Bengal under Muhammad Bakhtiyar Khalji
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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.
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.
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.