Establishment Legends According to family tradition, Kamdev Brahmachari, born Jia Ganguly — the only heir of one Panchu Ganguly "Khan" — is the earliest scion about whom any significant information is available. However, Jia's son, Lakshmikanta Ganguly, who was deserted at his birth, served as the Chief Revenue Officer of
Pratapaditya, complicating the affairs. These territories were still
owned by the Mughal emperor but the right to governance and tax-collection, a major part of which was to be remitted to the Mughal Court, was ceded away with. Beside, the factual authenticity of Roy Chowdhurys' being the traditional patrons of the deity is disputed. Notwithstanding the unclear circumstances governing their rise to the elite strata, the Roy Chowdhurys were one of the first Brahmin families of would-be Calcutta.
Relinquishment Around early March 1698, the East India Company (EIC) proposed to the Roy Choudhurys that Dihi Kalikata be subrented to them. The offer was rejected since then-Zamindar (anon.) of the Roy Chowdhurys feared permanently losing the properties to a far-powerful client. On 3 February 1699, Diwan Khan issued a
parwana declaring the transfer deed to be operative; thenceforth, the Mughals were to recognize the Company as the permanent
taluqdars.
Analysis The transfer of Zamindari rights proved to be a deviation from the usual customs; prior, the Mughals had seldom bothered with negotiating the sale of zamindaris and usually gave the involved tax-farmers a free hand. This micromanagement is popularly attributed to the Company's showering of a variety of gifts on Azim-ush-Shan as well as his relatives and officials. However, the gifts — being mostly in the form of nazrana or peshkash — are not perceptible as bribes and were anyway too meager for the concessions decreed. == Durga Puja ==