The bazaar was established in about 1842 AD on the land owned by Raja Ramlochun Ray, a small land owner, by Muslim merchants, businessmen, butchers and cattle traders from
Bihar and
Uttar Pradesh, who had immigrated to
Calcutta due to the poor economic condition of Muslims in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, following the
Sepoy Mutiny. However, Rajabazar area was settled by Urdu-speaking Muslims from 1880 onwards. The market-place colony was established around the same time as the Harrison Road (now called
MG Road) was being built in Calcutta, connecting
Sealdah Station to Howrah Station. A mosque was built which still exists today known as the Rajabazar Barri Masjid and there is another larger mosque being renovated which is Jama Masjid Darur-Salaam on Narkeldanga Main Road. Several residential quarters were established around that area. A police station (
Narkeldanga Police Station) was established in 1915 near the canal, on Canal West road. The area is known as "Khalpul" due to the bridge over the canal that connects Rajabazar to
Narkeldanga. Before the building of the bridge in 1910, there was a bamboo-stilt bridge over the canal. Boat ferries were also used to transport people and supplies across the canal. Over the decades, further population growth and immigration resulted in the growth and extension of the original settlement further, up to
Narkeldanga and
Phoolbagan in the east,
Sealdah to the south, Mechua and Kalabagan to the west and further north. Today, the area is densely populated and crowded, with alleys and lanes established. After the riots of 1947 (during the
Partition of India), many Muslims from other parts, like
Sealdah,
Manicktala and
Beliaghata moved to Rajabazar. During the Hindu-Muslim riots in Calcutta in 1964, Mr. Skaikh Mahmood helped Muslims living in areas like
Maniktala,
Sealdah,
Beliaghata and throughout Calcutta, flock to Rajabazar. Over time, it got transformed into a ghetto. After the
1992-93 Hindu-Muslim riots in Calcutta, more Muslims moved to Rajabazar, as a result of which, today, Rajabazar boasts of having the second largest Muslim population in Calcutta after
Metiabruz. There is a shrine (
mazaar) of a Muslim Sufi saint in Rajabazar. The area spans the canal, and crosses over the bridge. There are 9 Mosques located at Rajabazar. The bazaar is famous for its jewellery, bangles, kites, sweetmeats and mutton and beef shops. Rajabazaar is a major cattle and goat trading center in
West Bengal called Bakrichar. A movie hall, "Tasveer Mahal", is also located at Rajabazar. ==Demographics==