Lesson 4/45 min
The first phase in Bengal (1204–1338)
In the early thirteenth century the Turkic commander Ikhtiyaruddin Muhammad bin Bakhtiyar Khalji attacked Nadia. The Sena king Lakshmana Sena was defeated and Muslim rule began in Bengal.
Bakhtiyar Khalji
- A Turk from the Garmsir region of Afghanistan
- Conquered Bihar in 1203; then attacked Nadia and defeated Lakshmana Sena (about 1204)
- Died in 1206 at Devkot (Dinajpur) after his Tibet expedition
Watch out: Many books give 1204 for the fall of Nadia. According to Banglapedia the campaign began in the winter of 1204 and Nadia fell at the end of 1204 or early 1205. For exams, write 1204.
Watch out: Some books call Bakhtiyar the founder of the Khalji dynasty. The Khalji dynasty of Delhi was founded by Jalaluddin in 1290; Bakhtiyar belonged to the Khalji tribe.
Delhi's era in Bengal
| Year | What happened |
|---|---|
| 1212–1227 | Ghiyasuddin Iwaj Khalji rules Lakhnauti; builds a river fleet for riverine Bengal; killed by Delhi's army in 1227 |
| 1303 | Sylhet conquered in the reign of Shamsuddin Firoz Shah of Lakhnauti; Raja Gour Govinda defeated |
| 1324 | Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq conquers Bengal and divides it into Lakhnauti, Satgaon and Sonargaon |
| 1338 | Fakhruddin Mubarak Shah declares independence at Sonargaon (next course) |
Shah Jalal and Sylhet
- Shah Jalal came from Yemen (some say Turkey) with about 360 followers
- Shah Paran was his nephew and disciple
- According to an inscription the first conquest of Sylhet was in 703 AH (1303 CE)
- Another inscription, of 1512–13, credits Sikandar Khan Ghazi with the conquest
Did you know?: The historian Ziauddin Barani, because of the frequent revolts, called Bengal ‘Bughlakpur’ (the city of rebellion). His book is the ‘Tarikh-i-Firoz Shahi’. This first phase of Muslim rule in Bengal is counted as 1204–1338.
Watch out: Two books say Sultan Muhammad Tughlaq extended Tughlaq rule to Bengal. According to Banglapedia, it was Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq who conquered Bengal in 1324.
Check yourself
Which king of Bengal did Bakhtiyar Khalji defeat?
At a glance
- 1
Bakhtiyar Khalji attacked Nadia and defeated Lakshmana Sena (1204); Muslim rule in Bengal began.
- 2
Bakhtiyar conquered Bihar in 1203 and died at Devkot in 1206.
- 3
Ghiyasuddin Iwaj Khalji (1212–1227) built a river fleet.
- 4
Barani named Bengal ‘Bughlakpur’ (city of rebellion); the first phase is 1204–1338.
- 5
Sylhet was conquered in the time of Shah Jalal (1303); Raja Gour Govinda was defeated.
- 6
In 1324 Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq divided Bengal into Lakhnauti, Satgaon and Sonargaon.