Kaathgola - derived from two bengali words - Kaath (wood) and gola (Golaap - Rose) - the two commodities that the four brothers from Rajasthan dealt with - at least that was their official story. Brought by the Nawab into Murshidabad - the four brothers actually has other plans in mind as they secretly traded pearls, gems and other precious stones - slowly building their reputation and riches. Their connection to Jagath Seth a landowner and businessman of the area is shrouded in mythical tales of ruthlessness and selfish business deals. Jagath Seth a ruthless businessman was in cahoots with the brothers so much so - a secret two kilometre long underground secret passage connected Jagat's house and Kathgola. An enormous garden surrounds the palace. There are a 108 varieties of roses to be found here. Along with other trees. The statue called Michelangelo sits in the garden with one of the hands chopped off - the same fate that its sculptor met at the hands of the ruthless brothers to prevent him from creating another beautiful work for somebody else! The brothers were sycophants of the ruling Nawabs and always looked to please them and keep the Nawabs happy. They built a Nautch/Naach Mahal - a dance hall where they would invite the Nawab to see the beautiful Nautch girls. They also were responsible for building the first Zoo - which they filled with non-vegetarian animals and birds. The brothers being strict Jains they did not eat meat nor did they keep animals which were carnivorous in their zoo. So the zoo and the Nautch mahal became great sources of entertainment for the nawabs. The brothers also built a beautiful Jain temple on the premises and a lotus pond (in which now one can do paddle-boating)
The house itself is impressive - a two store yes structure with its furniture intact and the beautiful cutlery and knick-knacks can be seen. The dining hall, the billiards room, the bedrooms, the Durbar hall are displayed with all its contents. Interesting is the centre-piece of the Durbar hall - a chair with 5 seats where the brothers would sit and give judgments / take decisions... They faced away from each other so as to not influence the decision through eye contact.