Namak Haram Deorhi

Namak Haram Deorhi, originally Jafarganj Deorhi, was the palace of Mir Jafar in the Lalbagh area of Murshidabad, opposite the Jafarganj Cemetery. He lived here while he was commander-in-chief, before he took the throne of Bengal. The palace once had towers, turrets and a cannon for defence, but only its gateway, the deorhi, survives. Its name, roughly 'the gate of the faithless one', and its English label, Traitor's Gate, recall Mir Jafar's betrayal of Nawab Siraj ud-Daulah at the Battle of Plassey.

The last secret meeting before Plassey took place here, between Mir Jafar, his son Mir Miran and William Watts, chief of the East India Company's Kasimbazar factory. With the Quran held on his head by Watts, Mir Jafar solemnly swore to do whatever was asked of him. The House of Jagat Seth, Nashipur Rajbari, Kathgola Palace and the Tomb of Azimunissa Begum all lie nearby.