, Bahadur Singhji and Pratap Singhji (1781-1860).
Bahadur Singhji in turn had no sons and for the longest time, Pratap Singhji had none either. After the demise of his first wife, Pratap Singhji was married again to Mahtab Kumari Devi by whom he had two sons, Laxmipat Singhji (1834-1883) and Dhanpat Singhji (1840-1896). After Pratap Singhji's death the two brothers partitioned the ancestral estate and the house of Buddh Singh and Pratap Singh was divided into the BaDi and the Choti Kothis. These two houses are still jointly referred to as Budh Singh Pratap Singh for identification purposes. Pratap Singh built a Jain Temple dedicated to Bimalnath Swami in Jiaganj.
Laxmipat Singh built the famous Kathgola Gardens which also has an Adinath Shrine (Entrance) and a Dadabari on the premises. He also contributed extensively to the jeernoddhar (renovation) of Jain temples all over India.
Dhanpat Singh was the publisher of the first printed version of the Jain Agams. Among other things he also built a temple in Palitana and a dharamshala at Talaja near Palitana (see more pictures below). He was instrumental in reinvigorating the Paresnath Tirtha and established a temple to Adinath Swami at Sammet Shikhar or Paresnath, where he also built another temple in memory of his father and installed the charans of Adinath Swami, Vasupujya Swami, Neminath Swami and Mahavir Swami so that Jain pilgrims could venerate all 24 tirthankars on the pilgrimage to Paresnath (these four being the only tirthankars who did not attain nirvana there).
In addition, he built temples at Barakar (the birthplace of Lord Mahavir), Bhagalpur, Banaras (another picture), and of course in Azimganj, the last one dedicated to Sambhavnath Swami (another picture). He also built temples in Champapuri, Forbesganj, Gunayaji, Lachwad and Purnea in Bihar, in Dinajpur, Nabrahi and Rangpur in present-day Bangladesh and established Jina images and charans (foot-prints) at Mount Abu and in Girnar among other places.
