The Rajbari, or royal palace, sits at the centre of Krishnanagar and is the reason the town has its present name and shape. Raja Krishnachandra Roy built it in the early eighteenth century as the seat of the Nadia Raj, the local landlord family that ruled much of present-day Nadia district under the Nawabs of Bengal and later the British.
The compound is large and contains the main palace building, several outbuildings, and a series of temples. It is not maintained as a museum and the brickwork is in poor condition in many places — but the scale, the carved facades, and the lingering atmosphere of a lost Bengali court are still real, and visitors are allowed to wander the grounds. The Jagaddhatri Puja that takes place here each November is one of the most important festivals in the state.