| Mirza Abu-Talib Shaista Khan | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amir-ul-Umara Mughal Subahdar | |||||
.jpg) Shaista Khan inc. 1650 | |||||
| 24th & 27thSubahdar of Bengal | |||||
| 1stGovernorship | 30 March 1664 – 1676 | ||||
| Predecessor | Mir Jumla II | ||||
| Successor | Fidai Khan II | ||||
| 2nd Governorship | 1680 – 1688 | ||||
| Predecessor | Azam Shah | ||||
| Successor | Ibrahim Khan II | ||||
| Badshah | Aurangzeb | ||||
| Subahdar ofKhandesh Subah | |||||
| Governorship | 1658 – 1669 | ||||
| Badshah | Aurangzeb | ||||
| Viceroy of the Deccan | |||||
| Governorship | January 1660 – mid-January 1664 | ||||
| Badshah | Aurangzeb | ||||
| Born | Mirza Abu Talib 22 November 1600 Delhi,Mughal Empire | ||||
| Died | c. 1694 (aged 93–94) Delhi, Mughal Empire | ||||
| Issue | Buzurg Umed Khan[1] Abul Fatah Iran Dukht Rahmat Banu (Bibi Pari)[2] Aqidat Khan Jafar Khan Abu Nasr Khan Iradat Khan[3] Khuda Banda Khan[4] | ||||
| |||||
| Father | Asaf Khan IV | ||||
| Mother | Diwanji Begum | ||||
| Religion | Shia Islam | ||||
| Occupation | Mughal Statesman | ||||
Mirza Abu Talib (b. 22 November 1600 – d. 1694),[5][6] better known asShaista Khan, was a general and theSubahdar ofMughal Bengal. He was maternal uncle to theMughal EmperorAurangzeb, and acted as a key figure during his reign. Shaista Khan initially governedthe Deccan, where he clashed with theMaratha rulerShivaji. However, he was most notable for his tenure as the governor ofBengal from 1664 to 1688. Under Shaista Khan's authority, the city ofDhaka andMughal power in the province attained its greatest heights. His achievements include construction of notable mosques such as theSat Gambuj Mosque and masterminding the conquest ofChittagong. Shaista Khan was also responsible for sparking theAnglo-Mughal War with theEnglish East India Company.[7]
According to the diary ofWilliam Hedges, the first governor of theEast India Company in Bengal, the birthday of Shaista Khan was on 22 November.[5]
Khan was ofPersian origin. His grandfatherMirza Ghiyas Beg and fatherAbu'l-Hasan Asaf Khan were thewazirs of theMughal emperorsJahangir andShah Jahan, respectively. He also had familial connections with the imperial dynasty, having been a paternal nephew of the empressNur Jahan and the brother of the empressMumtaz Mahal. Jahangir awarded the title ofMirza to Shaista Khan in recognition of his family's service and position in the Mughal court.[8]
Khan trained and served with the Mughal army and court, winning multiple promotions and being appointed governor of various provinces. He also developed a reputation as a successful military commander and grew close to his nephew, the princeAurangzeb, when the duo fought against the kingdom ofGolconda.[8]
After Aurangzeb's accession to the Mughal throne in 1659, he sent Shaista Khan as viceroy of theDeccan with a large army to enforce the treaty the Mughals had signed with theAdilshahi ofBijapur. Through the treaty theAdilshahi had ceded territory that it had previously captured from theAhmadnagar Sultanate, to the Mughals.[9] However, the territory was also fiercely contested byMaratha ruler,Shivaji who had acquired a reputation after his killing of Adilshahi general,Afzal Khan in 1659.[10] In January 1660, Shaista Khan arrived atAurangabad and quickly advanced, seizingPune, the centre of Shivaji's realm. He also captured the fort ofChakan andKalyan and northKonkan after heavy fighting with the Marathas.[11]: 243, 259–60 The Maratha were banned from entering the city ofPune andMughal distance from the locals turned out to be an error.Shaista was responsible to heavily mass destruct pune city and its innocent civilians. On the evening of 5 April 1663, a wedding party had obtained special permission for holding a procession. Shivaji and many of his nearly 400 men disguised as the bridegroom's procession members entered Pune. Others entered in small parties dressed as labourers and soldiers of Maratha generals serving under Shaista Khan. After midnight, they raided the Nawab's compound and then entered the palace in an attempt to assassinate him.[12][13]
Aurangzeb angrily transferred Shaista Khan to Bengal, refusing to give him an audience at the time of the transfer as was the custom.[14]
On the death of Mir Jumla II in 1663, Shaista Khan was appointed the Subedar of Bengal. As governor, he encouraged trade with Europe, Southeast Asia and other parts of India. He consolidated his power by signing trade agreements with European powers. Despite his powerful position he remained loyal to Aurangzeb, often mediating trade disputes and rivalries. In 1666, Shaista Khan led the campaign to Chittagong and expelled thePortuguese and Magh defender with 300 flotillas.[15] The Mughal forces even forced the Portuguese inSandwip to relinquish their bases to be used as Mughal naval operation.[15] Later He banned the English East India Company from Bengal in 1686, beginning the Anglo-Mughal War. In 1678, Prince Muhammad Azam Shah was appointed the Subedar of Bengal. In 1680, Shaista Khan was again appointed as the Subedar of Bengal. He served his first term from 1663 to 1678 and his second term from 1680 to 1688.
Shaista Khan encouraged the construction of modern townships and public works in Dhaka, leading to a massive urban and economic expansion. He was a patron of the arts and encouraged the construction of majestic monuments across the province, including mosques,mausoleums and palaces that represented the finest in Indo-Sarcenic andMughal architecture. Khan greatly expandedLalbagh Fort,Chowk Bazaar Mosque,Saat Masjid andChoto Katra. He also supervised the construction of the mausoleum for his daughterBibi Pari.
Upon his arrival in Bengal, Shaista Khan was faced with putting down theArakanese pirates. He began by rebuilding the Mughal navy, increasing its Bengal fleet to 300 battle-ready ships within a year.[16] He made diplomatic efforts to gain the support of theDutch East India Company as well asPortugal, With the direct support of the Dutch army, Shaista Khan led the Mughals in an attack on the Arakanese-held Sandwip under the command of Ibn Husain, which lay in Arakanese control.[17] The previousSiege of Hooghly by Shaishta Khan were considered by Saugata Bhaduri, professor fromJawaharlal Nehru University, as an attempt by the empire to threaten the Portuguese settlers in Bengal to assist them in conquest of Chittagong.[18]
Mughal forces succeeded in capturing the island in November 1665.[16]
Shaista Khan gained a considerable advantage when a conflict erupted between the Arakanese and the Portuguese. The Portuguese, led by Captain Moor, set fire toArakanese fleets and fled toBhulua where ThanadarFarhad Khan gave them refuge. Farhad then sent them off to Shaista. By promptly offering protection and support, Shaista secured the aid of the Portuguese against the Arakanese.[16]
In December 1665, Shaista Khan launched a major military campaign againstChittagong, which was the mainstay of the Arakanese kingdom. The imperial fleet consisted of 288 vessels of their own and about 40 vessels of theFiringis (Portuguese) as auxiliaries. Ibn Hussain, Shaista Khan's admiral, was asked to lead the navy, while the subahdar himself took up the responsibility of supplying provisions for the campaign. He also orderedFarhad Khan and Mir Murtaza to take the land route. The overall command was given to Buzurg Ummed Khan, a son of Shaista Khan.[11]: 230 The Mughals and the Portuguese held sway in the following naval battle. The conquered territory to the western bank of Kashyapnadi (Kaladan river) was placed under direct imperial administration. The name of Chittagong was changed to Islamabad and it became the headquarters of a Mughalfaujdar.[11]: 230 Khan also re-asserted Mughal control overCooch Behar andKamarupa.
According to Shaista Khan's vasiat-nama (a document registered before his death) that he had seven sons and five daughters at the time.[19][20] Among his daughters were Iran Dukht Begum known as Bibi Pari, Turan Dukht Begum known as Bibi Biban[21] and Shamshad Banu Begum.[22] His oldest son, Buzurg Umed Khan, served as the governor of Allahabad. Another of Shaista Khan's sons, Khuda Banda Khan was married to a daughter of the grand vizierAsad Khan. He served as a general for Muhammad Azam Shah, and fell in battle fighting Bahadur Shah I. Khuda Banda's son, who was also entitled Khuda Banda Khan, was made the Diwan of Asaf Jah I, the Nizam of Hyderabad.[23] One of his daughters was married toRuhullah Khan, son of Khalilullah Khan of Yazd in 1660. Another daughter was married in 1678 toZulfiqar Khan Nusrat Jung, son ofAsad Khan and Mihr-un-Nissa Begum, daughter ofAsaf Khan.[24] Another daughter was married to Itiqad Khan and died in 1688.[25]
In his late years, Shaista Khan leftDhaka and returned toDelhi. His legacy was the expansion of Dhaka into a regional centre of trade, politics and culture; a thriving and prosperous city from a small township. It is said that he made currency of Bangladesh 'Taka' so strong that eight 'mon' (around 295 kilogram) processed rice or 'chaal' could be bought with one taka.[26] TheShaista Khan Mosque is a massive standing monument to Shaista Khan, built on his palace grounds. Incorporating unique elements ofBengali andMughal architecture, it is a major tourist attraction and a valued historical monument protected by thegovernment of Bangladesh today.[27]
{{cite encyclopedia}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link){{cite encyclopedia}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)It was Shāista Khan's task to put an end to this terror [the Arakan pirates] ... The Bengal flotilla (nawwāra) had been wofully depleted ... Shāista Khan's energy and persistence overcame every obstacle. A new navy was created, manned and equipped in a little over a year ... In a short time 300 vessels were ... ready in war-trim ... The island of Sondip ... [was] captured ... (November 1665.) A still more important gain was the seduction of theFeringis of Chātgāon from the side of the Arakanese ... A feud had just then broken out between the Magh ruler of Chātgāon and the local Portuguese ... Shāista Khan gave their chief captain a bounty ... and their other leaders were all enlisted in the Mughal service.
The first step in the campaign was the conquest of the island of Sondip— only six hours' sail from Chatgaon (Chittagong). Dilawwar, a run-away captain of the Mughal navy, who had established himself as king here, was defeated and captured by an expedition from Dacca under admiral Ibn Husain (November 1665).
Portuguese in Bengal rather than to make them an enemy of the Mughal Empire. The Mughal emperors probably understood well that the Portuguese settlers could prove useful in the wresting of Chittagong ...
He ruled Bengal with vigour, and in his administration he was assisted by his half a dozen gifted and able sons, each of whom held the charge of faujdar in one or more than one sarkar, so that one family ruled all divisions of Bengal, and ruled effectively.
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