Kalapahar

Last updated

Kalapahada (in Odia language) or Kala Pahar was a Brahmin born [1] [2] Muslim General of the Bengal Sultanate under the reigning Karrani Dynasty. [3]

Contents

Military Campaigns

Sultan Sulaiman sent his army into Odisha to expand his Sultanate under the command of his son "Bayazid and general Kalapahar alias Raju". They defeated and killed the king Mukund-Dev. The general Kalapahar led a contingent deep into the kingdom to subjugate it. [4]

He also successfully fought the Cooch Behar army after the Koch king had attacked the Sultanate; Sukladhwaja was imprisoned and the capital seized. [4] However, fearing an attack from the Mughal armies, Sultan Sulaiman ordered Kalapahad to withdraw and restored status-quo. [4] In 1575, the Sultan's son Bayazid was treacherously murdered. Kalapahar rallied around Daud Karrani who ascended to the throne of the Bengal Sultanate but were defeated at Battle of Rajmahal in July 1576. [5]

Legacy

The term Kalapahad (or Black Mountain in English) has come to mean iconoclast among the Hindu population in Bengal, East and Northeast India. [6] It has also been used derogatorily against Bengali Muslims and other Muslims of the eastern part of the subcontinent. In March 2021, the Indian Minister of Home Affairs Amit Shah referred to AIUDF leader Badruddin Ajmal as Kalapahad and as an infiltrator. [7]

See also

Related Research Articles

The Ilyas Shahi dynasty was the first independent dynasty to set the foundations of the late medieval Sunni Muslim Sultanate of Bengal of Turk origin. Hailing from the Sistan region, their rule extended from 1342 to 1487, though interrupted with an interregna by their slaves as well as the House of Ganesha.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah</span> Shah of Bengal (r. 1342–1352)

Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah was the founder of the Sultanate of Bengal and its inaugural Ilyas Shahi dynasty. The Ilyas Shahi Dynasty ruled Bengal for 145 years (1342–1487), except for a 21-year interregnum by the descendants of Raja Ganesha. Ilyas Shah was instrumental in unifying the principalities of Bengal into a single state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saifuddin Hamza Shah</span> As-Sulṭān as-Salāṭīn Sayf ad-Dunyā wa ad-Dīn

Saifuddin Hamza Shah was the fourth Sultan of the first Ilyas dynasty of Bengal reigning from 1410 to 1412.

Alī Mubārak, better known by his regnal title `Alā ad-Dīn `Alī Shāh was an independent Sultan of Lakhnauti in Bengal. He was the foster brother of Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah, the eventual founder of the Bengal Sultanate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nuruddin Sikandar Shah</span> As-Sulṭān Nūr ad-Dunyā wa ad-Dīn Sikandar Shāh

Nuruddin Sikandar Shah was the Sultan of Bengal in 1481 CE for a brief number of days.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sulaiman Khan Karrani</span> Sultan of Bengal from 1565 to 1572

Sulaiman Khan Karrani was an Afghan Sultan of Bengal. He ascended to the throne after the death of his brother Taj Khan Karrani. According to the Riyaz-us-Salatin, he shifted the seat of government from Gaur to Tanda.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bayazid Khan Karrani</span> 28th Sultan of Bengal

Bayazid Khan Karrani was the third Sultan of the Bengal Sultanate's Karrani dynasty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daud Khan Karrani</span> Last Sultan of Bengal (1572–76)

Daud Khan Karrani was the last ruler of Bengal's Karrani dynasty as well as the final Sultan of Bengal, reigning from 1572 to 1576. During the reign of his father Sulaiman Khan Karrani, Daud commanded a massive army of 40,000 cavalry, 3,600 elephants, 140,000 infantry and 200 cannons.

Ruknuddīn Bārbak Shāh was the son and successor of Sultan Nasiruddin Mahmud Shah. Initially appointed as the governor of Satgaon during the reign of his father, Barbak ascended the throne of the Bengal Sultanate in 1459. He was the first ruler to give prominent roles in the Sultanate's administration to the Abyssinian community. Historian Aniruddha Ray credits Barbak Shah as the pioneer of urbanisation in Bengal.

Jalaluddin Fateh Shah was the last ruler of later Ilyas Shahi dynasty of the Bengal Sultanate reigning from 1481 to 1487. He was the uncle and successor of Sultan Shamsuddin Yusuf Shah.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bengal Sultanate</span> 1352–1576 kingdom in Bengal

The Bengal Sultanate (Middle Bengali: বাঙ্গালা সালতানাত, Classical Persian: سلطنت بنگاله was a late medieval sultanate based in the Bengal region in the eastern Indian subcontinent between the 14th and 16th century. It was the dominant power of the Ganges-Brahmaputra Delta, with a network of mint towns spread across the region. The Bengal Sultanate had a circle of vassal states in the Indian subcontinent, including parts of Odisha in the southwest, Arakan in the southeast, and Tripura in the east.

Sidi Badr, later known by his regnal name Shams ad-Dīn Muẓaffar Shāh, was the Sultan of Bengal from 1491 to 1493. Described by the Indo-Persian historians as a tyrant, his cruelty was said to have alienated the nobles as well as his common subjects.

Shāhzāda Bārbak, known by his regnal title as Ghiyāsuddīn Bārbak Shāh, was the Sultan of Bengal in 1487 and the founder of the Sultanate's Habshi dynasty. He was a former commander of the palace-guards of Jalaluddin Fateh Shah court.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alauddin Firuz Shah II</span> Al-Malik al-ʿĀdil ʿAlā ad-Dunyā wa ad-Dīn Abū al-Muẓaffar Fīrūz Shāh

ʿAlā ad-Dīn Fīrūz Shāh was the son and successor of Sultan Nasiruddin Nasrat Shah of Bengal. He served as a governor of Chittagong during his father's reign, and was a patron of Bengali literature. Firuz Shah ascended the throne in 1533, though it was not unanimously recognised by all the nobles of Bengal. The conflict with the Ahom kingdom continued during his reign and the Bengali army led by Turbak Khan had reached as far as Kaliabor. Within three months as Sultan, Firuz Shah was assassinated by his uncle, who succeeded him as Sultan Ghiyasuddin Mahmud Shah.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tanda, Bengal</span> 16th-century city of Bengal in South Asia

Tanda, also known as Tandah and Khwaspur Tandah, was a historic 16th-century city of Bengal in the eastern part of South Asia, and one of the most prominent medieval capitals; serving the Karrani Sultans of Bengal and the early Mughal governors of Bengal.

Syeda Momena Khatun was a princess of the Sultanate of Bengal's Hussain Shahi dynasty. She was the mother of Isa Khan, the leader of the Baro-Bhuiyan confederacy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Jessore</span> Region of Bangladesh

The Greater Jessore region predominantly includes the districts of Jessore, Jhenaidah, Narail and Magura in Bangladesh, as well as the Bangaon subdivision of India. Nestled close to the Sundarbans, the region experienced human settlement early on. It served as the capital city of the Samatata realm and passed through several Buddhist and Hindu kingdoms such as the Palas and Senas. Jessore was ruled by Khan Jahan Ali of Khalifatabad, under the Muslim Sultanate of Bengal, who is credited with establishing the Qasbah of Murali and urbanising the region through advancements in transportation and civilization. Jessore later came to be ruled by various chieftains such as Pratapaditya and became familiar to contemporary European travellers as Chandecan before being annexed to the Mughal Empire in the seventeenth century. By 1757, the British East India Company had dominated and started to establish themselves in the region. British rule lasted up until 1947, with Jessore coming under the Provisional Government of Bangladesh from 1971 onwards.

<i>Tarikh-i-Dawudi</i> 16th-century Persian-language history book

The Tārīkh-i-Dāwūdī is a 16th-century Persian language document recording the administration of various Pashtun dynasties in South Asia. It was written by a historian named Abdullah. It starts with the Sultan Bahlul Khan Lodi of the Lodi dynasty of Delhi and ends with Sultan Daud Khan Karrani of the Karrani dynasty of Bengal. Information relating to the Afghan Sur dynasty can also be found in the book. Other than these Afghan dynasties, the book also contains poetry as well as a history of the Jaunpur Sultanate. The book is named after, dedicated to and was written at the court of Daud Khan Karrani. It has been translated into English and Urdu in 1969 by Shaikh Abdur Rashid and Iqtidar Husain Siddiqi of the Department of History of the Aligarh Muslim University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ismail Khan Lodi</span> Pashtun general of the Mughal Empire

Ismail Khan Lodi (Persian: اسماعیل خان لودی; also known by his daak naam Khanja Khan, was a Pashtun general of the Mughal Empire and a former viceroy of Odisha. He also served under the Karrani dynasty of the Sultanate of Bengal.

Ismail Khan was a nobleman of the Sultanate of Bengal. He was the brother of Isa Khan, the leader of the Baro-Bhuiyan confederacy.

References

  1. Kalita, Bharat Chandra (1988). Military Activities in Medieval Assam. Daya Publishing House. p. 48. ISBN   978-81-7035-047-7. Archived from the original on 2024-02-06. Retrieved 2023-12-26. In retaliation the Bengal governor Sulaiman Kararani engaged his General Kalapahar, a Hindu Brahmin converted to Islam, to teach a lesson to the Koch king.
  2. Namita Panda. "Experts trace Kalapahad's footprints" . Retrieved 1 April 2024.
  3. Panda, Shishir Kumar (1999). Political and Cultural History of Orissa. New Age International. ISBN   978-81-224-1197-3. Archived from the original on 2023-09-18. Retrieved 2023-12-02.
  4. 1 2 3 Ahmed, ABM Shamsuddin (2012). "Sulaiman Karrani". In Islam, Sirajul; Jamal, Ahmed A. (eds.). Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. Archived from the original on 2016-03-06. Retrieved 2016-07-25.
  5. Ahmed, ABM Shamsuddin (2012). "Daud Khan Karrani". In Islam, Sirajul; Jamal, Ahmed A. (eds.). Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. Archived from the original on 2015-07-03. Retrieved 2018-08-24.
  6. Accessible Dictionary, “কালাপাহাড়” Bengali-English Archived 2021-11-14 at the Wayback Machine , Government of Bangladesh
  7. "Rahul Baba is on Assam visit as a tourist: Amit Shah in Chirang". Deccan Herald. 31 March 2021. Archived from the original on 14 November 2021. Retrieved 14 November 2021.