The Graveyard of Malik Ikhtiar-ud-din Muhammed Bakhtiar Khaliji

[Destranator]

"Khilji's career took flight with a campaign which subjugated Bihar in 1203. This effort earned him political clout in the court at Delhi. In the same year he took his forces into Bengal. As he came upon the city of Nabadwip, it is said that he advanced so rapidly that only 18 horsemen from his army could keep up. Khilji went on to capture the capital Gaur and intruded into much of Bengal.[6][7]
Ikhtiyar Khilji left the town of Devkot in 1206 to attack into Tibet, leaving Ali Mardan Khilji in Ghoraghat Upazila to watch the eastern frontier from his headquarters at Barisal. Khilji forces were ambushed in Assam and Ikhtiyar returned to Devkot with about one hundred surviving soldier. Upon Ikhtiyar Khilji's return to India, while he was lying ill at Devkot, he was assassinated by Ali Mardan.[8]
"

Ikhtiyar Uddin Muhammad bin Bakhtiyar Khilji

Ikhtiyar Uddin Muhammad bin Bakhtiyar Khilji (also known as Malik Ghazi Ikhtiyar 'l-Din Muhammad Bakhtiyar Khilji or Muhammad Bakhtiyar Khilji) (died 1206) was a Turkic[1] military general of Qutb-ud-din Aybak. IIkhtiyar Uddin Khilji, a member of the Khilji tribe,[1] a Turkic tribe long settled...

military-history.fandom.com

Bhakhtiar Khilji should have retired at the end of his three-year tenure in 1206 but his ambitions got the better of him as he sought extension and plots in Tibet. Lessons to be learnt from here.

 

[bluesky]

This effort earned him political clout in the court at Delhi. In the same year he took his forces into Bengal. As he came upon the city of Nabadwip, it is said that he advanced so rapidly that only 18 horsemen from his army could keep up. Khilji went on to capture the capital Gaur and intruded into much of Bengal.[6][7]

This thing I ahve been reading since I was a class lll student. It is a fiction mostly written by Muslim zealots at a later time to champ over the local Hindu warriors.

Because it is written in print, people usually believe the account. Please read some authentic history books.

1) Tabaqat-i-Nasiri: Minhaj-i-Siraj wrote his history only after a few years after Bakhtiyar took hold of Gaur. There was not yet a word called Bengal. It was Gaur Kingdom.
2) History of Bengal: Charles Stewart. He wrote of 10,000 to 12,000 troops.
3) History of Bangalah: Bucannan. He also wrote of 12,000 troops.
4) Many others were also written with reference to the book written by Minhaj
5) Kopal kundala: Bankim chandra. It is a Novel but the time period was when Bakhtiyar attacked Nabadwip. Bankim wrote of 12,000 troops.

 

[bluesky]

Ikhtiyar Khilji left the town of Devkot in 1206 to attack into Tibet, leaving Ali Mardan Khilji in Ghoraghat Upazila to watch the eastern frontier from his headquarters at Barisal. Khilji forces were ambushed in Assam and Ikhtiyar returned to Devkot with about one hundred surviving soldier. Upon Ikhtiyar Khilji's return to India, while he was lying ill at Devkot, he was assassinated by Ali Mardan.[

I was telling the same that Bakhtiar was defeated in Assam. You have to read Burunji of Assam, a historical account.

Here, I don't find any clue about Barisal because this land was not under Muslim control then. Ghoraghat was, it is probably somewhere in Rangpur. Ghoraghat is far away from Barisal.

A little more detail: Bakhtiyra sent one expedition under two brothers Generals Shihabuddin and Shahabuddin to Jaznagar of Orissa with about 5,000 Turkic/ Pathan troops before he left for Assam with 10,000 troops.

People still talk of Tibet. Even Bakhtiyar 800 years ago knew he had to cross the 9 km high Himalayas to reach the barren land called Tibet. Can anyone do it now even with modern planes? So, why do you guys think this stupid account is correct? Even civilian planes of today do not fly over Tibet.

He was defeated in Assam by 50,000 Assamese troops and lost almost all his troops. Please read Assamese Burunji. to get the true picture. Bakhtiar probably did not go even 100 km before he was surrounded by the Assamese and took shelter in a temple.

He destroyed many temples before advancing to Bengal and now it was another Hindu temple that caused his defeat.

 

[R2D2]

Khilji captured Bengalbwith less than 100 soldiers. The people of Bengal were Buddhist. Khilji was camped in the forest. He commanded his troops to drag bushes behind horses. Such a cloud of dust was created that the Bengali King thought a large army had arrived. The King escaped on a horse from his castle. It is a great feat of military strategy,

 

[Destranator]

Khilji captured Bengalbwith less than 100 soldiers. The people of Bengal were Buddhist. Khilji was camped in the forest. He commanded his troops to drag bushes behind horses. Such a cloud of dust was created that the Bengali King thought a large army had arrived. The King escaped on a horse from his castle. It is a great feat of military strategy,

Stupid king should have used thermal imaging.

 

[Bilal9]

Those bowing down are Hindus. Khilji is revered by people of all faiths there.
However, Muslims should keep distance from such colourful decorations of graves. This is one of the dark sides of Sufism.

Yeah nearing shirk actually. But this mazar culture is present all across the subcontinent.

Sufi Saint Salim Chishti's shrine was built by Akbar (he held the saint in very high regard) in Fatehpur Sikri (near Agra) - the city was later abandoned due to lack of water supply.

@Destrnator, you have given another Khaliji Dynastic history (1290 - 1320) of Delhi. and not of Malik Ikhtier-ud-din Bakhtier Khaliji of Bengal who conqured part of Bengal in 1198 or 1202. He was from a Turkic tribe called Khaliji located in Garmshiar of eastern Afghanistan.

After Delhi was captured by Muhammed Ghori in 1192, he appointed Malik Kutub-ud-din Aibek as his viceroy in Delhi. Bakhtiar came to Delhi to seek job as an ordinary Sepoy. He was rejected because he was physically unattractive with a hunch in the back and two long hands, and went to Badayun in Uttar Pradesh and the Nawab there took him in his troops.

His courage in many expeditions caused the Nawab to promote him as a General Commander. He took the initiative to capture Bihar and then afterward Gaur/ Bengal of Raja Laksman Sen.

Although the narrator is talking of the Tibet expedition as we have read in class lll. But, in reality, he attacked Assam with more than 10,000 troops from his native country in the west but was repulsed by the Assamese King originally from Kunming/ China.

Bakhtiar lost almost all his troops and jumped to a river to safety. He was a hero of his time and could not just cope with the setback this time. The dead soldiers' Turkic/ Pathan wives with the children would come out en mass, remove Urni from their hairs, and cry and curse Bakhtiar whenever he was out of his Palace.

He could not take the insults anymore and fell sick mentally and physically. One day, one of his lieutenants named Ali Mardan Khaliji entered his room, moved away the cover of his face to be sure if he was Bakhtiar, and killed him with one stroke of a small sword.

It was probably 1104 or 1105 when he was killed by Ali Mardan. This man would become the 3rd Malik/ King of Bengal after a few years by defeating Malik Shihabuddin who was the 2nd Malik.

But, it is another history/ story.

Here is more history,

Ali Mardan Khalji - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[bluesky]

Khilji captured Bengalbwith less than 100 soldiers. The people of Bengal were Buddhist. Khilji was camped in the forest. He commanded his troops to drag bushes behind horses. Such a cloud of dust was created that the Bengali King thought a large army had arrived. The King escaped on a horse from his castle. It is a great feat of military strategy,

He arrived with a large army. He took 10,000 troops to invade Assam. But, before he left for Assam he sent one expedition of 5,000 troops to invade Jaznagar of Orissa.

And he left many more thousands of troops/ people to protect the land he has already conquered in Bengal and Bihar.

You have to add together to get a glimpse of the number of Turkic and Pathan people he brought during and after the invasion of Gaur/ Bengal.

 

[bluesky]

Yeah nearing shirk actually. But this mazar culture is present all across the subcontinent.

Sufi Saint Salim Chishti's shrine was built by Akbar (he held the saint in very high regard) in Fatehpur Sikri (near Agra) - the city was later abandoned due to lack of water supply.

Here is more history,

Ali Mardan Khalji - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Thanks for the input. But, there is more history also. Please tread below: ​

Career[edit]​

"Ali Mardan Khalji returned to Bengal in 1210 and replaced Iwaz Khalji as the region's governor".

Above is a one-line long career of Ali Mardan Khilji in the link you have given. To me, it is too short a line. I have read about his career after he killed Bakhtiyar in Gaur from a few sources.

Ali Mardan killed his King but could not stay in Gaur. He had to flee with some of his supporters. He fled to Delhi but he was also wanted there. So, he ran away to his native land Garmshiar in Afghanistan.

It was a time of Mongol invasion of the entire Central Asian region led by none other than Chengiz Khan himself. I have read accounts that say that at least 1 Lakh of Afghans were killed by drowning and by swords in Amu Dariya by the merciless troops of Chengiz.

I do not know where is this Amu river. Pakistani brothers know it. The entire river turned red with the blood of the victims.

In one such happening, Ali Mardan was captured by the Chengiz troops. He was not killed because of his Noble background. He paid for his release and recruited a few thousand fighters with whom he moved back to Bengal avoiding Delhi and usurped the throne of Bengal in 1212.

Please note the parallels between the early 1200 history of Bengal and the post-1971 killings in Bangladesh, Bakhtiyar, General Shihabuddin and Ali Mardan with the killing of Mujib, Brigadier Khaled Mosharref, and President Zia.

 

[Bilal9]

Thanks for the input. But, there is more history also. Please tread below: ​

Career[edit]​

"Ali Mardan Khalji returned to Bengal in 1210 and replaced Iwaz Khalji as the region's governor".

Above is a one-line long career of Ali Mardan Khilji in the link you have given. To me, it is too short a line. I have read about his career after he killed Bakhtiyar in Gaur from a few sources.

Ali Mardan killed his King but could not stay in Gaur. He had to flee with some of his supporters. He fled to Delhi but he was also wanted there. So, he ran away to his native land Garmshiar in Afghanistan.

It was a time of Mongol invasion of the entire Central Asian region led by none other than Chengiz Khan himself. I have read accounts that say that at least 1 Lakh of Afghans were killed by drowning and by swords in Amu Dariya by the merciless troops of Chengiz.

I do not know where is this Amu river. Pakistani brothers know it. The entire river turned red with the blood of the victims.

In one such happening, Ali Mardan was captured by the Chengiz troops. He was not killed because of his Noble background. He paid for his release and recruited a few thousand fighters with whom he moved back to Bengal avoiding Delhi and usurped the throne of Bengal in 1212.

Please note the parallels between the early 1200 history of Bengal and the post-1971 killings in Bangladesh, Bakhtiyar, General Shihabuddin and Ali Mardan with the killing of Mujib, Brigadier Khaled Mosharref, and President Zia.

There was regicide in all periods in pre-Mughal East Bengal (mostly Turkmen folks from Eastern Afghanistan areas). These folks were mercenaries who found local Hindu Kings easy subjects of defeat, hence had a lucrative greenfield situation locally as the area boasted rich tax proceeds from agriculture and textile business among other trades.

However greed caused high stakes regicides.

Children killed their own fathers, stepmoms killed kids or banished them, I guess this is the story of EU as well in the middle ages....

Amu Darya and Syr Darya are two famous rivers in Central Asia, which provides great agriculture in their watershed regions.

 

[bluesky]

There was regicide in all periods in pre-Mughal East Bengal (mostly Turkmen folks from Eastern Afghanistan areas). These folks were mercenaries who found local Hindu Kings easy subjects of defeat, hence had a lucrative greenfield situation locally as the area boasted rich tax proceeds from agriculture and textile business among other trades.

However greed caused high stakes regicides.

Children killed their own fathers, stepmoms killed kids or banished them, I guess this is the story of EU as well in the middle ages....

Amu Darya and Syr Darya are two famous rivers in Central Asia, which provides great agriculture in their watershed regions.

You are completely wrong about the Mughal war policy against a free Sultanate of Bengal after the rise of Sher Shah Suri in 1539 in Delhi. He occupied the throne of Bengal in 1537 (?) before taking over Delhi.

Humayun fled to Iran and came back and recaptured Delhi after he defeated Adel Shah in the 2nd Battle of Panipath in 1552. Adel Shah was the maternal uncle of child Emperor Islam Shah Suri (?) whom he killed.

Long story short, the Pathan forces defeated in 1526 and again in 1552 vacated north India and had domiciled in Bengal.

Emperor Akber started his very long 30-year war against the Bengal Pathan/ Muslim forces led first by Sultan Solaiman Khan Karani and by Isa Khan afterward.

It started in 1576 and ended in 1605 when Jahangir was the Emperor. His forces defeated Pathan Feudal Lord Khawaja Osman Khan in the battle of Uhar in the present-day Mymensingh.

After this event, Bengal was completely subjugated by the Delhi Mughal Dynasty. But, it took 30 years to do so.

 

[Bilal9]

You are completely wrong about the Mughal war policy against a free Sultanate of Bengal after the rise of Sher Shah Suri in 1539 in Delhi. He occupied the throne of Bengal in 1537 (?) before taking over Delhi.

Humayun fled to Iran and came back and recaptured Delhi after he defeated Adel Shah in the 2nd Battle of Panipath in 1552. Adel Shah was the maternal uncle of child Emperor Islam Shah Suri (?) whom he killed.

Long story short, the Pathan forces defeated in 1526 by Baber vacated north India and had domiciled in Bengal.

Emperor Akber started his very long 30-year war against the Bengal Pathan/ Muslim forces led first by Sultan Solaiman Khan Karani and by Isa Khan afterward.

It started in 1576 and finished in 1605 when Jahangir was the Emperor. His forces defeated Pathan Feudal Lord Khawaja Osman Khan in the battle of Uhar in the present-day Mymensingh.

After this event, Bengal was completely subjugated by the Delhi Mughal Dynasty. But, it took 30 years to do so.

You're correct. There is a lot of misinformation floating around about pre and post Mughal leadership in East Bengal.

Honestly I could care less about this as it really does not really affect anything today.

But yes - we should all ensure that history is recorded accurately.

If Wiki is not correct then what would be the correct source(s) for the accurate history you describe and prefer?

 

[bluesky]

You're correct. There is a lot of misinformation floating around about pre and post Mughal leadership in East Bengal.

Honestly I could care less about this as it really does not really affect anything today.

But yes - we should all ensure that history is recorded accurately.

If Wiki is not correct then what would be the correct source(s) for the accurate history you describe and prefer?

To get correct history, people should read histories written in Persian translated into Bengali/ English. Wiki has no single writer. Many people contribute. But, many do not have access to original translations and they write false history.

This false writing is more done by Dhaka historians who do not have access to the original history books. Many do not even know the names of those books. Kolkata has many translated books. One should visit the Asiatic Society there.

There are hundreds of falsifications. One is Bakhtiyar's Tibet invasion. It is just false but still today, our people are taught this. How it was possible when even a plane today avoid the Himalayas? He invaded the western part of Assam and was utterly defeated.

One should read the Assamese Burunji written in Assam to know this.

By the way, people can treat me as an amateur historian, probably better than Professor K. Ali. But, I do not remember many facts now because I do not read the chronicles nowadays. I write from the memory.

 

[bluesky]

Showing respect is one thing but bowing down to a human is another, yes that human can be a great man, or warrior or savior but still there is no greater human being that ever walk this earth than Muhammad PBUH, after him there are many prophets who were extra ordinary human beings and yet we/their nations did not bow to them, show respect but does not fall into the shirk, but that is for us (Muslims) Hindu's do Shirk, their entire religion is based on Shirk so there is that.


How do you want to thank a Doctor for saving your life ? kiss his feet ? you think Muslim don't thank their doctors or people who saved their loved ones ? we do, its just we don't give credit to just the Doctor but to our creator as well, because without his help no doctor or anyone can save you, that is where faith comes into play, I believe that it is Allah that does everything, humans are just the means, If i am hungry it is Allah who feed me, he just make another human mean to provide food to me, if I am sick it is Allah who cures me, he only make Doctor means of helping me. But yes if by thanking a doctor means kissing his feet, doing Sajdah to him/her, elevate him/her to a status of a demi God than no, No Muslim would ever do that, nor we are allowed to do so.


You need to study Islam from the basics, if you are not Muslim and are interested I highly recommend, Allah knows and does everything, humans are just means of helping one another, Allah cause disease to happen and it is him who also cures it if he wills, he is all powerful and all knowing. You see Doctor because Allah is not a Doctor or Surgeon, he will not personally perform a surgery on you to be cured, but he will make a human being help you instead and than he waits for you to thank him, often times people thank Doctors, Police ,rescue workers , NGO's or person who donate but we as humans hardly Thank our creator for everything, because we are humans and short sighted, there is a whole life after one is dead and for that eternal life you need to have faith, yes thanking other human beings are good, be grateful to those who help you, also don't forget the power that enable that human to help you in the first place.

Better, Muslims mind their own individual businesses and refrain from poking into other people’s matters even if the other guy is a Muslim.

It is only the Muslims who keep on putting vigilance over others. All other communities are so different!!

 

[bluesky]

This thing I ahve been reading since I was a class lll student. It is a fiction mostly written by Muslim zealots at a later time to champ over the local Hindu warriors.

Because it is written in print, people usually believe the account. Please read some authentic history books.

1) Tabaqat-i-Nasiri: Minhaj-i-Siraj wrote his history only after a few years after Bakhtiyar took hold of Gaur. There was not yet a word called Bengal. It was Gaur Kingdom.
2) History of Bengal: Charles Stewart. He wrote of 10,000 to 12,000 troops.
3) History of Bangalah: Bucannan. He also wrote of 12,000 troops.
4) Many others were also written with reference to the book written by Minhaj
5) Kopal kundala: Bankim chandra. It is a Novel but the time period was when Bakhtiyar attacked Nabadwip. Bankim wrote of 12,000 troops.

However, note that whatever was the size of Bakhtiyar army, there was no great war. Raja Laksman Sen was and was spending time on prayers in Navadwip. Crown Prince Bisseswar (বিশ্বেশ্বর) was administering the country on his behalf in Gaur.

Raja Laksman Sen vacated his Palace and went to the other side of Padma in Bikrampur. The Crown Prince followed him there. This family ruled over this part of Bengal for more than a century.

When Sultan Ghiyasuddin Tughlak arrived in Bengal to fight Malik Tughril who rebelled against Delhi. Tughril was his adoptive son, Sen Dynasty was in Bikrampur ruling the other part of Bengal.

 

[bluesky]

Below is the ruin of the famous Palace (now known as Nouda Burj in Chapai Nawabganj) of Raja Laksman Sen that Bkhtiyar Khaliji invaded in 1202 and occupied.

Though the video commentator says it was Raja's Capital city, it is not true. Raja Laksman Sen used to live in this temple City in his old age, and the Crown Prince Biswesshor (বিশ্বেশ্বর) Sen ruled the Kingdom on his behalf sitting in the Capital Lokkhonaboti (লক্ষণাবতী) also in Chapai Nawabganj.

Please note that the Muslim foreign settlers could not properly pronounce Lokkhonaboti and it changed to Lukhnouti. Of course, the name Bengal was not yet used then.

Raja fled the Palace and Biswessor also fled from the Capital. This Dynasty ruled over half of Bengal from its new Capital in Bikrampur for about 100 years.