Islam Khan I

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Islam Khan Chisti
The tomb of Islam Khan, in the courtyard of the Jama Masjid, Fatehpur Sikri
Subahdar of Bihar
In office
1607–1608
MonarchJahangir
Succeeded byAbdur Rahman
12th Subahdar of Bengal
In office
10 June 1608 – 4 May 1613
MonarchJahangir
Preceded byJahangir Quli Khan
Succeeded byMuhtashim Khan
Personal details
Born
Shaikh Alauddin Chisti

c. 1570
Died4 May 1613
Bhawal, Bengal, Mughal Empire
Resting placeJama Masjid, Uttar Pradesh, India
ParentShaikh Badruddin Chisti
RelativesSalim Chishti (grandfather)
Mukarram Khan (son-in-law)
Qutubuddin Koka (cousin)
OccupationMughal General

Shaikh Alauddin Chisti (1570–1613; known as Islam Khan Chisti) was a Mughal general and the Subahdar of Bihar[1] and later Bengal. He transferred the capital of Bengal from Rajmahal to Sonargaon and founded the city of Jahangirnagar. He was awarded the titular name of Islam Khan by Mughal emperor Jahangir.

Early life

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Islam Khan was a playmate of Jahangir in childhood.[2] Khan and Jahangir were foster cousins; Khan's paternal aunt, whose father was Salim Chisti, had been the foster mother of Jahangir. Qutubuddin Koka was Khan's first cousin also. He was first appointed as the Subahdar of Bihar.[2]

Subahdar of Bengal

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Islam Khan's tomb inside Salim Chisti Mazar

Islam Khan was appointed the Subahdar of Bengal in 1608. His major task was to subdue the rebellious Rajas, Bara-Bhuiyans, Zamindars and Afghan chiefs. He arrived Dhaka in mid-1610.

He fought with Musa Khan,[3] the leader of Bara-Bhuiyans and by the end of 1611 he was subdued.[2] Islam Khan also defeated Raja Pratapaditya of Jessore, Raja Ramchandra Basu of the Chandradwip Kingdom at the Conquest of Bakla and Raja Ananta Manikya of Bhulua.[2] Then he annexed the kingdoms of Koch Bihar, Koch Hajo and Kachhar. Thus he took total control over Bengal. He moved the capital of Bengal to Dhaka from Rajmahal. He renamed Dhaka to Jahangirnagar.

Death

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After 5 years of ruling, Islam Khan died at Bhawal in 1613. He was buried in Fatehpur Sikri and laid by the side of his grandfather Shaikh Salim Chishti.

Shaikh Alauddin Chisti's tomb in Ajmer, known as the Dargah Sharif, has become a major pilgrimage site for people of all faiths.[4]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Ahmad, Imtiaz (2002). "MUGHAL GOVERNORS OF BIHAR UNDER AKBAR AND JAHANGIR". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 63: 281–288.
  2. ^ a b c d Karim, Abdul (2012). "Islam Khan Chisti". In Islam, Sirajul; Jamal, Ahmed A. (eds.). Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
  3. ^ Sen, Sailendra (2013). A Textbook of Medieval Indian History. Primus Books. p. 165. ISBN 978-93-80607-34-4.
  4. ^ "Ajmer dargah". Archived from the original on 10 September 2023. Retrieved 24 February 2023.

Further reading

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  • Sir Jadunath Sarkar, History of Bengal, II (Dhaka, 1948)
  • Abdul Karim, History of Bengal, Mughal Period, I, (Rajshahi, 1992)
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Preceded by Subahdar of Bengal
1608–1613
Succeeded by