HIS 101: Bangladesh Culture and Heritage

Department of History and Philosophy

North South University
November 1, FALL 2022
Introduction
The Muslim rule in Bengal continued for about five
centuries and half, from Bakhtiyar Khalji’s conquest
in 1204-05 to the Battle of Plassey in 1757. The
period of muslim rule of Bengal is largely divided
into two phases- Independent Sultanate and
Mughal.

Mughal rule was established in Bengal after the

defeat of the Afghan Sultan Daud Khan Karrani in
the battle of Rajmahal, 12 July 1576 by Khan Jahan
Mughal general of Emperor Akbar.
Islam Khan Chishti appointed Subahdar of
Bengal (1608-1613)
With Khan Jahan's victory over Daud Khan, the Mughals were
determined to establish their authority over Bengal. The Subahdar
of Jahangir, Islam Khan Chishti, his real name was Shaikh Alauddin
Chisti, and Islam Khan was a title given by Emperor Jahangir,
brought the whole of Bengal (except Chittagong) under the Mughal
control. Chittagong was included during the Subahdari of Shaista
Khan.

Challenges of Islam Khan Chisti : Shifting capital in the centre of

Bhati, strengthen the Mughal Navy , and neutralize the power of
local independent and semi independent chieftains ( Afghans, local
Muslim and Hindu landlords , Rajas) .They tried to resist the
Mughal aggression as independent or semi-independent chieftains.
Among those who resisted the Mughals, some Bhuiyans, known as
Bara-Bhuiyans (twelve territorial landholders) stand out prominent.
Jahangir's accession and transfer of capital
After Jahangir's accession, Islam Khan took up the task of
subjugating the remnant resisting elements. With Islam Khan’s
arrival, the Mughal era of Bengal’s history effectively began.
Upon reaching the delta, the new governor first moved the
imperial provincial capital from Rajmahal to Dhaka. Later he
renamed the city Jahangirnagar.
The Bara Bhuiyans
• The eastern part of Bengal posed a strong challenge to the
advent Mughal after the fall of West Bengal to Mughal in 1576. The
challengers are well known in history as Bara Bhuiyans.
• Bara-Bhuiyans were the twelve territorial landholders or local
chiefs and Zamindars who put up strong resistance to the Mughals
during the time of Akbar and Jahangir.
• During the interval between Afghan rule and the rise of Mughal
power in Bengal, various parts of Bengal passed to the control of
several military chiefs, Bhuiyans and Zamindars.
• They jointly, and more often severally resisted Mughal
expansion and ruled their respective territories as
independent or semi-independent chiefs.

• According to Abul Fazal’s ‘Akbarnama’ and Mirza

Nathan’s ‘Baharisthan-i-Gayobi’ , they were 13
prominent Bara bhuiyans along with their leader.

• The chief of the Bara-Bhuiyans was Isa Khan. His

capital was present day’s Sonargaon. He combined
with other Bhuiyans and led them in the struggle against
the Mughals till his death in 1599.
• Isa Khan's son Musa Khan took the leadership and put
up a stubborn resistance to the Mughals. They were
patriots who with courage and valour resisted the
Mughal advance for long three decades.
• But their struggle came to an end in 1610 when
Subahdar Islam Khan Chishti during the reign of
Emperor Jahangir took his control in the whole Eastern
part of Bengal and declared Bengal as Subah
Bangalah.
 The Bengal Subah under the Subahdars
• From 1610 to 1715, the Mughals used Dhaka as a base for integrating
diverse peoples into their social and bureaucratic system and for
transforming the vast stretches of forest into arable land to enhance the
food security of the whole Mughal sultanate.
• Thus the process of consolidation of Bengal started by Subahdar Islam
Khan though he governed only briefly, dying in office in 1613. Three
factors helped the Mughals consolidate their power in the delta:
 their more effective use of military force,
 the diplomacy of Islam Khan, and
 the financial backing of Hindu merchant-bankers.
Some historians have argued that gunpowder technology of Akbar played a
decisive role in the expansion and consolidation of Bengal from those Bara
Bhuiyans.
Contributions of the Mughal in Bengal:

 Although the Mughals came from outside, with the

establishment of their rule, peace and prospects of
employment opportunities increased.

 Along with the predominant Sunnis, many of the officers also

came from Iran, so the Shiaism also penetrated in Bengal,
especially from the time of Jahangir.

 Influence of Persian language in Bengal, as it was the official

language of the state, many upper class Hindus learnt Perisan
to obtain state services.
 Persian language influenced the Bengali language and
literature in a great way. Persian words entered Bengali
vocabulary. Bengali literatures were previously influenced
by religions, mostly about Hindu Gods and Goddesses,
but with Persian influence, poems dealing with love stories
of men and women began to be the theme of literature.

 Under Mughals, there was an enormous growth of Muslim

society in Bengal. Many non-Muslims, Hindus and
Buddhists accepted Islam, either for gaining favors from
the rulers, or getting state services, or by the teaching of
Islam that also helped many to come out of the rigid caste
system of orthodox variant of Hinduism.
• In trade and commerce, Bengal came to limelight in history by her
international trade. During the early Muslim-period, the foreign merchants
buying the goods were Chinese, Malayese, Arabs and Persians. As a result of
greater export of local goods, there was great rise in the production of
industrial and manufactured goods. A vast market was now opened for
Bengal's cotton goods, silk and silk yarn, rice, sugar etc. The agents of foreign
companies as well as the individual buyers stood ready with a huge amount of
cash in hand to buy Bengal goods.
• Mughal rule in Bengal opened an era of peace and prosperity. The foreign
travellers from Portugal, Italy, France, England and Holland started coming
to Bengal from the time she became open to the European ships. To name a
few, they were Duarte Barbosa, Varthema, Caesar Frederick, Sebastien
Manrique, Ralph Fitch, Thomas Bowrey, Niccolao Manucci, Francois Bernier,
Tavernier, Stavorinus etc. Almost all of them spoke very highly of Bengal's
wealth, rich products and highly prized manufactured goods.
• A proverb in common used among the Portuguese, English and Dutch, that
the Kingdom of Bengal has a hundred gates open for entrance, but not one
for departure.
• As the Mughals were liberal in religious matters, non-
Muslims could also practice their religion freely

without any interference.

• In terms of Art in Mughal Empire, Akbar brought his

love of the arts with him to India. His style was a
mixture of Persian and Indian motifs. He also had his
artists mimic the European style art work, focusing on
perspective and life-like recreation.

• Also, the Islamic influence of not including humans in

pictures lead to the floral motifs that are seen today in
carpets, lamps and textiles.
• In terms of Architecture, the love of beauty that the Mughals
had was also seen in their architecture. The beautiful Taj
Mahal was built in 1632, under the rule of Shan Jahan, in
memory of his wife, Mumtaz Mahal.

• The architecture of this building combined Persian and

Islamic styles and is constructed of sandstone and white
marble.

• The Mughals had established both power and credibility

throughout the delta. They achieved this by means of a
military machine that effectively combined gunpowder
weaponry with mounted archers and naval forces
ART
 SHAISTA KHAN
 Shaista Khan was a Mughal subahdar who ruled Bengal for long
24 years (1664-1688) with a break for a little over one year in
1678-79. His tenure of office as a subahdar in Bengal was the
longest. From an Iranian origin, (son of Asaf Khan and grandson
of Mirza Ghias Beg Itimaduddaula) his family was connected
with the Mughal royal family. Nur Jahan (daughter of
Itimaduddaula) and Mumtaj Mahal (daughter of Asaf Khan)
were queens of Jahangir and Shahjahan respectively. Both
Itimaduddaula and Asaf Khan held the position of Wazir or
Prime Minister respectively of Jahangir and Shahjahan. After his
accession to the throne Aurangzeb granted him a higher rank and
conferred on him the prestigious title of Amir-ul-Umara (chief of
the nobles) in recognition of his services during the War of
Succession. Shaista Khan was appointed Subahdar of Bengal
after the death of Mir Jumla in 1663.
 Shaista Khan Arrives in Bengal
 Shaista Khan was 63 when he arrived in Bengal. He
ruled with vigour and in administration he was
assisted by his six sons, each of whom held the charge
of Faujdar in one or more than one Sarkar. In that way
one family ruled all divisions of Bengal.
 Contemporary historians have praised Shaista Khan for
his administrative reforms, for putting down corruption
among officials and giving relief to the people by
abolishing illegal taxes.
 The administration had fallen into chaos after the death
of Mir Jumla. Shaista Khan, therefore, exerted his
energies in establishing discipline in the administration;
 By his connections with the emperor and his personality
and strength of character the dishonest officers and the
troublemaker zamindars were expelled. so that it was
easy for him to restore discipline in all branches of
administration.
 Conquest of Chittagong
 Shaista Khan's great fame in Bengal chiefly rests on his conquest of
Chittagong. The famous seaport of Chittagong was first occupied
by Fakhruddin Mubarak Shah in the middle of the 14th century.
Since then Chittagong was under Muslim rule with occasional
breaks when the area was occupied by Arakan or Tippera. But
Chittagong had passed to Arakanese control before the Mughal
conquest of Bengal. In the reign of Jahangir, subahdar Islam
Khan Chisti recovered the country up to the Feni river, which
became the dividing line between Bengal and Arakan. Some of
Jahangir’s subahdars tried to capture Chittagong but failed.
 The Arakanese
 The Arakanese were noted for their skill in navigation
and naval warfare, so the kings of Arakan never left
the Mughal subahdars in peace. They sent naval
expeditions to Bengal at intervals and plundered
whichever part of the countryside fell on their route; at
times they even attacked and devastated the capital
city of Dhaka
 The Portuguese and The Arakan
 From the beginning of the 17th century the Portuguese also
started piratical activities after they had lost their trade
supremacy in competition with the Dutch and the English.
 The Portuguese pirates found asylum in Arakan, where the king
employed them along with the magh pirates to plunder the
enemy territory of Bengal. These raids continued for a long time,
not a house was left inhabited on either side of the rivers lying
on the pirates’ track from Chittagong to Dhaka
 The pirates carried off Hindus and Muslims,
men, women and children along with their
property. The pirates sold their captives to
foreign merchants, the Dutch, the English and
the French and at the ports of the Deccan.
 Shaista Khan’s Arakan Policy
 So, on reaching Bengal, Shaista Khan’s
attention was first drawn to the menacing
attitude of the king of Arakan. For the
restoration of peace, he had also to take action
against the Portuguese pirates. The subahdar
drew up a three-pronged policy to meet the
situation: first, he reorganised the nawwara or
the fleet of war-boats; second, he tried to win
over the Portuguese to his side; and third, he
tried to win over the Dutch company to help
him or at least to neutralise them so that they
could not assist the king of Arakan.
 Shaista Khan Tried To Win The Portuguese
 Shaista Khan took steps to win over the Firingis
(Portuguese) to his side, for he realised that the
mainstay of the Arakanese navy were the
Portuguese sailors with their superior ships and
firearms to the Maghs. He sent lucrative offers
to the Firingis of Chittagong through their
countrymen living in Hughli, Loricol (25 miles
south of Dhaka) and other places. He offered
them service, rewards, and what is more
important, a settled and secure life.
 Shaista Khan Sends Message To The Dutch
 Shaista Khan also called the Dutch chief of Hughli
to his presence and told him plainly that as they
gained much profit from their trade in Bengal they
should participate in the expedition against Arakan
with their own ships. As the Dutch chief could not
give a positive reply without approval of the Dutch
Governor General of Batavia (Jakarta), Shaista
Khan sent an envoy to Batavia in a Dutch ship.
 Envoy Khwaja Ahmed was given instructions to tell
the Dutch Governor General that if the Dutch did
not help the subahdar in his enterprise, all their
trade would be stopped in the whole Mughal
empire.
 Shista Khan Starts His War Against Arakan
 After all preparations being complete, Shaista Khan
chalked out a plan for conquering the island of Sandwip
first. The base of operation against Chittagong was
Bhulua, but it was a base for a land force, whereas
Arakan was primarily a naval power. Chittagong was to
be attacked both by land and sea. So a base for the
fleet was necessary, and Sandwip was an ideal naval
base. Shaista Khan ordered his naval officer to attack
Sandwip, which he did in November 1665
 Sandwip was occupied and brought under Mughal
administration. In the meantime the Firingis of
Chittagong also came over to the side of the Mughals.
Luckily for the Mughals, a feud had then broken out
between the Magh ruler of Chittagong and the
Portuguese of that place.
 After all preparations were over, Shaista Khan sent his
long-planned Chittagong expedition in the last week of
December 1665 AD.
 The conquest of Chittagong caused tremendous joy
throughout the country, mainly because the people
became safe from the plunder, oppression and tyranny
of the Magh-Portuguese pirates.
 Another important result of the conquest was the release
of thousands of kidnapped and enslaved Bengali
peasants who now returned to their homes and joined
their families. Peace was restored in the area and,
consequently, agriculture, trade and commerce
flourished.
 Shaista Khan A Great Builder
 Shaista Khan was a great builder. He built a number of
mosques, tombs and secular buildings in the capital city of
Dhaka and outside. Important among his constructions are:
The Chhota Katra, built in about 1664, meant for visiting
merchants, wayfarers and visitors. There is a small single-
domed mosque within its enclosure, which displays
considerable architectural taste.
 Shaista Khan made additions to Lalbagh fort, the
construction of which was started by Prince Muhammad
Azam but could not be completed by him. The tomb of Bibi
Pari, was built by Shaista Khan within the walled enclosure
of the fort. Bibi Pari also known as Iran Dukht, is said to have
been a daughter of Shaista Khan who was betrothed to
Prince Muhammad Azam
ECONOMIC LIFE
 Shaista Khan was also praised because in his
time the price of grain was extremely low, so
much so that rice was being sold at the rate of
8 maunds per rupee. While leaving Dhaka, he
caused the following inscription to be engraved
on the western gate of the city “Let him only
open this gate who can show the selling rate of
rice as cheap as this”. The contemporaries
described him as the model of excellence.
SHAISTA KHAN
CHOTA KATRA
LALBAGH FORT
CHAWK BAZAR MOSQUE