Bengal under the Muslim Rule (1204-1576 AD)

[Dr. Md. Harun-or Rashid]

Bengal under Muhammad Bakhtiyar Khalji

Origin of Bakhtiyar
Ikhtiyaruddin Muhammad Bakhtiyar Khalji inaugurated Muslim rule in Bengal by conquering its northwestern part in early 1205 AD. He was a native of Garamsir (modern Dasht-i-Marg) in northern Afghanistan belonged to the Khalj tribe of the Turks.
He entreated Muhammad Ghuri at Ghazni to enlist him as a soldier. But, because of his short physical stature with long arms extending below the knees, his prayer was rejected. Then he proceeded to Delhi and sought an employment under Qutbuddin (the Chief of army) but there also his luck fared no better. Thence he went to Badaun where he was appointed to a lower post by Malik Hizbaruddin.
He was granted the parganas of Bhagwat and Bhuili in the district of Mirzapur as Jagir. Soon a large number of Khalji adventurers gathered around him and with their help he carried on raids into the neighbouring territories.

Primary Invention
In 1203 AD Bakhtiyar made a sudden dash against Bihar. He occupied it and met Qutbuddin with rich presents. Qutbuddin   received him with great honour.

Bakhtiyar started his adventure towards Bengal in 1204-05 AD.  He marched so swiftly through the unfrequented Jharkhand region towards Nadia that only seventeen horsemen could keep pace with him. The city dwellers took him to be a horse-dealer.  Bakhtiyar captured the palace by surprise. Raja Laksmanasen 'fled away by the back-door' bare footed. Meanwhile the main army of Bakhtiyar Khalji arrived and Nadia came under his possession.

Territory of Bakhtiyar
Bakhtiyar Khalji stayed in Nadia for a short period and then marched upon Gaur (Lakhnauti). He conquered it without any resistance in 601 AH/1205 AD and made it the seat of his government. Afterwards he proceeded eastward and extended his authority over north Bengal. Bakhtiyar Khalji's territories extended from the modern town of Purnia via Devkot to the town of Rangpur in the north, to the river Padma in the south, to the rivers Tista and Karatoa in the east and to the Bihar in the west.

Tibet Expedition
The last important event in the career of Bakhtiyar Khalji was his Tibet expedition. While he was making preparations for his expedition, a large portion of Bengal remained outside his kingdom. So, it is surprising that instead of conquering the remaining portions of Bengal, Bakhtiyar Khalji preferred to undertake such a dangerous campaign. There is no clear explanation about the motives underlying his project. It appears that Bakhtiyar Khalji's inordinate ambition or his desire to secure mastery over trade route from Tibet to Kamarupa, or his intention to discover a short-cut route to Turkistan over Tibet impelled him to undertake this expedition.

Bakhtiyar collected necessary information about the routes leading to Tibet by sending there a few detachments. Ali Mech was his guide to this invention. Before undertaking his Tibet expedition Bakhtiyar made adequate arrangements for the defence and administration of his kingdom. He created three big frontier governorships and posted Shiran Khalji, Ali Mardan Khalji and Husamuddin Iwaz Khalji at Lakhnur, Ghoraghat and Tanda respectively.

Bakhtiyar Khalji marched from Devkot with ten thousand horsemen up the river Bagmati in early 602 AH/1206 AD. Crossing the river over an ancient stone bridge he proceeded to the hills where, in a battle with the local people, he sustained heavy losses and decided to abandon the project. But the backlash was so hard that the return journey proved to be disastrous and he somehow reached Devkot with a little more than a hundred of his followers alive. At Devkot, Bakhtiyar Khalji fell seriously ill and when he was hovering between life and death, he was stabbed to death by Ali Mardan Khalji in 602 AH/1206 AD.

Achievements of Bakhtiyar
Bakhtiyar was a good administrator. He divided the kingdom into a number of districts and assigned them to the care of his principal nobles and military chiefs. They were entrusted with the duty of maintaining peace and order, collecting revenues, patronizing learning and culture and looking after the moral and material well being of the people. Following the traditional principle he took steps to read the Khutbah and to introduce coins in his name. He built a new capital on the site of Gaur and established two cantonment towns near Dinajpur and Rangpur. He named his administrative divisions ‘Iqta’ and the governor of an Iqta was designated as ‘Muqta’. He built numerous mosques, Madrasas and Khanqahs. Bakhtiyar's death was too sudden to enable him to pay any attention to the question of succession.

[Dr. Md. Harun-or Rashid]

Bengal under the Governors of Delhi Sultans (1204-1338 AD)

The Initial period (1206-1227 AD)
After the death of Bakhtiyar, his generals came to cover the throne. Muhammad Shiran, Ali Mardan, Husam Uddin Iwaz and Gias Uddin Iwaz Khaljee, generals of Bakhtiyar, ruled Bengal till 1227 AD. This is the initial period of Muslim rule in Bengal. Gias Uddin Iwaz Khalji (1212-1227 AD), the first notable ruler of Muslim Bengal who tried to expand and consolidate the Muslim rule in Bengal in a planned way.

The Expansion period (1227-1287 AD)
In 1227 AD Prince Nasiruddin succeeded Iwaz Khalji to the governorship of Lakhnauti. He is the son of Sultan Iltutmish of Delhi.  15 Governors appointed by Delhi sultans leaded Lakhnauti during the 60 years of this regime. In 1287 AD, another prince Nasir Uddin Bugra Khan son of Sultan Gias Uddin Bolbon took the governorship.  At the time of Bugra Khan, Muslim Bengal consisted of four distinct divisions:
1)   Bihar
2)   Lakhnauti-Devkot region of north Bengal
3)   Satgaon-Hughli in southwest Bengal
4)   Sonargaon region in east Bengal.

Rukon Uddin Kaikaus, younger son of Bugra Khan succeeded his father and continued till 1301 AD.  He expended his territory in the eastern region and he issued coins from the revenue collected from 'Bang'. Sultan Shamsuddin Firuz Shah succeeded Kaikaus and resumed till 1322. He expanded the kingdom upto Mymenshing and Sylhet. The famous saint Sha Jalal spread the light of Islam under the patronization of Firuz Shah.

Sultan of Delhi Gias Uddin Tughlok marched towards Bengal with a large army in 1324 AD. He reorganized the administration of Muslim dominion in Bengal; divided it into three administrative units of
1) Lakhnauti
2) Satgaon
3) Sonargaon.

Sultan Gias Uddin Tughlok confirmed Nasiruddin Ibrahim in the government of Lakhnauti and Bahram Khan was made governor of Sonargaon and Satgaon. In 1338 Bahram Khan died. On his death at Sonargaon Fakhruddin captured power, proclaimed independence and assumed the title of ‘Sultan Fakhruddin Mobarak Shah’. Ibn Batuta, the eminent visitor, visited Bengal in this period.

This acted as a signal for a new series of struggles for power which ultimately led to the establishment of Ilyas Shahi rule in Bengal. It heralded the beginning of the Independent Sultanate that continued for two hundred years (1338-1538).

For further study: Jadunath Sarkar, The History of Bengal, Vol. II, Dhaka University Press.

[Dr. Md. Harun-or Rashid]

Bengal under Independent Sultans (1338-1538 AD)

   1) East Bengal at Sonargaon 1338-1357 AD
   2) Ilias Shahi Dynasty1342-1412 AD
       Later Ilias Shahi 1436-1487 AD
   3) Raja Ganesh and his family 1412-1436 AD
   4) Abisynian Period 1487-1493 AD
   5) Hossain Shahi Piriod 1493-1538 A

The rule of the independent sultans (1338-1538) in Bengal
In 1338 AD, Fakhruddin Mubarok Shah established himself as independent Sultan of Sonargaon. After his death in 1349 Sonargaon succeeded by his son Gazi Shah. In that time an army commander Ali Mubrak seized control and established an independent kingdom at Lakhnauti. In 1342 he was overthrown by Haji Iliyas. Sultan Iliyas Shah established the Iliyas Shahi Dynasty which ruled Bengal for the next hundred years.

Iliyas Shah
Haji Iliyas took control of Lakhnauti in 1342 and assumed the long title of ‘Sultan Shamsuddin Abul Muzaffar Iliyas Shah’. Some historians think that Iliyas was the first ruler who brought the three major geographical units of Satgaon, Sonargaon and Lakhnauti under a single authority. Because of that he called himself Shah-i-Bangala or the King of Bengal.
Haji Iliyas's rise as an independent ruler in Bengal offended the Sultan in Delhi. Sultan Firuz Tughluq invaded Bengal with an enormous army in 1353 A.D. But Firuz Shah could not crush Haji Iliyas who continued to rule freely. He also extended his authority in Bihar, Nepal, Orissa and Assam. Although Fakhruddin started the process of an independent Bengal in 1338 A.D Haji Iliyas was the real founder of Bengal.

Sikandar Shah
Sultan Iliyas Shah was succeeded by his son Sikandar Shah. Sikandar Shah ruled a prosperous and politically stable Bengal for about thirty years and died around 1390. Sultan Firuz of Delhi invaded Bengal again in 1359, but Sikandar, like his father, successfully faced the imperial army of Delhi. After this date, the Sultans of Delhi realised the growing strength of the Sultans of Bengal and they did not try to capture Bengal for quite a long time.

Ghiyasuddin Azam
Sikandar Shah was succeded by his son Ghiyasuddin Azam Shah (1390--1410). Ghiyasuddin was an able ruler. He exchanged embassies with the Chinese Emperor and maintained correspondences with the famous poet, Hafiz of Iran. He also patronised several madrassa in Mecca and Medina.
Sultan Ghiyasuddin was also famous for his respect for law and justice. It is said that he once told the Chief Justice of his kingdom that though he was the Sultan, he was not above the law. Ghiyasuddin Azam Shah was one of the more widely known of medieval Sultans of Bengal. His tomb is situated in Narayanganj of current day Bangladesh.

Raja Ganesh
The death of Ghiyasuddin Azam was followed by political instability. His son Saifuddin Hamza Shah was murdered by his slave Shihabuddin. Taking advantage of the confusion, a Brahman noble of Vaturia, Dinanjpur, Raja Ganesh, assumed power in Bengal. Ganesh commanded great authority, he could not stay in power for long due to constant pressures from Muslim nobles. He is said to have appointed many Hindus in high posts and persecuted many Sufis. Sultan Ibrahim Sarki brought a force from Jainpur and Raja Ganesh was forced to abdicate the kingdom in favour of his son, Jadu, who agreed to embrace Islam and was named Jalaluddin Mohammad Shah. After Ibrahim Sarki left Bengal, Ganesh reassumed power and reconverted his son to Hinduism. Only after Ganesh's death in 1418 A.D. Jalaluddin return to Islam & rulled Bengal since 1432 as a pious Sultan.

Jalaluddin's son, Shamshuddin Ahmad Shah rulled as a just ruler. He was murdered by his slave and then Nasir Khan ascended the throne. After Nasir Khan the Nobels restored the Iliyas Shahi Dynasty by installing Nasiruddin Mahmood Shah who is a grandson of Haji Iliyas. He ruled for seventeen years (1433-1459), and during his reign the boundary of Bengal was greatly extended.
Nasiruddin was succeeded by his competent son Rukhunuddin Barbak Shah (1459-1574).
Ruknuddin had brought a large number of slaves of Ethiopean origin who became politically powerful over the time. Soon after Ruknuddin's death, the activities of some of these 'slaves' created political instability. Between 1487 and 1493, four of the slaves became Sultans and were killed by rivals.
1) Shahajada Barbak Shah
2) Saif Uddin Firuz Shah
3) Nasir  Uddin Mahmud (2nd)
4) Shams Uddin Mozaffar Shah
A period of unrest was finally brought to an end when a noble of Arab origin named Sayid Hussain assumed power (1494) and entitled himself as Alauddin Hussain Shah. Thus the Hussain Shahi Dynasty was established.

Hussain Shahi Period
Sultan Alauddin Husain Shah occupied a significant place in the medieval history of Bengal. He extended the boundaries of Bengal by conquering Kamarupa and Kamta, annexing Comilla and Chittagong to his kingdom and sending expeditions to Orissa. He also repulsed an attack by Sikander Lodi, the Sultan of Delhi. His son Prince Nusrat Shah was a skilled administrator.

Nusrat Shah (1519--1532) ascended the throne of Bengal after the death of Hussain. Nusrat Shah was an able ruler like his father. He cleverly tried to avoid any confrontation with Babur, founder of the Mughal Empire, who had appeared in the eastern Indian scene after his victory at Panipath (1526). Nusrat professed neutrality and avoided having any connection with the anti-Mughal confederacy that was formed by Mahmud Lodi with Afghan chiefs. When Babur sent an expedition to Bengal, Nusrat Shah concluded a treaty which made Bengal safe.
Sultan Nusrat Shah was killed by an assassin in 1532 and succeeded by Alauddin Feruz Shah and then Ghiasuddin Mahmud. But they could not reverse the trend of decline of the Husain Shahi Dynasty that had started after the death of Nusrat Shah. Meanwhile, the Afghans grew stronger under the leadership of Sher Shah, who posed a great threat to the Mughals in Delhi as well as the Sultans of Bengal. Sher Shah captured Gaur in 1538 and the independent status of Bengal was finally lost.

See the short notes on Independents Sultans of Bengal following attached file.

[Dr. Md. Harun-or Rashid]

Bengal under the Afghan Rule 1538-1576

Shuri Regime 1538-1563 AD
Afghans had entered in services as soldiers under the sultans of Bengal. Sultan Muzaffar Shah, Hossain Shah, Nusrat Shah had recruited a good number of Afghan officers and soldiers at their period.
 
After time being, they had played an important role in the history of Bengal. Sher Shah is the famous leader of Afghans who conquered Bengal, Bihar and ultimately the entire Indian Muslim Empire.

The leader of Afghans, Sher Shah conquered Gaur (Bengal) in 1538 AD from its last independent sultan Gias Uddin Mahmud. Sher Shah and his followers ruled Bengal since 1576 AD, upto the battle of Rajmohal with Mughals. This 38 years Bengal had leaded by Afghan monarch:
Sher Khan /Shah
Islam Shah
Shamsuddin Mohammad
Gias Uddin Bahadur
Gias Uddin Jalal

Korrani Regime 1563-1576
Taz Khan Karrani
Solaiman Khan Karrani
Daud Khan Karrani

Korranis are one of the principal branches of the Pathan originated from Afghanistan. The founder of this group was Taz Khan Karrani who was one of the chief officers of the Army of Sher Shah.
Solaiman Khan Korrani was the brother of Taz Khan and Daud Khan Karrani was the younger son of Solaiman. In 1576 AD, Munim Khan (Khan Jahan) Mughal commander seized Bengal form Korrain family. Tanda, near Maldah was the capital of Bengal under the Karrani regime.

[fahad.faisal]

Thanks a lot for the informative post.