Cossimbazar is a sub-urban area of Berhampore City in the Berhampore CD block in the Berhampore subdivision in Murshidabad district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Geography Location Cossimbazar is located at . It has an average elevation of 17 metres (56 feet). Area overview The area shown in the map alongside, covering Berhampore and Kandi subdivisions, is spread across both the natural physiographic regions of the district, Rarh and Bagri. The headquarters of Murshidabad district, Berhampore, is in this area. The ruins of Karnasubarna, the capital of Shashanka, the first important king of ancient Bengal who ruled in the 7th century, is located south-west of Berhampore. The entire area is overwhelmingly rural with over 80% of the population living in the rural areas. Note: The map alongside presents some of the notable locations in the subdivisions. All places marked in the map are linked in the larger full screen map. History Though the history of the place cannot be traced back earlier than the 17th century, it was of great importance long before the foundation of Murshidabad. The first European traders set up factories here, and after the ruin of Satgaon due to the silting up of the mouth of the Saraswati river, it gained a position as the great trading centre of Bengal, which was not challenged until after the foundation of Calcutta. The English, Dutch and French East India companies all maintained factories at Cossimbazar. In 1658 the first English agency of the East India Company (EIC) was established there, and in 1667 the chief of the factory there became an ex officio member of council. In English documents of this period, and till the early 19th century, the Hooghly River was described as the "Cossimbazar river", and the triangular piece of land between the Hooghly, Padma and Jalangi, on which the city stands, as the island of Cossimbazar. The proximity of the factory to Murshidabad, the capital of the Nawabs of Bengal, while it was the main source of its wealth and of its political importance, exposed it to a constant risk of attack. Thus in 1757 it was the first EIC factory to be taken by Siraj-ud-dowlah, the Nawab; and the resident with his assistant Warren Hastings were taken as prisoners to Murshidabad. The town was the seat of the Maharajas of Cossimbazar. The maharajas were descendants of Kanta Babu, the moneylender (banian) of