Gobindram Mitter

This office was filled during whole of the period from 1720 to 1756, by the famous Gobindram Metre (Mitter), of whom John Zephaniah Holwell, Zemindar of Calcutta from 1752 to 1756, wrote that by reason of the many changes in the headship of the office, "a power in perpetuity devolved on the standing deputy who was always styled the 'Black Zemindar,’ and such was the tyranny of this man and such the dread conceived of him in the minds of the natives that no one durst complain or give information".

It need hardly be said that Gobindram accumulated vast wealth during the tenure of power: and he is said to have built in 1731 a magnificent "nine jewel" temple on Chitpore Road, the loftiest pinnacle of which was higher than the Ochterlony Monument… The main building was overthrown in the terrible cyclone and earthquake of 1737.

He was famous as native deputy and the words "Gobindramer chhari" (Gobndram's stick) was celebrated in a Bengali rhyming proverb: Banamali Sarkar's grand house was built in Kumortuli during the period 1740 to 1750.

[2] His son, Roghoo (Raghu) Mitter had a Ganges bathing ghat (stairs) named after him (it was possibly built by him).

[8] Jorabagan, a Kolkata neighbourhood was so named because the road through it led to the garden houses of Gobindram Mitter and Umichand.