Khwaja Hafizullah Kashmiri (1735–1815),[1] also known as Moulavi Hafizullah, was an 18th-century merchant of Kashmiri origin. He and his nephew, Khwaja Alimullah, were the founding members of the Dhaka Nawab Estate, the largest zamindari held by any landholder in Eastern Bengal during the British colonial period.[2]
House of Hafizullah on the bank of Buriganga River (1847 lithograph)
Hafizullah collaborated with the Greek and Armenian merchants in Dhaka and developed a business in hides, skins, salt and spices. Under the act of the Permanent Settlement of Bengal, he bought some lots for the estate. In 1806, he acquired his first lot in the Atia pargana in the then Mymensingh district for a 4-anna share of a mortgage bond for Rs. 40,000.[2] In 1812, he bought Aila Phuljhuri in the Sundarbans of about 44,000 acres for Rs. 21,000 at a revenue demand of Rs. 372 per year.[2]
Death and legacy
Hafizullah had three wives including Dhan Bibi.[1] On his death, his estate was inherited by his nephew Khwaja Alimullah, a son of his elder brother Ahsanullah.[3]
