Bengal was brought into subjection to the Dehlī kingdom in 1202 (A.H.
599) by Baḵẖ̱tiyār Ḵẖ̱iljī, who became the first governor of the
province. Till 1338 it was nominally ruled from the capital, Lakhnautī,
by independent governors; but at least six of these issued coins in
their own names; and after 1310 there was a divided governorship,
the rulers of East and West Bengal each assuming the right to coin.
Independence was gained under one of the rulers of East Bengal,
Faḵẖ̱ru-d-dīn Mubārak; and, after a year of discord, Shamsu-d-dīn
Ilyās Shāh, in 1339, brought the whole province under his control.
From 1339-1358 Bengal was ruled by four dynasties, the house of Ilyās
Shāh, 1339-1406 and 1442-1481, the house of the Hindu rāja, Ganesh,
1406-1442, the Ḥabshī kings, 1486-1490, and the house of the greatest
of Bengal kings, ’Alāu-d-dīn Ḥusain Shāh, 1493-1538. Bengal was then
ruled from Dehlī by Sher Shāh and his family; then independently from
1552-1563 by younger members of his dynasty; and finally by three
sovereigns of the Afg̱ẖān Kararānī family till 1576, when Bengal
became a province of Akbar’s empire.
Gold coins of Bengal are very scarce, and but one billon coin, of
the governor G̱ẖ̱iyās̤u-d-dīn Bahādur (1310-1323) has been found.
The place of copper, it is supposed, was supplied by cowries. Silver
coins are known of twenty-nine out of the fifty-six governors and
sultans, but the silver is inferior in purity to the Dehlī coins; and
that of the Sultans is struck to a local standard of 166 grains: they
are frequently much disfigured by countermarks and chisel-cuts made
by the money-changers. The coins of the governors and Sultans until
Shamsu-d-dīn Ilyās Shāh show Dehlī influence in fabric and inscription,
and this influence reappears occasionally later. The issues of the
earlier governors bear the Kalima on the obverse; for this later
governors substitute the name of the last Khalif of Bag̱ẖdād, Al
Must’aṣim. The independent kings adopt various titles expressing their
loyalty to the head of Islām, such as “_The right hand of the Khalif,
aider of the commander of the faithful_” and “_Succourer of Islām and
the Muslims_.” The convert, Jalālu-d-dīn Muḥammad (1414-1431), revived
the use of the Kalima, which is continued with two exceptions by all
his successors till ’Alāu-d-dīn Ḥusain Shāh’s reign. The most usual
personal titles are “_The mighty Sultan_,” or “_The strengthened by
the support of the Compassionate_,” but certain rulers adopt striking
formulæ of their own. Shamsu-d-dīn Ilyās Shāh, following ’Alāu-d-dīn
Muḥammad of Dehlī, called himself “_The Second Alexander_,” and
Sikandar Shāh (1358-89) was evidently imitating Muḥammad bin Tug̱ẖlaq
in “_The warrior in the cause of the Compassionate_.” One of the most
curious and interesting titles appears on a coin of ’Alāu-d-dīn Ḥusain;
it runs as follows: “_The Sultan, conqueror over Kāmrū and Kamtah and
Jājnagar and Urīssah_,” alluding to his invasions of Assam and Orissa.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account