| Sher Shah Suri | |
|---|---|
| Sultan Ustad-I-Badshahan[a] The Lion King | |
 Painting by prominent Afghan artist Abdul Ghafūr Breshna | |
| Sultan of Hindustan | |
| Reign | 6 April 1538 — 22 May 1545 |
| Coronation | First coronation: 6 April 1538 |
| Predecessor | Humayun (asMughal Emperor) |
| Born | Farid al-Din Khan 1472 or 1486 Sasaram,Delhi Sultanate |
| Died | 22 May 1545 (aged 73 or 59) |
| Spouse | Lad Malika |
| Dynasty | Sur |
Sher Shah Suri (1486 – 22 May 1545) bornFarid Khan, was theAfghan founder andSultan of thePashtunSur Empire in theIndian subcontinent, with its capital atDelhi.
The titleSher Khan ("Sher" means lion and "Khan" means king) was given to him after he fought against a lion all by himself while he was serving theAfghan nobleBahar Khan Lohani. Farid Khan was a talented and fearless soldier. His father Hasan Khan was alarge landowner under Bahar Khan Lohani, a noble who served under the ruler ofDelhi. Farid Khan succeeded his father to become the Jagirdar (landowner) and soon he rebelled and successfully overthrew theMughalEmperorHumayun in 1540.[1][2]
He ruled until 1545 when he died in a gunpowder explosion, he left a strong empire to his son Islam Shah Suri, who ruled for nine years. Islam Shah Suri was succeeded by his son Firoz Khan in 1554 however Firoz Khan was soon murdered, the empire then became weakened and in 1555 theMughal rulerHumayun recaptured the lost Mughal territory and reinstates himself as Emperor after defeating Islam Shah inPunjab, thus effectively ending the Surid dynasty.[3]
Sher Shah Suri hailed from theSur tribe of theLodi confederacy.[4]
Sher Shāh defeated theMughal EmperorHumayun twice and capturedDelhi. Soon after becoming king, Sher Shah Suri raised a large army and capturedBihar,Jharkhand,West Bengal,Rajasthan,Punjab and areas as far north asKashmir and as eastwards asBurma.
Sher Shah was one of the greatest generals and administrators. He introduced a new currency, a silver coin known as 'Rupia' in use today by 1/4 of the world. He reduced custom duties and built an excellent connection of roads, includingGrand Trunk Road inBihar, which was 1,600 miles (2500 Kilometers) long. Sher Shah was a secular ruler who practiced religious tolerance. Sher Shah was also a devote Muslim ruler who prayed 5 times a day.
