MEDIEVAL BENGAL: AN

OVERVIEW
Independent Sultani Rule in Bengal (1338-1538)

HIS 101: Bangladesh Culture and Heritage

Department of History and Philosophy
North South University
Asif Basar (MAB 2)
Delhi Sultanat
The independent Sultanate established by Iliyas Shah lasted for about two hundred
years and during this long period the name Banglalah got wide currency. Later the
Mughals established their supremacy over the region made Bangalah as
a SHUBAH (province) which came to be known as Shubah-i-Bangalah. The same
name appeared in the Portuguese records as 'Bengala' and the English made it
'Bengal'. Thus it is clear that from mid 14th century the name Bangalah got currency
and came to denote the area, which now more or less include present Bangladesh
and Indian province of West Bengal.

Shamsuddin Firoz Shah ruled for about two decades (1301-1322) as the Sultan of
Bengal. From the testimony of coins and inscriptions, it is known that he brought
Sonargaon, Satgaon (south-west Bengal), Mymensingh and Sylhet under his control.
During his time, the famous sufi saint Shah Jalal and Firoz Shah’s general Nasiruddin
conquered Sylhet. Shah Jalal along with his three hundred disciples settled in Sylhet
and preached Islam in the rural areas.
After the death of Firoz Shah, his son
Ghiyasuddin Bahadur captured the throne. But
his actions caused discontent with his brother
Nasiruddin Ibrahim who sought the help of
Ghyasuddin Tughlaq, the Sultan of Delhi. As a
consequence Guyasuddin Tughlaq divided
Bengal in three administrative regions – north
and north-west (from Lakhnawti), south-west
region (from Satgaon), east and south-east
region (Sonargaon) – under his nominees.
With the accession of Muhammad-bin-Tughlaq these three rulers were changed,
which resulted in the revolt of Bahadur Shah, Governor of Sonargaon. To
challenge Bahadur Shah, Muhammad-bin-Tughlaq sent his general Baharam
Khan to kill and acquire the power of Eastern Bengal. Later Baharam Khan
became the Governor of East Bengal. After Baharam Khan’s death his associate
Fakhruddin Mobarak Shah captured the power of Sonargaon and proclaimed
independence. This was the beginning of independent Sultanate in Bengal that
lasted for more than two centuries. Ibn Batuta from Morocco visited Bengal
during his reign – an eye-witness account of this period.
FAKHRUDDIN MUBAROK SHAH

Fakhruddin Mubarak Shah (1338-1349) was the founder of the earliest

independent Muslim sultanat in Bengal which he ran from his headquarters
at the historic city of Sonargaon.

Fakhruddin was of Turk origin and was the Silahdar (superintendent of

armory) in the service of Bahram Khan, Tughlaq governor of Sonargaon.
After the death of Bahram Khan in 1337 AD, Fakhruddin emerged as the
Sultan of Sonargaon and later Bengal.
Mubarak Shah constructed a trunk road connecting Chittagong with
Chandpur opposite the outpost of Sripur, raised embankments in Chandpur,
built mosques and tombs in Chittagong. Ibn Batuta visited Sonargaon during
his region in 1346.
Ibn Batuta
The traveler felicitates Fakhruddin as a distinguished sovereign ruler who loved
strangers, particularly the fakirs and sufis. The importance of Fakhruddin lies in the
fact that with him started the independent sultanate of Bengal which lasted for two
hundred years (1338-1538). The kingdom of Fakhruddin was divided into provinces
such as Iqlim and Mulk. Iqlim and Mulk denoted province of the kingdom of
Fakhruddin in eastern and southern Bengal respectively. The provinces seem to
have been divided into Parganas.
The general prosperity of the country of Bangalah under Fakhruddin is evidenced by
Ibn Battuta through his comment on super-abundance of commodities of daily
necessity, brisk internal trade, big surplus of commodities, external trade-link of
Sonargaon port with the neighboring countries like China and Java.
Sultan Fakhruddin had great devotion to the Fakirs and Sufis. The sultan had the standing
order for the exemption of freight charges from the fakirs on the river, and also ordered
that provisions free of cost should also be supplied to the strangers, fakirs and sufis, and
a minimum allowance of half a dinar was to be given to a Fakir arriving in a town.
ILIYAS SHAHI DYNASTY

Iliyas Shah (1342-1358) founder of the Iliyas Shahi dynasty. He consolidated the independent
Sultanate of Bengal. liyas Shah was an inhabitant of Sijisthan, a country of east -Persia and
came from a noble family. At the beginning of career Iliyas Shah worked under Malik Firuz of
Delhi. But for some unknown reason, he escaped to Bengal and took service under lzauddin
Yahya, the imperial governor of Satgaon. After Izauddin Yahya's death, he became the ruler of
Satgaon in 1338. Consolidating his authority there, he waged a long drawn war (1339 to 1342)
against Alauddin Ali Shah and ascended the throne of Lakhnauti in 1342 with the title of
'Sultan Shamsuddin Iliyas Shah'.
Iliyas Shah united the three regions of Bengal under his independent sultanate by the end of 1349.
He was able to win over the support of the people and gave a distinct character to his
administration, thereby earning the title of Shahi Bangalah. He sent expeditions to Tirhut, Nepal,
Orissa and Bihar and occupied Kashi and Gorakhpur districts. Ilias Shah’s ability and courage
were proved by his authority over Bengal and the neighboring territories.

The period of Iliyas Shahi rule is important and significant for various reasons. The Muslim
administration was given a distinct shape in this period. Arts and literature, particularly
Bangla literature flourished. Also the name Bangalah emerged as a name of a large
geographical territory.
He also maintained a friendly relation with the Delhi Sultanate and thus strengthened the
foundation of independent Sultanate rule in Bengal. He was a pious ruler and maintained peace
and stability and highly respected Sufis and Saints. He built many mosques and fortress across
regions of Bengal.

Iliyas Shah earned for himself the titles of Shah-i-Bangalah and Sultan-i-Bangalah. He died at
Pandua in 1358 AD after a reign of about sixteen years and was succeeded by his son Sikandar
Shah. Sikandar Shah enjoyed a long and prosperous reign of about 33 years and died
sometime around 1390 in the course of a fight with his son Azam Shah at Goalpara near Pandua.
During the reign of Sikandar Shah, Firoz Shah Tughlaq invaded Bengal for the second time,
but no result was achieved. Finally both parties agreed to establish peace. Sikandar Shah
was recognized as an independent ruler of Bengal. He was a great patron of architecture and
built Adina Masjid of Pandua in the latter half of 14th century.
On his death, Ghiyasuddin Azam Shah ascended the throne in 1391 AD. He was a capable ruler
with a profound regard for the law. Patronage of poets and the learned, devotion to sufi-
saints and Islamic culture and his foreign relations earned him a distinct place in the history of
Bengal. His correspondence with the famous Iranian poet Hafiz and the establishment of
Madrasa at Mecca and a rest house in Madina is well-known.

He died in 1410 AD and was succeeded by his son Saifuddin Hamza Shah who ruled Bengal for a
short period. During his reign Raja Ganesh, a Hindu Zamindar of Rajshahi District, became
powerful and he seized the power of the Iliyas Shahi dynasty in 1414 AD.
 HISTORY OF RAJA GANESH

During the reign of Hamza Shah, a Hindu Zamindar Raja Ganesh became extremely powerful
who eventually managed to kill Azams successors and captured the power of the throne in 1414.
Ganesh dominated the history of Bengal for three decades.

The leading Muslim saint Nur-Kutub-al-Alam invited Sultan Ibrahim Sharki of Jaunpur to
invade Bengal, who eventually defeated Raja Ganesh, converted his son Jadu to Islam and
placed him on throne of Bengal with the name Jalaludddin Muhammad. During the reign of
Jalaluddin several mint towns including Firozabad, Sonargaon, Satgaon, Chittagong and
Fatehabad flourished, showing that a major portion of Bengal was controlled by him.
He transferred his capital from Pandua to Gaur where his family members were
buried at the Ekdala mausoleum – a unique design of Muslim architecture in
Bengal.
The Ilias Shah dynasty was briefly revived by his descendent Nasir Khan,
who assumed the title of Nasiruddin Mahmud. He and his successors ruled
in Bengal for about 45 years.

Ilias Shahi rulers made distinct contributions to the history of Bengal.

1. They firmly established Muslim rule in Bengal and pursued a liberal and
enlightened policy of their own.
2. Appointment of non-Muslims to high positions, stress on vernacular
languages and patronage of local scholars gave a distinct character to their
rule.
3. Apart from encouraging art and architecture, they also spread the
messages of Islam and its culture across the rural areas of Bengal.
4. Bengal was linked with Muslim countries as well as with China under their
reign.
5. Muslim military victory in Bengal along with cultural liberalism gave rise to
a new kind of society that shaped the real identity of Bengal.
The Shahi sultans made a bold attempt to develop a grand architectural
style befitting the dignity of the new Sultanate. Of all the sultans of the
Iliyas Shahi dynasty the reign of Sikandar Shah is marked by architectural
development such as Bengal had never witnessed before. The most
magnificent building of his reign is the Adina mosque at Pandua. Others
were the tomb of Ghiyasuddin Azam Shah at Sonargaon, the Kotwali
Darwaza, the Dakhil Darwaza, the Nim Darwaza, the chika building, the
Chamkathi mosque, the lattan mosque, the Kadamrasul mosque.
The period also witnessed the development of calligraphic styles in Iliyas
Shahi's inscriptions.
Giasuddin Azam Shah Tomb Kadam Rasul Mosque
Calligraphy
The rule of the Iliyas Shahi dynasty occupies a distinct and significant
place in the history of Bengal. The Muslim Kingdom of Bengal,
known as the Kingdom of Lakhnauti, was transformed into the
Sultanate of Bangalah. During this period, for the first time the
different parts of Bengal were united under the sole authority of
Sultan Shamsuddin Iliyas Shah. From this time, the united
territories of Bengal received the name of Bangalah and its people
came to be known as the Bengalis. This unification of Bengal also
integrated the Bengali-speaking people into one politico-social
union and laid the foundation of Bangalah and Bengalis.
HUSSAIN SHAH:

The Ilias Shah dynasty came to end with the death of Jalaluddin Fateh
Shah in 1486. There was a brief period of rule by the Habshi dynasty
between 1487 and 1493. This period has been considered as the darkest
period of Bengal as it was marked by chaos, conspiracies, rebellions,
murder and usurpation of powers.

Syed Hussain, a Persian nobleman and Wazir of Muzaffar Shah, the last
habshi ruler, established himself as the Sultan with the title Alauddin Husain
Shah. With this the Husain Shahi period in Bengal history began which
lasted from 1493 to 1538. At the very outset he suppressed the rebellious
elements in the army and created a new security force. The Habshis were
driven out of the country and appointed Muslim noblemen from Turkey,
Arabia and Afghanistan and the local Hindus to high government posts.
Husain Shah extended his territory in the north and south of Bihar and to
Kamrup, and Tripura. One of the significant aspect of his rule was his
relation with Delhi. 1526, Mughal rule was established in Delhi and
Nusrat Shah, son of Husain Shah, maintained cordial relation with Babur,
who was being abstained for attacking Bengal.

Ghiyasuddin Mahmud Shah was the last of the Husain Shahi sultans. In
1537 Sher Khan, the ruler of Bihar appeared in Gaur for the second time
and demanded a large sum of money from Mahmud Shah as annual
tribute. Mahmud's refusal led Sher Khan to besiege Gaur, which fell into
the hands of the Afghans in April 1538. Thus the independent Sultanate of
Bengal came to an end.
CONTRIBUTIONS:
The Husain Shahi dynasty ruled Bengal for about four decades. They were
responsible in bringing peace and stability in the region. He expanded his
territory by conquering neighboring kingdoms. He introduced a welfare
administration and led Bengal to prosperity. He treated all his subjects
equally, irrespective of religious faith and appointed local Hindus to high
positions. They were great patrons of art and learning. Under Husain
Shah many books were written in Bengali language, and even
Mahabharata and Bhagwat Gita were translated in Bengali. He
constructed many buildings including Mosques, Madrasas, Khanqas and
tombs.
Choto Sona Masjid of Gaur and a Mosque in Pandua in honor of Sufi
Nur Kutub Alam bear testimony to his love for architecture. His
tolerance for other religions earned him the respect of Sri Chaitannya
Dev, the founder of Vaishnavism. Worship of Sattya Pir in his time
example of his liberal views. He wanted to bring Hindus and
Muslims closer. With the foundation of independent Muslim rule in
Bengal ports like Satgaon, Sonargaon and Chittagong became
prominent in this region. Encouraged trade and thus the Muslim rule
brought Bengal from rural to urban phase of civilization based on
the introduction of money economy.
Borosona Mosque
The period witnessed intense literary activities. The growth of
the Bangla language and the birth of Bangla literature also
coincided this period. The sultans, because of their close
association with the local people, gave status and dignity to
Bangla language which now began to play the role that was
played by Sanskrit in the pre-Muslim period.