Faridpur Biswas Estate
The family retained a small portion of the original estate under British rule, which was based in Biswas Bari in Chandpur.
It was one of the ten largest estates in British Bengal with landholdings in Faridpur, Rajbari, Manikganj, Mymensingh, Pabna, Gazipur, Rangpur, and 24 Parganas.
The core property of the family was in the Faridpur and Rajbari regions, particularly along the southern banks of the Padma River (the main distributary of the Ganges).
During the reign of Emperor Jahangir in the 17th century, the family became the jagirdars of the northern part of Fatehabad along the banks of the mighty Ganges.
[3] The family was responsible for promoting many development works in Faridpur, including the introduction of electricity, cinema, a modern water supply; building roads, bridges, and schools; improving rail communications; and safeguarding Bengali Muslim culture and civil rights.
In 1881, the family supported the formation of the People's Association of Faridpur, which was the first organized political party in what is now Bangladesh.
[4][5] Chowdhury Moyezuddin Biwshash and Ambica Charan Mazumdar were the founders of the People's Association of Faridpur.
By the 1930s, the family began to move away from the Congress towards the All India Muslim League following the path taken by Muhammad Ali Jinnah after Hindu-Muslim unity broke down.
Chowdhury played a key role in the land reforms which saw the enactment of the East Bengal State Acquisition and Tenancy Act of 1950.
[8] In 1954, Biswas Bari hosted A. K. Fazlul Huq and Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy during the United Front election campaign.
[10] During the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971, the grounds of the estate suffered raids and at least 10 people were killed in the hamlet of Chandpur.
Chowdhury Kamal Ibne Yusuf represented Faridpur in the 2nd, 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th parliaments; he was also a cabinet minister from the Bangladesh Nationalist Party.
After leaving Biswas Bari, the merchant-zamindar Chowdhury Moyezuddin Biwshash built the Moyez Manzil in the main town of Faridpur.
