Hetampur is an old village in Suri Sadar subdivision of Birbhum. It is situated near Dubrajpur. The village is famous for the Royal and historical palace and reputed college. Visitors are welcomed by a grand red brick gateway, supported by massive Corinthian Pillars and interspersed with arched windows. This awe-inspiring entrance takes visitors inside the huge complex that houses the forgotten palace.
Marked by slender protruding eaves supported on equally-spaced brackets and topped by several feminine figurines with their arms outstretched, the gateway itself is a commanding structure-the central portion, raised higher than the extremities and supported by tall pillars gives it amilitaristic look. The Hetampur Royal family was established by Radhanath Chakravorty. He established a stronghold which he further fortified by buying huge tracts of lands in and around Birbhum defeating contending rulers and zamindars. Through the maze of rooms and their sub-divisions, one has to reach the stairway leading to the upper floors. There is a huge trapdoor angled along the incline of the staircase. The heavy steel door could be forced shut at the time of aggression or an enemy siege. Radhanath’s predecessor Krishna Chandra Chakrabarty was an eminent personality and a benevolent ruler. Padma Sundari Debi, Krishna Chandra’s daughter-in-law was a great patron of art and culture. She established Hetampur K.C.College.
Raja Rammohan Roy’s father Dharanimohan Roy was the son in law of Hetampur Royal family. As they had no son in the family, Dharanimohan Roy was given the adjacent palace to live with his family. Therefore, Rammohan Roy’s childhood was spent under the guardianship of this family. The family always had a patriotic lineage. They gave refuge to the rebellious poets like Kaji Najrul Islam, Mukunda Das during their hide out. During the reign of Raja Bishwa Ranjan Chakraborty, the footballers of Corinthian Club came to participate in ‘Bishwa Ranjan Ekadash’.They reached all the way marching from Dubrajpur and each of them was bestowed with a kilo of silver as gift. The palace has a brass-made chariot manufactured by Stuart Company of England. It was brought from England more than 300 years ago. In the begining, the chariot was drawn by seven horses. Horses used to get disturbed by the sound of drums and crackers. Hence, later on it was started to be drawn by human. Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy happened to be the Family Physician of Hetampur Royal family. The Rajbari was built in the shape of a castle with 999 doors which has given it the name Hetampur Hajar Duari. In order to show respect to the Nawab of Murshidabad, a 1000 th door was not made. Hetampur Rajbari has been used by film directors such as Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen, Dilip Roy, Sandip Ray and others.
