DS U/li5\ GIFT OF W. CARPET^JTIER ;C*^ "-^' .i ''■P V HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY OF BENGAL AN EASY INTRODDCTION HISTORY km GEOGRAPHY OF BENGAL. FOR THE JUNIOR CLASSES IN SCHOOLS. BY E. LETHBRIDGE, M.A., LATE SCHOLAR OF EXETER COLLEGE, OXFORD; OFFICIATING PRINCIPAL OP KRISHNAGAR COLLEGE, BENGAL. CALCUTTA: ruTL^^aj^iEZT^, si^'iisric cS23 go., ^uWisljtts to tfje Calcutta ^nibersits. BOMBAY: TH ACKER, VINING & Co. MADRAS: HIGGINBOTHAM & Co. LONDON : W. THACKER AND CO. 1874. 6'^ fjALCUTTA: PRT5TKD ^ IIIAOKKR, SPiNK AND CO. \MjbuJiM CONTENTS. Page Chapter I.— The GtEOGRaphy of Bengal ... ... 1 ,. IL— The Hindu Eule IN Bengal ... ... 10 ,, III. — The Muhammadan Rule in Bengal : — Paet I. — The Governors of Lakhnauti under the Pathan Emperors of Dehli ... 17 „ IV.— Ditto :— Paet II. — The Independent Kings of Bengal 25 5, v.— Ditto : — Part III.— The Dynasty of Sher Shah ... 33 , „ VI. — Ditto : — Paet IV.— The Mughul Sdbahdars under the Emperors of Dehli ... ... ... 41 „ VII.— Ditto :— Paet V. — ^The Nawabs of Bengal, nominally under the Emperors of Delhi, but really independent ... ... ... ... 75 „ VIII. — ^The English Rule in Bengal : — Paet I. — From the Battle of Plassey, 1757, to the Regulating Act, 1774 ... ... 87 „ IX. — Ditto: — Paet II. — The Governors-General of British India as Governors of Bengal ... ... 97 520510 Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2007 with funding from IVIicrosoft Corporation http://www.archiv,e.org/details/easyintroductionOOIethrich PREFACE. buRiNa the years that have elapsed since the preparation of the last History of Bengal that has issued from the press, fresh materials for such a wol'k have rapidly accu- mulated. Many ancient historical works, then almost unknown, have recently been translated, or in other ways rendered accessible to the enquirer ; hundreds, perhaps thousands, of inscriptions and coins have been read and interpreted by the art of the antiquarian ; record-rooms have been ransacked, both in Calcutta and elsewhere ; and as the result of all these researches, a flood of light has been thrown on many periods of Bengal history that twenty years ago seemed to be wrapped for ever in impenetrable mystery. In support of this statement, I need only refer to the published works of Professor Lassen, Bdbu Rajen- dralala Mitra, and Mr. E. V. Westmacott, on the Hindu Period in Bengal ; to those of Sir Henry Elliott, Professor Blochmann, Mr. E. Thomas, and Professor Dowson, on the Muhammadan Period ; and to those of Dr. Hunter, Mr. Toynbee, the late B4bu Kissory Chand Mitra, and Mr. Westmacott, on the recent period of British rule in this province. All these works I have most carefully studied; and have made them, with Stevvart's History of Bengal for the Muhammadan period, the basis of the little book which I now offer to the public. The chapter on the Geography is founded mainly on recent Administration Eeports^ supplemented by Professor Blochmann's admirable paper on the Geography and History of Bengal^ lately pub- lished in the Asiatic Society's Journal, VI . PREFACE. i have prepared this little book especially for the use of the younger boys iu our English-teaching schools ; and have been most careful to use only the simplest and easiest language throughout. I have also endeavoured to make the account as pleasing as possible to youthful minds, by omitting all dry and uninteresting details, and by inserting a good many illustrative anecdotes and stories derived chiefly from Firishtah. I venture to think that stories like that of Sultan Ghiyds-ud-din and the Kdzi at p. 27, whilst they help to sustain the attention of young boys, are also often useful in other ways — sometimes by enabling the learner better to realise the scenes described in the histori- cal account, sometimes by conveying valuable moral lessons. E. L. Krishnagar College, \ July 1, 1874. J HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY OF BENGAL. CHAPTER I. THE GEOGRAPHY OF BENGAL. Note. — This Chapter should be studied before a Map of the Lower Provinces. § 1. Extent and Divisions. § 2. Bengal Proper. § 3. Biliir. § 4. Orissa. § 5. Chutia Nagpur. § 6. Assam. § 7. The River Sj^stem, § 8. Mountains and Hills. § 9. Plains. § 10. Lakes. § 11. Climate. § 12. Products, § 13. Manufactures. § 14. Kaces and Religions, § 1. Extent and Divisions. — The English name Bengal was at one time given to nearly the whole of Northern India, which was called The Presidency of Fort William in Bengal; but it is now generally used to denote the country under the government of the Lieutenant-Governor of Bengal, which is sometimes called The Lower Provinces of Bengal. In the beginning of the year 1874, the great Province of Assam (which had formerly been included in the Lower Provinces) was separated from the rest of Bengal, and placed under the rule of the Chief Commissioner of Assam ; but as this change is a very recent one, we shall speak of Assam as if it still formed a part of Bengal. Bengal, then, comprises Bengal Proper, Bihar, Orissa, and Chutia Nagpur, with some dependencies, governed by a Lieutenant-Governor; and Assam, with its dependencies, governed by a Chief Commissioner. These provinces lie between 19° 18' and 28<* 15' north latitude, and between 82« and 97° east longitude ; they contain about 250,000 square miles, and about sixty-seven millions of inhabitants. 2 THE CEOOtlA'PHv^ OF BENGAL. [cHAP. I. § 2. '^Bcn^nt 'Pr6p(*r/^-Beng'J' Praper is a great plain lying between the Himalaya Mountains (the highest mountains in the world) and that part of the sea which is called the Bay of Bengal. It is intersected by a large number of rivers, branches either of tlie Ganges or the Brahmaputra ; and its soil is for the most part the mud that has been brought down and deposited by these rivers. The language generally spoken is Bengali ; and the name of the country in that language is Bangala or Banga-des, the country of Banga. It contains more than 94,000 square miles, and nearly 37,000,000 people. It is divided into ^ six provinces or *' Divisions," each under the rule of a Commis- sioner. There are three divisions in the middle, two on the east, and one on the west. Of the three divisions in the middle, the southern one, next to the Bay of Bengal, is called the Presidency Division ; because it contains Calcutta, which is called a " Presidency," because it was formerly the seat of government of an English President. At the junction of the Bhagirathi and the Jalangi rivers (both of which belong to the Ganges) is sitmited Nuddea, Nadiyd^ or Nava- ^ dwipa, formerly the Hindu capital of Bengal. It is in the zila of Nuddea or Krishnagar, which is a part of the Presidency Division; and in the same zila, higher up on the Bhagirathi river is Plassey (Palasi), the scene of the great battle in 1757 by which the English became masters of Bengal. The part of the Presi- dency Division, which is close to the sea, is a wild region of jungle and swamps, now called the Sundarhan, and formerly called Bhdti, North of the Presidency Division, is the Rajshahi Division ; formerly called Varendra^ and situated in the very midst of Bengal. In this division is Mursliidabad, once the capital of the Muhammadan Nawabs of Bengal; and also, in the zila now called Maldah, are the ruins of Gaur or Lakhnauti, once the Hindu capital of Bengal. North of the Rajshahi Division, and stretching into the Himalaya Mountains, is the Division of Koch Bihar, in which is situated Darjiling, a place possessing a very cool climate because it is high up on a mountain. The two Divisions on the eastern side of Bengal are called Dacca ( Dhaka )^ and Chittagong (Chdtgdon). In the Dacca CHAP. I.] THE GEOGRAPHY OF BENGAL. 3 Division, near Narayanganj, are the ruins of Sunarganw, formerly the capital of Eastern Bengal. The town of Dacca was called by the Muhammadans Jahangirnagar; and the town of Chitta- gong was called by them Islamabad. The western Division of Bengal is called Bardwan, from the name of its chief town, which also gives name to an important zila. This province was called Kara by the Hindus in very ancient times ; and lies to the west of the Bhagirathi or Hugli river. One of the five zilas of this Division is called Hugli ; and in it, near the present town of Hugli, are the ruins of Satganw, formerly the capital of Western Bengal. § 3. Bihar. — Bihar contains more than 42,000 square miles, and nearly 20,000,000 inhabitants. It is the plain on both sides of the Ganges, lying further up the river than Bengal, and between Bengal and the North- West Provinces. It consists of two great provinces or divisions; Bhagalpur or Eastern Bihar, and Patna or Western Bihar. The languages chiefly spoken are Hindi and Hindustani. Bihar was once the chief seat of the Buddhist religion ; and it got its name (Sanskrit Vihdra, a* monastery) from the number of Buddhist monasteries which were formerly there. One of the districts contained in the Division of Bhagalpur or Eastern Bihar, is called " the Santal Parganas," because it con- tains a large number of Santals, an aboriginal tribe ; and the people of another aboriginal tribe, called Paharias, inhabit the Rajmahall Hills in the same district. Rdjmahall is a town which was of considerable importance during the rule of the Mughuls in Bengal \_see Chap. V., § 4, and Chap. VI. § 4] ; it was built by Raja Man Singh, and was afterwards called Akbarnagar, in honour of the great emperor Akbar. At this place the last king of Bengal was defeated and killed by Akbar's army in 1576. North-west of Rajmahall, at the point where the Raj- mahall Hills abut on the river Ganges, was the fortress of Telidgarhi, which used to be looked upon as the "Key" of Bengal [see Chap. V., § 4 ; Chap. VL, § 10]. The most important zilas of Patna or Western Bihar, are Patna, Tirhut, and Shahabad. Patna was once called Pataliputra 4 THE GEOGRAPHY OF BENGAL. [cHAP. I* (in Greek Palihothra\ and was the capital of the ancient empire of Magadhd. In Shahabad is situated Baxar (Baksai^), where the English under Sir Hector Munro defeated Mir Kasim and the Vazir of Oudh in 1764 ; and in the same district are three other places of liistorical importance, of which we shall hear hereafter — Chausd^ Sahsardin^ and Rahtds. The country of Tirhut was formerly called Kosala ; it is now one of the most populous districts in the world. § 4. Orma.-— Orissa contains nearly 24,000 square miles, and about four-and-a-half millions of inhabitants. It consists of a long flat strip of low-lying muddy land, the valleys of the river Mahanadi and of several smaller rivers between the Mahanadi and the Ganges ; together with a wild hilly region in the interior of the country. It lies south-west of Bengal, between the mountains on the west and the Bay of Bengal on the east. The language spoken most generally is Uriya; but in the hilly country there are many aboriginal tribes (such as the Khands and others) who speak different dialects. Under the Hindu rule, Orissa was called Odra or Utkala. Southern Orissa is called the zila or district of Piiri, famous for the temples of Jagannath, which are visited by thousands of pilgrims at the festival called Rath Jdtrd. Central Orissa is called Cuttack (Katak) ; it contains the towns of Katak Bandras (on the right bank of the Mahanadi), and Jajpur — which have been at various times the capitals of Orissa. The district of Balasor, or north-east Orissa, is watered by the Subarnarekha and the Baitarani, two rivers which rise in Chutia Nagpur and flow southward through Orissa into the Bay of Bengal. § 5. Chutia JSdgpur. — Chutia Nagpur or Hazaribagh, formerly called Jhdrkha?id, is a mountainous district lying west of Bengal Proper and Bihar, north of Orissa, and east of the Central Pro- vinces. It is called Chutia ISTagpur, from Chutia, a town near Ranchi. Many of its inhabitants belong to aboriginal tribes : — such as the Kols, divided into Oraons and Mundds ; the Santdls; and others. Of the many rivers that rise in Chutia Nagpur, some flow northward and eastward to join the Ganges; others flow southward through Orissa into the Bay of Bengal ; and others OHAP. I.] THE GEOGRAPHY OF BENGAL, 5 How, also southward, to join the Mahanadi. The total area of the province is nearly 44,000 square miles ; and its population nearly four millions. Attached to it are many petty States whose chiefs pay a tribute to the British Government, and refer the judicial decision of very serious cases to the Commissioner, but who in other matters administer the government themselves. These petty States are called Tinhiitary Mahalls ; and there are also many such petty States attached to the province of Orissa. § 6. Assam. — Assam consists of the long valley of the Brahma- putra, with many adjacent hill-tracts. It contains an area of more than 43,000 square miles ; and a population of two millions and .a quarter. Western Assam, including the adjacent parts of north- east Bengal, was formerly called Kcimrup. The language gener- ally spoken is Assamese, very much like the Bengali ; but there are many hill-tribes who speak quite different languages. The northern banks of the Brahmaputra are called Uttarkol ; and the southern banks, Dakhinkol. The name Assam is derived from the Ahoms^ an aboriginal tribe that ruled in Upper Assam for four and a half centuries. The Ahoms are still numerous in the province, and are now scarcely different from the ordinary Hindus in manners and religion, except that they have priests of their own, who are called Bilongs. § 7. The River System, — The river system of Bengal is of very great importance, because the rivers in this country generally serve for roads ; and most of the internal commerce is carried on by means of boats on the rivers which traverse all parts of the country. The chief rivers of the province are: — («). The Ganges, which enters Bengal from the North-Western Provinces near Ghazipur. Shortly afterwards it receives the waters of the Ghogra on its left or north side, then the Son on its south side, and then the Ghandak again on its north side at Plajipur, opposite Patna. These three tributaries are all large rivers ; and the Ganges throughout this part of its course has generally an easterly direction. Below Bhagalpur it is joined by another great tributary, the Kusi ; after which it turns southward around the corner of the llajmahall Hills, and continues in that 6 THE GEOGRAPHY OF BENGAL. [OHAP. I. direction until it divides into two great streams, — of which one, flowing to the south-east to Goalando, retains the name of Ganges; whilst the other, flowing to the south-west towards Hugli and Calcutta, is called at first the Bhdgirathi, and afterwards the Hugli, (Jb). The Brahmaputra is formed by the union of many large streams that rise on the northern and eastern slopes of the Himalayas ; it enters Assam at its north-east corner, and flows through the whole length of the Assam valley. It then skirts the Garo Hills, and flows due south to meet the main stream of the Ganges near Goalando. The united rivers flow by many mouths into the Bay of Bengal. [Note. — The countrj^ lying between the mouths of a river is called its Delia. The delta formed by the Ganges and the Brahmaputra is a very large one, and includes the whole of the Presidency Division, and parts of the Rajshahi and Dacca Divisions, of Bengal Proper.] (c). The Mahdnadi is the chief river of Orissa. It rises in the Central Provinces; and flows through Orissa into the Bay of Bengal in a generally south-easterly direction. Most of the low country of Orissa is comprised within the delta of this great river. It is about 520 miles in length, and is navigable for boats for 460 miles ; near Cuttack (Katak) it is about two miles in breadth. (c?). The other rivers of Bengal are of less importance. The Surma flows past Silhat, and is the high road to Kachar ; it joins the Brahmaputra, and the united rivers are then called the Megna. The two rivers of the Chittagong Division are, the Phani (or Fenny River), which separates Chittagong from Tiparah ; and the Karnphuli^ on which Chittagong itself is situated. The rivers of the Bardwan Division are, the Damuddr, which flows through Bardwan itself; the Rupndrdin, which flows through Bankura ; and the Kasai^ which flows through Midnapur. All these join the Hugli between Calcutta and Sagar Island, where it falls into the sea. Besides the Mahanadi, Orissa has two other rivers ; the Baitarani^ which flows into the Bay of Bengal near Feint Palmyras ; CHAP. I.] THE GEOGRAPHY OF BENGAL. 7 and the Subarnarekha, which passes by Jellasor. Both these rivers rise in Chutia Nagpiir, and flow through Orissa in a south-easterly direction. § 8. Mountains and Hills. — A small part of the great Himalaya Kange, the loftiest chain of mountains in the world, is situated within the territories of Lower Bengal. The elevation of these mountains varies greatly — from Darjiling in the south, 7,000 feet above the level of the sea, to Kachinjanga on the north-west, 28,000 feet. The highest peak of the Himalaya Mountains is in Nepal,— z;/2r., Mount Everest, 29,000 feet. The Rajinahall Hills are in Eastern Bihar, and are an eastern projection of the mountainous country of Central India. The whole of Chutia Nagpur is hilly, and much of it is a very high table-land. Between this plateau and the Rajmahall Hills are numerous detached mountains rising almost abruptly from the plains ; of these the highest is Parisndth^ above 4,500 feet, the sacred hill of the Jains. The interior of Orissa is hilly, and covered with rocks and jungle. The highest groups are the mountains of Keonjhar and Talchir. In Eastern Bengal and Assam there are numerous ranges of hills, stretching under various names fiom the north-east corner of Assam to the south of the Chittagong Division. Those north of the Brahmaputra are called from the tribes inhabiting them, the Alid^ Duphla, Miri and Mishmi Hills ; and are merely outer ranges of the great Himalaya Mountains. Of those south of the Brahmaputra, farthest to the north-east are the Abor and Sing- phii Hills ; then the Naga Hills to the south of the Assam valley, which are connected by the Manipur, Kachar, and Tiparah Hills, with the Chittagong Hill Tracts; whilst the range of the Garo and Khasia and Jaintia Hills runs parallel to the Himalayas as far as the bend of the Brahmaputra. § 9. Plains. — The greater part of Bengal and Bihar is an uninterrupted flat, subject to inundation, rich in black mould, and highly productive ; some portions are more fertile than others, the Dacca Division being so fertile as to be called the granary of Bengal. In the eastern portion of this plain the soil 8 THE GEOGRAPHY OF BENGAL. [cHAP. I. is muddy, and the climate humid ; in the western part, the soil more resembles that of the Chutia Nagpur plateau, containing granite and sometimes coal, and the climate is somewhat drier. The Assam Valley is almost a perfect flat, with clumps of little conical hills scattered over the plain and rising abruptly to the height of 200 to 700 feet. A large number of rivers flow through this plain to join the Brahmaputra, the soil is particularly rich in minerals, and the climate is very favourable to the growth of the tea-plant. § 10. Lahea. — There is a large salt lake close to the coast on the southern border of Orissa, called the Chilka Lake, into which some branches of the Mahanadi flow. Besides this, there are numerous shallow lakes called jhils in various parts of Bengal, of which the water is generally brackish. § 11. Climate. — The climate of the greater part of Bengal is generally hot and moist ; in the hills, and especially in the highlands of Kachar and Assam, an enormous quantity of rain falls every year. During the rainy season, the climate of Ilazai'ibagh is much cooler than that of the rest of Bengal ; in the Himalaya Mountains (at Darjiling for instance) the climate is cool throughout the year. From about February to November the summer monsoon prevails, — i.e.^ the wind generally blows from the sea over the land, from south or south-west to north. During the rest of the year the winter monsoon blows, from the north and north- west toward the Bay of Bengal. Terrific storms, called cyclones^ (because the wind whirls about in a circle as the storm sweeps over the country), sometimes occur during the summer monsoon ; and especially at the beginning and at the end, about the change of the monsoons. Other storms of considerable violence, though not so destructive as cyclones, frequently occur in the hot-weather; these generally blow from the north-west, and are called in English •* north-westers." § 12. Products. — The principal food-grain of Bengal Proper is rice, which is most largely produced in Eastern and Central Bengal, and in Orissa. There are two chief crops of rice,— CHAP. I.] * THE GEOGRAPHY OF BENGAL. & the aus, harvested in July and September; and the dman or winter-crop, harvested in December and January. In Bihar also, rice is the most important food-grain ; but a great deal of •wheat, maize, barley, peas, and other grains are also grown and eaten. Millets of various kinds, maricd, and maize, are the staple food of the lowest classes in Chutia Nagpur. The chief commercial productions of Bengal are jute CP^O ■> grown largely in Eastern Bengal, chiefly for exportation ; and cocoa-nuts, betel-nuts, plantains and other fruits and vegetables, bamboos, and thatch-grass, chiefly for sale in the province, Gaiijah or hemp, mushina or flax, oil-seeds, sugar-cane, and date- sugar, are largely produced in most parts of the country. Tea is largely cultivated in Assam (where also some cotton is pro- duced), in Kachar and Sikkim, and to some extent in Chittagong ; whilst silk and lac are exported from the central districts and from Chutia Nagpur. Indigo is largely grown in Bihar, north of the Ganges. Opium is only allowed to be grown for the Government, chiefly in Bihar. § 13. Manufactures. — Indigo is largely manufactured in the Presidency, Rajshahi, Bardwan and Dacca Divisions, and in East and West Bihar ; opium in West Bihar ; silk in Rajshahi and Bardwan; sugar in the Presidency Division ; salt in Orissa. § 14. Races and Religions. — The races of Bengal are more varied than those of any other part of India. The bulk of the population consists of Aryan Hindus, with a large admixture of aboriginal tribes in the lower castes ; the Kayasthas are the most numerous and important caste, and inferior in rank only to Brahmans. The Muhammadans are most numerous in South. Eastern Bengal ; many of them are descendants of the old Afghan conquerors of Bengal, [see Chap. II.], and a few are Mughuls ; but large numbers are converts from low Hindti, abori- ginal, and Arakanese tribes. The aboriginal tribes, besides forming a considerable portion of the lowest classes on the plains, are chiefly found in the hill- districts of Assam, Eastern Bengal, Chutia Nagpur, Orissa, and Eastern Bihar. The chief divisions of these tribes are the 10 THE HINDU RULE IN BENGAL. ' [cHAP. II. Lohitic, the Kolarian^ and the Dravldiau races. To the Lohitic race belong most of the tribes of Assam and Sikkim, as the Mishmis, Duphlas, Garos, Nagas, Kacharis, Jaintias, Liishais, Kiikis, and Lepchas. To the Kolarian race belong the Kols, Santals, and others. To the Dravidian race belono the Khands in Orissa, and the Rajmahall Paharias. Altogether there are, in the Lower Provinces, about 31 J millions of Hindus, 21 millions of Muharamadans, and 14 millions of aborifrines. CHAPTER II. THE HINDU RULE IN BENGAL. § 1. The Aryan Invasion. §2. Legendary character of the ear h' his- tory. § 3. The Lords Paramount of India. § 4. Buddhism and Brah- manism. § 5. The earliest Dynasties in Bengal. § 6. The Pal Dynasty. § 7. The Sena Dynasty and King Adisiira. § 8. King Ballala Sena. § 9. The last Hindu Kings of Bengal. § 10. The remains of the Plindii Power in Bengal." § 11. The Early History of Assam. § 12. The Early History of Orissa. § 1. llie Aryan Invasion. — Many hundreds of years ago, it is believed that all Bengal was occupied by the aboriginal tribes mentioned in the last paragraph, the Kols, Santals, and others. At last the Brahmanical Hindus, who had conquered the Panjab and the rest of Upper India, penetrated into Bengal ; they subdued the earlier possessors, and drove them away to the hills and jungles, or reduced them to slavery. Now these Hindus, whom I have called Brahmanical because their priests were called Brahmans, were a branch of a mighty nation called the Aryans, who had formerly lived in Central Asia, before they came to India. This branch of the Aryan race was the ancestor of the modern Hindus of the higher classes ; and other branches of the same race migrated westward from Central Asia into Europe, and became the ancestors of the English, the French, the Germans, and most of the other peoples of Europe. CHAP. II.] THE HINDU RULE IN BENGAL. 11 When this Aryan invasion took place is not known exactly ; but after this, and for many hundreds of years— indeed until the Muhammadan conquest in A.D. 1203— Bengal was ruled by Aryan Hindu princes. § 2. Legendary character of the early history. — There has been no trustworthy account preserved by the Hindus of those ancient times when Bengal was ruled by native Hindus ; the stories that are contained in the Puranas, or that have been handed down by tradition, are generally of a poetical or legendary character. But some knowledge of the true history has been obtained from inscriptions that have been found in various parts of the country, cut on stone or metal in those ancient tiroes, and legible even at the present day. Moreover the Muhammadans, who were very fond of writing history, shortly after their con- quest of Bengal, wrote down all that was then remembered about the ancient history ; and in these and other ways we have now got to know something about those obscure ages. § 3. The Lords Paramount of India. — In the early times before the Muhammadan conquest, India was divided into a very large number of Hindu kingdoms and principalities, some large and powerful, others small and weak. These were generally inde- pendent ; but sometimes one of the kings or princes conquered all or most of the rest, and then he assumed the title of Maharaja Adhirdj, or Lord Paramount of India. It is thought by some that at least one of the early kings of Bengal, a powerful prince named Deva Pal, obtained the title of Maharaja Adhiraj ; and at other times it is probable that the kings of Bengal were occasionally subordinate to other princes who held the title. Thus, about 2,200 years ago, and for many centuries after that time, Bengal and Orissa were subordinate parts of a great empire whose capital was in Bihar. This was the empire of Magadha ; and its capital was called Pataliputra (or Palibothra by the Greeks), the modern Patna. § 4. Buddhism and Brdhmanism. — The Emperors of Magadha, with most of their subjects, had ceased to profess the religion of the Brahmanical Hindus, and followed quite a different religion, called Buddhism. The j^reat kinji: Asoka was the fifst Buddhist 12 THE HINDU RULE IN BENGAL. [cHAP. II. Emperor of Magadha (B.C. 263—223) ; and edicts or laws, engraved on stones by the orders of Asoka, have been found in Orissa, as well as in many other distant parts of India. This new religion was the chief religion of India for at least a thousand years — after which the kings and their peoples gradually turned to a somewhat altered form of their original religion. This later form is generally called Brahmanism or Hinduism; and is essentially the same religion as that professed at the present day by most Hindus. § 5. Earliest Dynasties in Bengal. — It is probable that, of the earliest kings of Bengal, some were subject to the Mauryan Kings of IMagadha, of whom Asoka was the most famous ; others »at a later period were subject to the Andhra Kings, who had obtained power in Magadha ; others again still later were pro- bably subject to the kings of Kashmir, and after that to the kings of Kanauj. But of these early kings we know absolutely nothing further. § 6. The Pal Dynasty.— At length, about the year 7C0 A.D., B good and powerful king named Blm Pal came to the throne, who, though a Buddhist, was kind to people of the Hindu religion ; and he was the first of a powerful dynasty of about twelve kings who reigned in succession, all of whom were called Pal, and wet e Buddhists in religion. The third king of this line was called Deva Pal; I have already said of him that it is believed he conquered many neighbouring princes, and became Malidrdjd AdhirdJ \^see § 3]. And many years afterwards, about 913 A.D., one of his descendants named Malii Pdl greatly distinguished himself as a wise and good ruler ; he made large and splendid tanks, some of which (such as the Mahipaldighi in Dinajpur) still exist and bear his name. § 7. 7'he Sena Dynasty, and King Adisura. — The circum- stances under which the Pal dynasty ceased to reign in Bengal are unknown ; but it appears likely that they were displaced by a revolution in which the supporters of the Hindu or Brahmanical religion subverted Buddhism. At any rate, the Pals were suc- ceeded by a dynasty of kings called Sena, who were ardent supporters of Brahmanism. One of the most famous of these CHAP. II.] THE HINDU RULE IN BENGAL, 13 was called Adlsiira ; and he was probably the founder of the Sena family, and became king about A.D. 964. Now, during the centuries of Buddhist rule in Bengal, it is likely that many of the doctrines and rites of the Brahmanical religion had been forgotten. So king Adisifra determined to- fetch some Brahman sages from those parts of India where the Buddhist religion had never entirely overridden Hinduism. The only city in which the Brahmans had continuously retained their influence was Kanauj (Kanyakuhja) on the borders of Oudh, in the modern division of Agra. There the Brahmanical rites had never been forgotten ; so King Adisui-a sent to Kanauj, and brought thence five learned Brahmans — Bhattanarayana, Daksha, Sri Harsha, Chhandada, and Vedagarbha. These five sages came, each attended by a Kayastha; and these are said to be the ancestors of the five high classes of Brahmans and Kayasthas ia Bengal. § 8. King Balldla Sena. — The greatest of all the Sena kings,, the descendants of Adisiira, was Ballala Sena. His father Vijaya Sena had been a great conqueror ; and had invaded Kamrup or West Assam, and Kalinga the country on the coast of the Bay of Bengal, south of Orissa. Ballala Sena came to the throne about the year 1066 A.D., exactly the time of the JsTorman Conquest in England, when a sou of the great Mahmiid of Ghazni was reigning in the Panjab. Ballala was a wise and powerful monarch, and a great patron of learning, being himself an author. He reigned thirty-five years ; and to his wisdom and valour are assigned a great number of exploits and reforms, some of which doubtless belong to him, whilst others are assigned to him only because. he was the most famous prince of the period. Amongst other fables that were invented to account for his greatness, it was said that his father was really not Vijaya Sena, but the god of the river Brahmaputra. His chief residence was Kampunt in the Dacca district ; but he subsequently built a capital near Gaur in the district of Maldah, and called it Lakh- nauti (contracted from Lakshmanavati) after his son Lakshmana. But the most famous act of king Ballala Sena was the classi- fication of the descendants of the Brahmans and Kayasthas 14 THE HINDU RULE IN BENGAL. [c'HAI^. II. who bad been brought from Kanauj by Adisura. Ballala finally settled their rank ; and this was the origin of Kulinism (kula). In Ballala's time, Bengal was divided into five provinces ; and the five orders of Brahmans and Kayasthas took their distinctive names from tliese provinces. They were (1) 7i?ar(f, the country west of the Hugli and south of the Ganges ; (2) JDdgii, the delta of the Ganges; (3) Banga^ the country to the east of, and beyond the delta ; (4) Varendt'ci, the country to the north of the Poddah (^Paclmd) and between the Karataya and Mahananda rivers ; and (5) 3Iithild, the country west of the Mahananda. These divisions correspond to some extent with the modern divisions [_see Chap. I.] ; Kara corresponding in part with the Bardwdn Division ; Bagri with the Presidency Division ; Banga with the Dacca and Chittagong Divisions ; Varendra with the Bajshahi Division ; and Mithila with Bihar. § 9. The last Hindu Kings of Bengal. — Lakshmana Sena succeeded his father Ballala about the year 1101. Some inscrip- tions that have been discovered state that he erected pillars of victory at Benares, Allahabad, and Jagannath (or Piiri in Orissa); but all tliat is known of him is that he greatly beautified the city .of Lakhnauti. Lakshmana Sena died in 1121 ; and was followed successively by his two sons Madhava Sena and Kesava Sena. The last Hindu King of Bengal is called by the Hindus, Su Sen or Sura Sen ; by the Muhammadan historians he is called Lakhmaniya ; and he reigned for eighty years, from A.D. 1123 to A.D. 1203. The Muhammadan historian says of him. " He was a liberal man, and never gave less than a lakh of cowries when he made a present; may God lessen his punishment in hell!" Lakhmaniya lived at Nadiya in great luxury ; and in his old age was not at all likely to be able to withstand the attacks of the Muhammadans, who had now conquered Dehli and most of the kings of Northern India. When news was brought that Bakhtyar Khilji and his Muhammadans had subdued Bihar and were approaching, the Brahmans and astrologers informed Lakh- maniya that a prophecy had declared that his kingdom was to be subverted at this very time by the Turks ; and they begged the C'HAr. II. J THE HINDU RULE IN BENGAL. 15 Raja to remove his people and wealth to the remote districts of the east, where they would be safe from attack. They added, in reply to the prince's questions, that the length of Bakhtyar Khilji's arms proved that he was the conqueror referred to in the prophecy. Lakhraaniya however refused to leave his comfortable palace at Nadiya ; so the nobles and principal inhabitants left him and fled, some to Banga, others to Orissa. Next year, the long- armed Muhammadan soldier surprised old Lakhmaniya in his palace; and the latter escaped with the greatest difiiculty, and fled with hardly any attendants to Jagaunath in Orissa. In this holy spot he shortly afterwards died. § 10. The remains of the Hindu Power in Bengal. — The regular line of the old Hindu kings of Bengal ended with Lakh- maniya ; but his relatives and their followers maintained the Hindu power in Eastern and Southern Bengal, and it was about a hundred years before Banga and the southern portions of Kara and Bagri were brought thoroughly under Muhammadan rule. § II. Early History of Assam. — The inhabitants of Assam were at all times objects of dread to the more civilised kingdoms in Bengal ; and though we often hear of invasions of Kamrup, and some of the south-western part of the country was ultimately conquered by the Mughuls in 1637 ( Silhat was annexed to Bengal in 1384), yet during the Hindii period and the early Muhammadan period Eastern Bengal was frequently overrun by Assamese. In early times the Chutiyd tribe was the ruling power, both in Upper and Lower Assam ; and many descendants of this tribe are still to be found there. But about the time of the Muham- madan conquest of Bengal, the Chutiyas were conquered by the Koch in Lower Assam and by the Ahoms in Upper Assam ; and the Ahoms ultimately became the masters of the whole country. § 12. Early History of Orissa. — Orissa was one of those countries in which Buddhism was adopted at a very early period, very shortly after the death of its founder. In the third century before Christ, Orissa formed a part of the empire of the great Buddhist king of Magadha or Bihar, Asoka ; and many memo- 16 THE HINDU RULE IN BENGAL. [cHAP. II, rials of the Buddhist ride, in the form of carvings and inscriptions, are still to be found in the country. Buddhism was predominant in Orissa until the expidsion of the Yacana dynasty in 473 A.D. ; and it seems probable tliat most of the Yavana kin^rs, who are ^jenerally represented as successful invaders from Bihar or from the sea, were Buddhists. During the period of Yavana or foreign rule, the island of Java was colonised by settlers from the shores of Orissa. In 473 A.D., the Yavanas were finally expelled by a chief who professed the Brahmanical religion, named Yaydti Kesari ; and from this time Buddhism declined in Orissa, and the religion of the country became Hindu, at first Sivaism. Bhuvaneswar became the temple-city of Siva, as it had formerly been a home of Buddhism, and as Piiri afterwards became a sanctuary of Vishnu. Jiijpur also was the head-quarters of the Sivalte priest- hood ; and it was the capital of the country in the sixth century. For forty-three generations the Kesari dynasty ruled in Orissa; and the Lion-race (as it was called) was not expelled until 1132 A.D. A warlike prince of this dynasty, named Makar Kesari, in the tenth century, built Cuttack (Katak).; and this city has ever since been the capital of the country. About the beginning of the 12th century, an invader named Chor-ganga got the better of the last king of the Kesai-i dynasty ; and when the latter died without children, Chor-ganga succeeded him. The dynasty thus founded in 1132 A.D. lasted until only a few years before the Muhammadan conquest in 1567; it was called the Ganga Vansa, or Gangetic Race. The religion of the country now became Vishnuvite ; some legends say that a period of Sun-worship intervened between the decline of Siva-worship and the establishment of Vaishnavism, and that a line of kings, called the Sun Dynasty, ruled from Q56 A.D. to 1324 A.D. The great temple of Jagannath was built by the fourth monarch of the Ganga Vansa, in 1175 — 1198; and we have seen that, very shortly afterwards, in 1203 A.D., Lakhmaniya the last Hindu king of Bengal fled to this sanctuary and died in its sacred shade. CHAP. III.] THE MUHAMMADAN RULE IN BENGAL. 17 Raja Pratap Chandra Deo was the last of the Ganga Vansa princes. His reign, from A.D. 1504—1532, is famous as the period when the great reformer, Chaitanya of Nadiya, preached purity of religion throughout Orissa — converting even the king himself. CHAPTER III. THE MUHAMMADAN RULE IN BENGAL. PART I. — THE GOVERNORS OF LAKHNAUTI UNDER THE PATHAN "< EMPERORS OF DELHI. From A.D. 1203 to A.D. 1338. § 1. Divisions of the Muhammadan Period of Bengal Histor3% § 2. The Muhammadan Conquest of Dehli. § 3. Bakhtyar Khilji, and the Muhammadan Conquest of Bengal. § 4. Bakhtyar Khilji, the first Muhammadan king of Bengal. § 5. The Khiljj successors of Bakhtyar. § 6. Tuglian Khan and Tughral Khan. § 7. Sultan Mughls-ud-din Tughral. § 8. Bnghra Klian, and the Balbani dynast}^. § 9. The Balbani dynasty continued ; Bahadur Shah. § 10. The Gover- tiors of Bengal under Muhammad bin Tughlaq. § 1. Divisions of the Muhammadan Period of Bengal His* iory. — The history of Bengal under Muhammadan rule may be conveniently divided into five periods : — 1. The reigns of the Governors of Lakhnauti appointed by the Pathan Emperors of Dehli ; from the conquest of Bengal by Muhammad Bakhtyar Khilji in A.D. 1203, to the establish- ment of the independence of Bengal in A.D. 1338. 2. The reigns of the independent kings of Bengal ; from A.D. 1338 to A.D. 1538. 3. The reigns of Sher Shah and his Afghan successors ; from A.D. 1538 to A.D. 1576. 4. The rule af the Siibahdars of the Mughul Emperors of Dehli ; from A. D. 1576 to A.D. 1740. 18 THE MUHAMMADAN RULE IN BENGAL. [CHAP. IIF. o. The rule of the Nawabs of Bengal, nominally subject to the Empire of Dehli, but really independent; from A.D. 1740 to the battle of Plassey in A.D. 1757. The present chapter treats of the first period. § 2. The Muhammadan Conquest of Dehli.-^The Afghans and Turks of Afghanistan, and the countries adjacent to it in Central Asia, had been converted to the Muhammadan religion at a very early period ; and had frequently invaded the north- west of India, partly with the view of conquering it, and partly with the hope of extending the Muhammadan religion. The great Sultan of Ghazni, called Mahmud, in the eleventh century, was the leader of some of the most successful of these invasions ; but none of them ever reached as far eastward as Bengal. At last, a great Muhammadan leader, called Shahab-ud-din or Muhammad Ghori (he was named Ghori because he was the Chief of Ghor, a small State in Afghanistan), conquered the Hindii king of Dehli and all his allies in the battle of Thaneswar, A.D. 1193; and Muhammad Ghori became the first Muham- madan Sultan of Dehli. § 3. Bakhtt/dr Khilji and the Muhammadan Conqvest of Bengal. — Muhammad Ghori did not himself attempt to complete the conquest of Northern India; but he lived chiefly in his native country, Afghanistan, and left the care of the wars in India to his chief commanders. One of these, named Kutb-ud-din, com- pleted the conquest of the North-West Provinces, Oudh, and part of Raj pu tan a; and ultimately succeeded Muhammad Ghori as Sultan of Dehli. Whilst Muhammad Ghori was living in Afghanistan, and Kutb- ud-din was his viceroy or lieutenant in Dehli, a young Afghan leader, named Muhammad Bakhtyar, of the Khilji tribe, greatly distinguished himself with the Muhammadan army then in Oudh. Getting together a few followers, he used to make plundering incursions into Bihar, which was still under the Hindu princes of Magadha ; who then lived in the town of Bihar, but were not brave and powerful as Asoka and the ancient kings of Magadha had been. Bakhtyar Khilji acquired great wealth in these plundering expeditions, and expended it in paying more followers ; CHAP. III.] THE MUHAxMMADAN KULE IN BENGAL. 19 and at last he succeeded in taking the town and fort of Bihar itself, which was at that time famous as a great seat of Hindii learning. The booty found here was very rich, and he gave it all to Kutb-ud-din, the viceroy of Dehli; and obtained in consequence so many honours from Kutb that all the courtiers were jealous of him. An interesting story is told about the jealousy of these courtiers. They treacherously proposed that Bakhtyar should exhibit his valour and skill before the viceroy, by encountering single-handed one of those terrible elephants that were kept in those days for the purpose of making sport by fighting with tigers or with other elephants. To their astonishment, Bakhtyar quietly girded up his loins and advancing to meet the enfuriated elephant, struck it such a blow on the trunk with his battle-axe that it ran away, pursued by the triumphant hero. After this exploit, Bakhtyar rose higher than ever in public estimation and in the favour of the viceroy ; and he was allowed to return to Bihar with a strong army, and with permission to conquer all the surrounding Hindu territories. After he had con- soHdated his possession of Bihar, he determined to attempt the conquest of Bengal ; and he was encouraged to do this, by the accounts of the weakness and old age of Lakhmaniya ^see Chap. II., § 9]. He marched from Bihar towards Nadiyd very rapidly and very secretly, so that no one was aware of his approach ; and hiding his army in the jungle near Nadiya, he advanced to the city with only seventeen followers. Pre- tending that he was only an ambassador from another Kaja, he was allowed to enter and approach the palace ; when he and his followers suddenly drew their swords, and commenced to slaughter the attendants of Lakhmaniya. The Kaja fled ; and the rest of the Muhammadan army coming up, Bakhtyar Khiiji easily became master of the city. By this campaign he obtained possession of the whole of Bengal except the eastern and southern districts (i.e., except Banga and the southern portions of Kara and Bagri ; see Chap. II., § 10), A.D. 1203. § 4. Bakhtydr Khiiji^ the first MMliammadan King of Bevgal. — The dominions of Bakhtyar Khiiji were divided into two pro- 20 THE MUHAMMADAX RULE IX BENGAL. [cHAP. III^ vinces. Lakbnaiiti (wbere be fixed tbe royal residence, for be destroyed tbe Hindd city of Nadiya) was tbe capital of tbe ■western province, wbicb consisted of parts of Rara or Bard wan, and Mitbila or Bibar. Deokot, near tbe modern Dinajpur, was the capital of tbe eastern province, wbicb consisted of Varendra or Rajsbabi, and a part of Bagri or Presidency. During tbe early part of bis reign be devoted bimself to tbe settlement' of tbis province ; and be founded Rnngpur as a fortress to defend tbe country against tlie Hindus of tbe nortb. He appears also to have received as allies or as tributaries tbe Hind6 llajas of Lakbmaniya s family wbo retained possession of Banga and tbe eastern districts. At lengtb, relying on tbe assistance of these friendly Hindus, and especially on tbe aid of a Kaja of tbe Koch tribe (living either in Koch Bihar or in Lower Assam) wbo bad become a Musalman, be determined to invade the Himalayan territories of Assam and Thibet. He crossed the Jh'abmaputra, but met with Diany disasters ; and being forced to retreat, be was attacked by tbe Raja of Kamrup as be was recrossing tbe river,, and was com- pelled to fly with only a few attendants, bis whole army being cut off. He only survived tbis disgrace a short time ; and one report states that be was murdered by one of bis ambitious officers, wbo after a short interval succeeded to the throne of Bengal. § 5. The Khilji Successors of Bakhtijdr. — After tbe death of Muhammad Bakbtyar Khilji, much anarchy prevailed for several years ; and tbe most powerful officers of bis army, who belonged to tbe Khilji tribe, became successively Governors of Lakbnauti. Tbe last and most powerful of these was Sultan Ghiyds-ud-din Khilji. He built a famous road through bis dominions from Lakhnur in Birbbum to Lakbnauti, and thence to Deokot in Dinajpur ; be also greatly improved tbe city of Lakbnauti, and decorated it with splendid buildings. He was a wise ruler both in peace and war; for be distributed justice with impar- tiality alike to Mubainmadans and Hindus, and be compelled the Rajas of Kamrup (Assam) and Jajpur (Orissa) to pay him tribute. Tbe great Altamsb, wbo at tbis time was Emperor of CHAP. III.] THE MUHAMMADAN RULE IN BENGAL. 2i> horse into the stream; and Malik, plunging into the water, dragged him to the shore, and cut off his head. The Emperor Balban subsequently tarnished the glory of this valorous exploit of his followers, by cruelly slaughtering a large number of the adherents of Tughral in cold blood, with their wives and children, A.D. 1282. § 8. Bughrd Khdn, and the Balbani Dynasty, — Balban now appointed his second son Bughra Khan Governor of Bengal with the title of Defender of the Faith (Nasir-ud-din). By the death of his elder brother, Bughra Kban became heir to the empire, and was begged by Balban to come back to Dehli ; but he preferred his quiet and secure rule in Bengal, and ultimately his eldest son Kaikubad became emperor, whilst Bughra himself remained at Lakhnauti as king of Bengal. A wicked and ambitious Vazir or minister of the emperor Kaiku- bad, named Nizam-ud-din, endeavoured to sow discord between the father and son, because Bughra Khan had warned his son against the machinations of the wicked Yazir, and had remon- strated with Kaikubad about his licentious habits. The result was that the father and son met, each at the head of an army, in the plains of Bihar. For two days the armies remained encamped near each other ; on the third day, the old king of Bengal wrote a letter to his son with his own hand, begging for an interview. At first the wicked Vazir succeeded in preventing this interview ; and even when it was arranged, he persuaded the weak young Kaikubad that it was necessary for his dignity as emperor of Hindustan, that his father the king of Bengal should first prostrate himself three times before him. At length the time for the meeting arrived. The son proceeded first to the Darbar tents with great pomp ; then the aged father approached slowly, and as soon as he came in sight of the throne, made his first prostra- tion : as he came nearer, he made the second prostration ; and when he arrived at the foot of the throne, was about to make the thirds when the prince, deeply afiected at the humiliation of his father, and stung with remorse at his own undutiful conduct, rushed into the old man's arms ; and after tenderly embracing him and imploring his foriifiveness, forced him to sit on the throne 24 THE MUHAMMADAN RULE IN BENGAL. [cHAP. Hi* whilst he himself took a respectful place below. The designs of the wicked Vazir were thus frustrated, and he shortly afterwards died by poison. Biighra Khan after this reigned peaceably in Bengal until his death, A.D. 1292; but his unfortunate son Kaikubad was deposed and assassinated in 1290, by Jalal-ud-din, the first emperor of the Khiiji dynasty. For the thirty years during which this dynasty was ruling in Dehli, the Balbani dynasty (as Bughra Khan, son of Balban, and his descendants were called) reigned in Bengal with little or no interference on the part of the Emperors of Hindustan. § 9. The Balbani Dynastij continued; Bahddur Shdh. — The two younger sons of Bughra Khdn, named Kai Kaus and Firiiz Shah, reigned successively; and the two sons of the latter, Shahab-ud-din and Bahadur Shah (who were consequently grand- sons of Bughra Khan), appear to have divided Bengal between them, Shahab-ud-din being king of Lakhnauti, and Bahadur Shah king of Sunarganw. After a time Bahadur Shah expelled his elder brother from Lakhnauti ; and Shahab-ud-din sought the aid of Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq, the first of the Tughlaq Emperors, who in the meantime had driven out the Khiiji dynasty from the imperial throne of Dehli. The Emperor Ghiyas-ud-din marched into Bengal, reinstated Shahab-ud-din as king, and carried ofl Bahadur Shah as a captive to Dehli. But immediately after the accession of the second Emperor of the Tughlaq dynasty, Muhammad bin Tughlaq, to the throne of Dehli in 1325, he reinstated Bahadur Shah as king of Bengal. Bahadur, however, who was of a turbulent disposition, did not long remain submissive to the Dehli Emperor. He began to issue coin in his own name, and to use the white umbrella which was the sign of independent sovereignty ; so in the year 1333, Muhammad bin Tughlaq marched into Bengal and defeated and slew Bahadur Shah, whose skin stuffed with straw was sent to all the provinces of India as a warning to refractory Governors. § 10. The Governors of Bengal under Muhammad bin Tughlaq. — Bahadur Shah was the last of the Balbani dynasty ; and the Emperor now appointed his own officers as Governors in OllAP. III.] THE MUHAMMADAN RULE IN BENGAL. 21 Debli, always spoke of Gliiyas-ud-din with the greatest respect, and said that he well deserved the title of Sultan and the epithet Supporter of the Faith. The latter, however, unfortunately for himself, asserted his independence of the Dehli monarch ; and having been reduced to submission and deprived of the Govern- ment of Bihar, again rebelled as soon as the troops of Altamsh had gone bacB: to Dehli. Altamsh now sent an army into Bengal under his second son Nasir-ud-din, who defeated and slew the rebel, and became Governor of the province for the Emperor his father, A.D. 1227. § 6. Tughdn Khdn and Tughral Khan. — Prince Nasir-ud-diu of Delhi reigned for some years in Bengal, and died at Lakhnauti during the lifetime of his father. He was nominally succeeded by an infant-brother, who received the same name, and afterwards became the Emperor Nasir-ud-din of Dehli. Three of Altamsh's generals were then Governors in succession; the third bein<^ lughdn Khdn^ who came to the throne in 1234, and reigned until 1245. The reign of Tughan Khan is chiefly famous for the great war with the llaja of Jajpur in Orissa. Tughan, having reduced tbe Raja of TIrhut to submission, was about to invade Orissa, when he was met on the frontiers by (he Kaja of Jajpur, and utterly routed. The Orissa army now invaded Bengal, took and plundered Nagor the capital of Birbhum, and laid siege to Lakhnauti. Tughan Khan in his distress applied to the Emperor of Dehli for assistance ; and the Governor of Oudh, Timur Khan, marched into Bengal to his aid. The approach of Timur Khan forced the Jajpur troops to retire to Orissa ; but Timur now deter- mined to have Bengal for himself, and Tughan Khdn after a severe battle was f(u*ced to resign the government to him. Tughan retired to Oudh, of which he was appointed Governor by the Emperor of Dehli. He had originally been a slave of the Emperor Altamsh ; as also were the three next Governors of Bengal. After two reigns of no importance, one of Tughan's successors, named Tughral lihdn, endeavoured to take vengeance on the king of Orissa for this invasion of Bengal. Tughral Khan, who 22 THE MUHAMMADAN RULE IN BENGAL. [cHAP. III. became Governor in A. D. 1253, niarclied into Orissa, and was at first successful ; but in the tbird battle he was totally defeated and driven back to Bengal with ignominy. Similar reverses of fortune attended his invasion of Kamrup ; for having at first defeated the Raja and plundered his capital, he was ultimately defeated, taken prisoner, and put to death, A.D. 1258. § 7. Sultan Mughis-ud-din Ttighral. — Three Governors of no great note intervened between the 'j'ughral Khan, just spoken of, and his more famous namesake Tughral, who usurped the imperial title as Sultan Mugliis-ud-diii 2\ghral. This active and daring officer obtained the government of Bengal by the favour of the Emperor Balban of Dehli ; but having obtained immense wealth, many elephants, and much glory from a successful invasion of Tiparah, and hearing that Balban had grown old and weak, he assumed all the insignia of royalty as an independent monarch, pretending that Balban was dead. The Emperor, enraged at this ingratitude, immediately ordered the Governor of Oudh to march into Bengal ; but Tughral utterly defeated this army, and also another stronger one that was subsequently sent against him. At last Balban, though now an old man, determined to march against the rebel in per- son ; and Tughral, on his approach, fled towards Tiparah. The Emperor pursued ; and after some time a detachment of his troops, that had been sent on ahead to get some news of the fugitive, obtained information of his whereabouts from some grain-merchants who had just supplied the rebel camp with food. It was a captain of the imperial army named Muham- mad Sher who discovered this ; and though he had only forty horsemen with him, he determined to attempt to seize Tughral. At headlong speed they rode into the rebel camp, shouting "Victory to the Great Sultan Balban." Tughral and his adherents fancied that the whole imperial army was upon them, and ran away in all directions. Tughral himself jumped on a horse without a saddle, and galloped towards the river ; but he was seen and pursued by Malik, the brother of the captain Muhammad. MaHk overtook him whilst his horse was swimming the river, and shot him with an arrow. Tughral fell from his CHAP. IV.] THE MUHAMMADAN RULE IN BENGAL. 25 Lakhnautf, Satganw, and SMnargniiw. These however did not remain long undisturbed ; and after much anarchy, the weakness of the Tughlaq Emperors led to the establishment of an independ- ent line of kings in Bengal. CHAPTER IV. THE MUHAMMADAN RULE IN BENGAL. PART II. THE INDEPENDENT KINGS OF BENGAL. § 1. Establishment of the Independence of Bengal. § 2. Ilyas Shah. § 3. Sikandar Shah. § 4. Sultan Ghiyas-ud-din. § 5. The Hindii dynasty of Raja Kans. § G. The Ilyas Shahi dynasty restored. § 7. The Habshi or Abyssinian Kings. § 8. The Husaini" dynasty ; Sultan Ala-ud-din Husain Shah. § 9. The Husaini dynasty continued. § 10. Eeview of the condition of the people during this period, § 1. Establishment of the independence of Bengal. — The most powerful of Muhammad bin Tughlaq's governors was Bahram Khanof Sunarganw; and when he died in 1338, his armour-bearer Fakr-ud-din Mubarak Shah proclaimed himself independent king of Bengal. Shortly afterwards Ala-ud-din Ali Shah set up as independent king of Western Bengal. A legend says of Ali Sluih that a fiimous Muhammadan saint had appeared to him before he became king, and promised him the kingdom of Bengal on condition that he built a vault for the saint at Panduah (some- times called Purruah) a place near Lakhnauti. Hence All Shah chose this place as his capital. Great anarchy prevailed ; Mubarak Shah was defeated and killed by Ali Shah ; and Ali Shah in his turn by Shams-ud-din Ilyas Shah, commonly called Haji Ilyas, whose mother had been Ali Shah's nurse. § 2. Ilyas Shdh. — Haji Ilyas became master of Firuzabad or Panduah in the year 1345 ; and in 1352 he established himself at Sunarganw also — thus uniting East and West Bengal, and founding a dynasty which lasted (with one short interruption) for nearly 150 years. This dynasty is sometimes called the Ilyas Sh^hi dynasty. 2(j THE MUHAMMADAN RULE IN BENGAL. [cHAP. IV, As soon as Ilyas Shah had secured his power in Bengal, he endeavoured to extend his dominions in the north-west, and marched as far as the Banaras district. To punish him for this encroachment, the emperor Firiiz Shah III., one of the weakest of the Tughlaq dynasty, raised a large army and marched with great pomp and magnificence into Bengal. Firiiz took the capital Panduah, at the same time making prisoner the son of llyka. The latter threw himself into the strong fortress of Ekdalah, where he was besieged by the Emperor. A story that is told about this siege, illustrates the boldness of Ilyas Shah, and the resolution and courage which doubtless enabled him to establish his dynasty in Bengal. A celebrated saint named Kaja Bhavani, much revered by Ilyas, happened to die near Ekdalah whilst Ilyas was shut up in the fortress. The latter was determined to attend the funeral ; and disguising himself as a fakir, left the fortress, attended the funeral, and afterwards rode into the camp of the Emperor. The latter of course did not know him ; so he was permitted to offer his respects as a fakir to Firuz, and then to depart unharmed. He returned safely to the besieged fortress ; and the Emperor, when he heard of the exploit, though he was much vexed at having lost such an opportunity of seizing the rebel, could not but admire his bravery. At last the emperor was obliged to give up the siege of Ekdalah and to acknowledge the independence of Bengal ; and as Haji Ilyas subsequently founded Hajipur opposite to Patna, he appears to have been confirmed in the possession of North Bihar as far as the Ghandak. This was A.D. 1353. Ilyas Shah died in 1358. § 3. Sikandar Shdh. — The Emperor Firiiz repeated his attempt to conquer Bengal as soon as he heard of the death of Ilyas ; but the eldest son of the latter, who had succeeded with the title of Sikandar Shdh^ successfully defended the fortress Ekdalah. Firiiz returned to Dehli, taking with him some elephants and other presents which Sikandar gave him, A.D. 1359 ; and meddled no more in the affairs of Bengal. Sikandar has always been famous as the builder of the grand Adinah Masjid, of which the ruins are still to be seen at Panduah near Maldah. He was at CHAP. IV.] THE MUHAMMADAN RULE IN BENGAL, 27 length killed in a battle with his favourite son Gbiy^s-ud-din, who had been driven into rebellion by the wickedness of a jealous step-mother. § 4. Sultdn Ghiyds-ud'dm. — The first act of the new Sultan was a xery cruel one, though it has often been considered by Indian monarchs merely as a necessary act of self-preservation. This was the blinding of all his half-brothers, the sons of the jealous step-mother who had caused the quarrel between him and his father. But after this one wicked act, Ghiyas-ud-din appears to have ruled with great justice and moderation ; and an interesting story is told of his respect for the laws. Once upon a time, a poor widow brought an action against the king himself because he had accidentally wounded her son with an arrow whilst he was practising archery. The Kazi was almost afraid to summon the king before his court ; but he thought it better to offend the king than to offend God, so at last he summoned him. The king came to the court, carrying a short sword under his garments. When at length tlie Kazi decided the case justly, and compelled the king to make full restitution, the king returned thanks to God that he had such an upright and fearless judge ; and, drawing his sword and showing it to the Kazi, he said — " With this sword I would have cut off your head if you had judged unjustly." The Kazi, taking up the scourge wherewith condemned criminals were whipt, answered — "I also, for my part, swear that if you had not immediately obeyed the law, this whip should have made deep cuts in your back ! " The king was much pleased, and handsomely rewarded the upright judge. Ghiyas-ud-din invited Hafiz, the famous poet of Shirdz in Persia, to come and live in Bengal; but Hafiz declined the invitation, as he feared to undertake such a long journey. Some accounts say that Ghiyas-ud-din was killed by a power- ful Hindu zamindar, the Raja of Bhatiiriah and Dinajpur, called Ganes (he was called Rdjd Kdns by the Muhammadans). How- ever this may be, it is certain that during the reigns of the son and grandson of Ghiyas-ud-din, Raja Ganes became very power- ful ; and at last succeeded in killiayazid, the son of Sulaiman, was soon set aside by the Afghan chiefs of Bengal, in favour of Daifd Khan. Daiid foolishly abandoned the conciliatory policy of Sulaiman towards the Em- peror Akbar ; and proclaimed his independence by ordering the Khutba* to be read, and coin to be struck, in his own name. The- prudence and good government of Sulaiman had accumulated an immense treasure; together with an army numbering 180,000 men, with 20,000 cannons and 3,600 elephants. Elated by the possession of these great resources, Daiid determined to encroach on the Mughul dominions ; and accordingly seized Zamaniya (nov«r a station on the East Indian Railway), a fortress near Ghazipur,. lately erected by one of Akbar's officers for a frontier garrison. Akbar quickly sent against him, into Bihar, Munim Khan, one of his best generals, who was now Khdnkhdnda (i.e., commander-in- chief; and Vakil of the Empire. Munim Khan made peace * The khutba was the public prayer offered up in Muhammadan countries for the reigning sovereign ; it could only be used for independent kings, CHAP, v.] THE MUHAMMADAN RULE IN BENGAL. 39 w i til DaucVs Governor of Blliar on very easy terms; but both Akbar and Daiid refused to be bound by tbis treaty ; and Akbar actually sent one of bis Hindii generals, the famous financier Kaja Todar Mall Kbatri, to supersede Munim Khan. The latter liowever marched back at once and besiepred Daiid in Patna, in tlte early part of the year lo74. As Patna held out, Munim induced Akbar to come himself to the seat of war with reinforce- ments. Akbar came by water with a fleet of boats, soon captured the town of Hajipur opposite to Patna, and sent the heads of the Governor and his chief officers to Daiid. The latter was fright- ened, and fled in a swift boat by night to Tandah ; Patna was taken by Akbar, and the fugitives pursued for fifty miles— after which Akbar returned to Agra, leaving Munim Khan as Governor of Bihar and Bengal, with orders to pursue Daiid. Daud had stopped, on his way to Tandah, at the famous pass of Teliagarbi near Rajmahall; and finding its fortifications very strong, strictly ordered its garrison to defend it to the last extre- mity. The garris(m however, seeing that their king had himself fled to Tandah, and being warned by the fate of the garrison of Hajipur, ran away ; so Munim Khan got possession of it without the loss of a single man. Daud, immediately on hearing of this mishap, fled to Orissa ; and Munim occupied the capital of Bengal. The Raja Todar Mall was now sent after Ddiid into Orissa* But he was at first unsuccessful ; and dissensions breaking out between him and his officers, Munim Khan was himself compelled to march from Tandah to his aid. Many skirmishes had already taken place ; and the combined imperial forces at length came up with Daud and his army at a place between Midnapur and Jellasor ( Medinipur and Jaleswara) called Takaroi or Mughulmabi. The battle of Mughulmari is one of the most important in the annals of Bengal; it was fought on March 3, 1575. The num- bers of troops on each side were about equal ; but Daiid's army excelled in elephants, which had been clothed with black yak tails and skins of wild beasts, so as to increase the terror of their appearance and fiighten the horses of the Mughuls. Munim Khan had the advantage of a number of small cannons mounted 40 THE MUHAMMADAN RULE IN BENGAL. [cHAP. V. on gun-carriages. The battle raged long with the greatest fury on both sides. Muniin*s cannon put to flight the elephants of Daiid ; but the Afghan cavalry charged the Mughuls with such valour and resolution, that Munim Khan himself was wounded and nearly captured, many of his bravest officers were killed, and the whole line of the Mughuls was thrown into confusion. 'J' lie Hindu Raja Todar Mull, however, retrieved the fortune of the day by his undaunted firmness. " What matters it," cried he, " if Khan Alam is dead ? what fear, if the Khan Khauan has run away? the empire is ours!" So saying, he rallied the Mughul line which had already begun to waver ; once more they charged the Afghans ; and the timid Dadd, alarmed at the death of some of his favourite officers, fled hastily from the field. The battle of Mughulmari was won; and with it, the supremacy in Bengal passed from the Afghans to the Mughuls, notwithstanding several attempts of the former to recover their lost power. Todar Mall pursued Daiid to Katak ((Suttack) ; and near this place, Munim Khan having coming up in the meanwhile, Daiid threw himself on the mercy of the emperor, gave up his sword to Munim, and was presented by the latter with the sovereignty of Katak as a vassal of the empire. Munim left Mughul Governors in the other portions of Orissa, and returned to Tandah. Shortly afterwards Munim Khan very unwisely ordered the seat of Government to be transferred from Tandah to Gaur, though the season was very unsuitable for such a change, as it was in the middle of the rains. A dreadful pestilence broke out almost immediately ; vast numbers of the people and soldiers, and even many grandees, died ; and at length Munim Khan himself was carried ofi* by it. From this time Gaur, the most ancient and formerly by far the greatest of all the cities of Bengal, was gradually deserted by its inhabitants. A few years later, at the time of the Great Military Rebellion in Bengal [see Chap. VI., § 2] we hear of the rebels seizing it as an important place ; but very soon it sinks altogether out of notice, and for centuries its magni- ficent ruins have been buried in jungle, the haunt only of wild beasts. Immediately on the death of Munim Khan, all the Afglifms CHAP. YI.] THE MUHAMMADAN RULE IN BENGAL. 41 in BenT^59GQ REC^n LP APR 211959 l50ct'59VD sr« sty X^ /l§?^^ JAll3r67-9AM LOAN DEPT. LD 21-100m-2.'55 General Library o^iJoiO UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY