Preetoram Marh

Babu Preetoram Marh (also spelt Pritaram Marh or written as Pritaram Das or Pirit Ram Marh) (1753–1817) was a Bengali businessman, merchant, Zamindar. He was a leading name in the Indo-British trade and one of the largest landlords of the Bengal Presidency. He is also credited with the foundation of Janbazar Raj, one of the foremost Zamindar families of Bengal.

Career After, completing his studies he joined the prosperous salt trade with the British East India company, and made a name for himself. He then met the collector of Jessore, Mr. Williams, who appointed him as his personal secretary and Banian. On the advice of the magistrate he began to purchase large tracts of land in Jessore district through his income, eventually surpassing even the local Zamindars. While serving in Jessore, he met Raja Ramkrishna Roy of Rajshahi Raj, the son of Rani Bhabani. After, Mr. Rylie's retirement Raja Ramkrishna Roy appointed Pritaram as the Dewan of the Rajshahi Raj, he established a himself as one of the Bhadraloks of Bengal. He returned to Calcutta in 1777, and married Jogmaya Debi, the daughter of Jugal Kishore Manna, the brother of Akrur Manna. After his return, he became a Banian to Mr. Dunkin, one of the largest salt merchants of the East India Company.

By 1785, he once again resumed his ancestral business of trading bamboos, and along with that he also began trading various spices, salts and simultaneously he acquired many ships for the newly opened aveneu of maritime trade, which had arrived along with the British. He became one of the foremost names in maritime trade, alongside Ramdulal Dey. Through the acquired money from trade he opened no less than 17 auction houses in Calcutta. Those auction houses were frequented by not only important British officials and foreign delegates but also, Governor-General of India, themselves. The British overlords, gave him a very lucrative contract to supply stores to Fort William. He also, acquired a Calcutta's largest rice store, in Beleghata, and brought huge tracts of land in the neighborhoods of Tangra, Bhowanipore in Calcutta.

After the Permanent Settlement of Bengal in 1793, with the acquired wealth through his business acumen, he began to acquire huge tracts of land in various parts of Bengal, eventually surpassing nearly all of the other Zamindars and becoming one of the largest landowners of Bengal. In 1800, he acquired the Makimpur Upazila from the Zamindars of Natore by 19,000 rupees, a huge amount at that time and added it to his own Zamindari. He also, had extensive lands in the District of Hooghly and his ancestral Howrah district. to break all sorts of social and caste barriers is still revered and spoken off. He left behind two daughters who were married in his lifetime and entrusted his estate and business to his son Rajchandra and his newly married wife Rashmoni. His estate, maintained by his descendants, the members of the Janbazar Raj, became one of the leading families of the Bengal Renaissance.

Family tree Source: Bijoyram Koley Dulal Sardar Sadashiv Toulakar Kantaram Marh Bindubala Debi, m. Akrur Manna Krishnaram Marh Preetoram Marh, m. Jogmaya Debi Harachandra Das Rajchandra Das, m. Rani Rashmoni Dayamoyi Debi Karunamoyee Debi Ramtanu Marh Kali Charan Das Kandarpa Narayan Das Konthiram Khaskel