| Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah | |
|---|---|
| Shah ofBengal Shāh-i-Bangāliyān Sultan ofBengalis[1] The SecondAlexander Shams ad-Dunyā wa ad-Dīn Abu al-Muẓaffar Ilyās Shāh[2] | |
| 1stSultan of Bengal | |
| Reign | 1352–1358 |
| Predecessor | Satgaon:himself Lakhnauti:Alauddin Ali Shah Sonargaon:Ikhtiyaruddin Ghazi Shah |
| Successor | Sikandar Shah |
| Ruler ofSatgaon | |
| Reign | 1342–1352 |
| Predecessor | Izzuddin Yahya |
| Successor | Position abolished (himself as Sultan of Bengal) |
| Burial | Hajipur, Bihar |
| Spouse | Phulwara Begum |
| Issue | Shahzada Sikandar |
| House | Ilyas Shahi dynasty |
| Religion | Sunni Islam |
Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah (Persian:شمس الدین الیاس شاه,Bengali:শামসুদ্দীন ইলিয়াস শাহ) was the founder of theSultanate of Bengal and its inauguralIlyas Shahi dynasty. The Ilyas Shahi Dynasty ruled Bengal for 145 years (1342–1487), except for a 21-yearinterregnum (1415–1436) by thedescendants of Raja Ganesha. Ilyas Shah was instrumental in unifying the principalities of Bengal into a single state.[3]
Born inSistan, and a follower ofSunni Islam, Ilyas Shah rose through the ranks of theDelhi Sultanate.[4] In the early 14th-century, the Delhi Sultanate divided Bengal into three provinces based in the towns ofSatgaon in South Bengal,Sonargaon in East Bengal, andLakhnauti in North Bengal. The purpose was to improve administration as Delhi's sway over Bengal weakened. Ilyas Shah was appointed Governor of Satgaon. In the middle of the 14th-century, the governors of the three city-states declared independence. The three city-states began warring against one another. Ilyas Shah eventually defeated the ruler of Lakhnauti,Alauddin Ali Shah, and the ruler of Sonargaon,Ikhtiyaruddin Ghazi Shah. He unified Bengal into an independent sultanate, establishing his capital inPandua.
As Sultan, Ilyas Shah waged a war against the Delhi Sultanate to secure recognition of Bengal's independence. He raided cities across northern and eastern subcontinent, becoming the first Muslim ruler to raid theKathmandu Valley however, the sultanate’s armies returned before the Nepalese forces could consolidate and issue a counter attack. Under Ilyas Shah, the territory of the Bengal Sultanate expanded to include parts of north India and northeast India, with raids conducted into Nepal and Orissa.
There are conflicting views on whether Ilyas was born inSistan or not, although it is agreed that his origins definitely lay in the Sistan region of what is today easternIran and southernAfghanistan.[5] According to Syed A M R Haque, it was his predecessors who had first arrived tothe subcontinent, as Muslim missionaries, and the family were grantedjagirs by theDelhi Sultanate in Bengal in 1227. Ilyas was aSunni Muslim by faith.
According to a narrative byDurgachandra Sanyal, Ilyas was on his way toSonargaon when he married aBengali Brahmin widow fromBajrayogini, Bikrampur that had embraced Islam and taken the name Phulmati Begum,[6] and they later had two sons and several daughters includingPrince Sikandar. Sanyal adds that the marriage was initially protested by upper-classBrahmins due to the fact that widow remarriage was impermissible in Hinduism.[7][8] Nevertheless, Ilyas proceeded with thenikah as he could not allow the girl to live as an outcast in her society or fall into harlotry.[9] This narrative is supported byDinesh Chandra Sen. CitingNalini Kanta Bhattasali,Abdul Karim also mentions that Ilyas married a Hindu woman according to tradition, without mentioning her name as Fulmati.[10]
Ilyas worked under the service of theDelhi Sultanate, though it is not confirmed if he was positioned in Bengal from the start. Some have claimed that Ilyas was originally based in Delhi and moved to Bengal after problems arose, while others claim that his family had migrated to Bengal long before.[5] According toBanglapedia, Ilyas was initially working underMalik Firuz in Delhi. Nevertheless, Ilyas eventually served underIzzuddin Yahya, the imperial provincial governor ofSatgaon in present-daySouth Bengal.
Following Yahya's death in 1338, Ilyas declared himself as the independentSultan of Satgaon, with the title ofShams ad-Din. He then waged a long war from 1339 to 1352 against SultanAlauddin Ali Shah ofLakhnauti (North Bengal) and SultanIkhtiyaruddin Ghazi Shah ofSonargaon (East Bengal).[11] Ilyas Shah emerged victorious after conquering Lakhnauti and Sonargaon in 1342 and 1352 respectively. He then proclaimed the establishment of theSultanate of Bengal in 1352 through the unification of these regions, moving his capital toPandua, not far from Lakhnauti in northern Bengal. The area was the former capital of theGaur kings andPala emperors.[12] This territory which was known as "Vanga" was renamed as "Bangālah" or"Mulk-i-Bangālah".[citation needed] He was known asShāh-i-Bangāliyān[13]and "Shāh-i-Bangālah" during his tenure.[citation needed] Shams-i Siraj 'Afif author of Tarikh-i-Firoz Shahi referred to Shams al-Din Ilyas Shah as the "sultan of the Bengalis" and the "king of Bengal.[1]
Coins bearing attributes were inscribed by the Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah and Sikander Shah:
The just sultan, Shams al-dunya va al-din, Abu'I Muzaffar, Ilyas Shah, the Sultan. The second Alexander, the right hand of the caliphate, the defender (or helper) of the Commander of the Faithful.[1]
Ilyas Shah displayed anegalitarian attitude towards his subjects; his administration was known for itsequality and acceptance of members from different religious, caste, social, and ethnic communities. He standardised the people of Bengal under the banner of one politico-social and linguistic platform, including theBengali language.[14] The region received immigrants from across theMuslim world, includingNorth Indians,Turks,Abyssinians,Arabs andPersians.[citation needed]
He maintained good relations withFiruz Shah Tughluq (r. 1351–1388), towards the end of his reign. He sent elephants to the Delhi court and received Turkish andArabian horses in return.[15]
Ilyas Shah maintained an army of 90,000 cavalry and many elephants.[16] In 1346, As the ruler ofSatgaon, Ilyas Shah led the very firstMuslim army intoNepal.[14][16] He first occupied theTirhut region, which he divided into two parts. The part north of theBudhi Gandaki River were restored to Raja Kameshwar Thakur of theOiniwar dynasty, while Ilyas kept the southern part for himself, stretching fromBegusarai toNepal Terai. Its headquarters was situated in the village ofUkkacala (later known as Hajipur in his honour),[17] where Ilyas had constructed a large fort and urbanised the area.[18] Ilyas then thrust through theTerai plains with his army, into theKathmandu Valley ruled byJayaraja Deva. His army sacked the temple ofSwayambhunath and lootedKathmandu city for three days, returning toBengal with plentiful spoils. None of the existing buildings in Kathmandu valley predates the raid.[19] However, the temple of Changu Narayan was never sacked as the Islamic forces could never locate the temple.[citation needed]
Ilyas Shah then invadedOrissa, which was ruled by Bhanudeva II of theEastern Ganga dynasty. He further sackedJajpur,Cuttack and reached as far as theChilika Lake. TheJagannath Temple was also desecrated during the invasion. He also led a successful campaign against theKamarupa kingdom in present-dayAssam, being the first Muslim king to captureGuwahati. Ilyas Shah also founded the city ofHajipur and first settled in 1350 AD.
In November 1353, the Delhi SultanFiruz Shah Tughluq launched an invasion of Bengal. His army occupied Pandua. Ilyas Shah and his forces retreated to the fortress of Ekdala. The Delhi Sultan laid siege to the fortress for two months. The Delhi Sultanate's forces then began withdrawing. Ilyas Shah began to pursue the Delhi army and reached as far asVaranasi. The Delhi army formidably fought back. Firuz Shah returned to Delhi in 1355. Ilyas Shah regained control of Bengal and his realm extended up to theKoshi River.[11]
The extent of Ilyas Shah's campaigns, including his conquest of major Indian cultural centers, was considered "world-conquering" in the context of medieval India.[20] This led to him being styled as "the secondAlexander" in the same manner asAlauddin Khalji.[20]
Ilyas Shah died on January 1358, and was buried inHajipur. In honour of his efforts in fortifying and urbanising Ukkacala,[21] the city was renamed toHajipur (city of theHaji).[22] During the reign ofMughal emperorAkbar, the Governor of Bihar Said Khan's brother Makhsus Shah constructed acongregational mosque within Ilyas Shah's fort in 1587.[23] Presently, amazar (mausoleum) on SDO Road is attributed to the former Sultan, and lies adjacent to the Haji Ilyaas Park (also named after him). The tomb is respected by both Muslims and Hindus, who hold amela every year during hisurs.[24]
| Preceded by | Sultanate of Bengal 1342–1358 | Succeeded by |
