Bengal Subah
Encyclopedia
Bengal Subah or Subah-i-Bangalah was one of the subah
s (provinces) of the Mughal Empire
from 1574 to 1757. On 25 September 1574 Munim Khan
, the commander of the Mughal army occupied Tanda, the capital of the last Afghan ruler of Bengal
Daud Khan Karrani. It ushered in the Mughal rule in Bengal. In 1713 Murshid Quli Khan
became the naib nazim (deputy subahdar) of Bengal. In 1717, he became its subahdar
or nazim (governor) and Bengal became completely independent of imperial control. Subsequent to the defeat of the last independent nazim
Siraj ud-Daulah
in the Battle of Plassey
on 23 June 1757 and his death on 2 July 1757, Bengal was brought under the control of the British East India Company
. The successors of Siraj ud-Daulah were merely puppets of the East India Company.
s (districts), which included 19 sarkars of Bengal proper and 5 sarkars of Orissa
. In 1607, during the reign of Jahangir
Orissa became a separate Subah. These 19 sarkars were further divided into 682 pargana
s. In 1658, subsequent to the revenue settlement by Shah Shuja
, 15 new sarkars and 361 new parganas were added. In 1722, Murshid Quli Khan
divided the whole Subah into 13 chakalahs, which were further divided into 1660 parganas.
Initially the capital of the Subah was Tanda. On 9 November 1595, the foundations of a new capital were laid at Rajmahal
by Man Singh I who renamed it Akbarnagar. In 1610 the capital was shifted from Rajmahal to Dhaka
and it was renamed Jahangirnagar. In 1639, Shah Shuja again shifted the capital to Rajmahal. In 1660, Muazzam Khan (Mir Jumla)
again shifted the capital to Dhaka. In 1703, Murshid Quli Khan
, then diwan (chief revenue officer) of Bengal shifted his office from Dhaka to Maqsudabad and later renamed it Murshidabad
.
The sarkars (districts) and the parganas (tehsil
s) of Bengal Subah were:
s or nazims (provincial governors) of Bengal Subah from 1574-1757:
Subah
A Subah was a province of the Mughal Empire in South Asia. The governor of a subah was known as a subahdar, which later became subedar to refer to an officer in the Indian Army...
s (provinces) of the Mughal Empire
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
from 1574 to 1757. On 25 September 1574 Munim Khan
Munim Khan
Munim Khan Khan-i-Khanan was a Mughal general under both emperors Humayun and Akbar. He was titled Khan-i-Khanan when Akbar appointed him as Vakil . Then in 1564 he became the Subahdar of Jaunpur. He also served as the governor of Bengal and Bihar during 1574–1575.-Origin:His ancestors were from...
, the commander of the Mughal army occupied Tanda, the capital of the last Afghan ruler of Bengal
Bengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
Daud Khan Karrani. It ushered in the Mughal rule in Bengal. In 1713 Murshid Quli Khan
Murshid Quli Khan
Murshid Quli Khan was the first Nawab of Bengal. In fact circumstances resulted in his being the first independent ruler of Bengal post the death of Emperor Aurangzeb...
became the naib nazim (deputy subahdar) of Bengal. In 1717, he became its subahdar
Subahdar
Subahdar was one of the designations of a governor of a Subah during the Mughal era of India who was alternately designated as Sahib-i-Subah or Nazim. The word, Subahdar is of Persian origin...
or nazim (governor) and Bengal became completely independent of imperial control. Subsequent to the defeat of the last independent nazim
Nawab of Bengal
The Nawabs of Bengal were the hereditary nazims or subadars of the subah of Bengal during the Mughal rule and the de-facto rulers of the province.-History:...
Siraj ud-Daulah
Siraj ud-Daulah
Mîrzâ Muhammad Sirâj-ud-Daulah , more commonly known as Siraj ud-Daulah , was the last independent Nawab of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa. The end of his reign marks the start of British East India Company rule over Bengal and later almost all of South Asia...
in the Battle of Plassey
Battle of Plassey
The Battle of Plassey , 23 June 1757, was a decisive British East India Company victory over the Nawab of Bengal and his French allies, establishing Company rule in South Asia which expanded over much of the Indies for the next hundred years...
on 23 June 1757 and his death on 2 July 1757, Bengal was brought under the control of the British East India Company
British East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
. The successors of Siraj ud-Daulah were merely puppets of the East India Company.
Administrative divisions
In the revenue settlement by Todar Mal in 1582, Bengal Subah was divided into 24 sarkarSarkar
Sarkar may refer to:*Government in Urdu/Persian/Hindi/Bengali*Sarkar *Sarkar, a title initially used in the Mughal period to denote persons of political authority-Sarkar film series:...
s (districts), which included 19 sarkars of Bengal proper and 5 sarkars of Orissa
Orissa
Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...
. In 1607, during the reign of Jahangir
Jahangir
Jahangir was the ruler of the Mughal Empire from 1605 until his death. The name Jahangir is from Persian جهانگیر,meaning "Conqueror of the World"...
Orissa became a separate Subah. These 19 sarkars were further divided into 682 pargana
Pargana
A pargana is a former administrative unit of the Indian subcontinent, used primarily, but not exclusively, by the Muslim kingdoms.Parganas were introduced by the Delhi Sultanate, and the word is of Persian origin. As a revenue unit, a pargana consists of several mouzas, which are the smallest...
s. In 1658, subsequent to the revenue settlement by Shah Shuja
Shah Shuja
Shāh Shujā was the second son of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan and empress Mumtaz Mahal.-Governor of Bengal:Emperor Shah Jahan appointed Shah Shuja as the Subahdar or governor of Bengal in 1639. In 1642, Shuja was also given the charge of the province of Orissa. He ruled the provinces for more...
, 15 new sarkars and 361 new parganas were added. In 1722, Murshid Quli Khan
Murshid Quli Khan
Murshid Quli Khan was the first Nawab of Bengal. In fact circumstances resulted in his being the first independent ruler of Bengal post the death of Emperor Aurangzeb...
divided the whole Subah into 13 chakalahs, which were further divided into 1660 parganas.
Initially the capital of the Subah was Tanda. On 9 November 1595, the foundations of a new capital were laid at Rajmahal
Rajmahal
Rajmahal is a city and a notified area in Sahibganj district in the Indian state of Jharkhand. Rajmahal is the only sub-divisional town in Sahibganj district. It is one of the most historic place in Jharkhand...
by Man Singh I who renamed it Akbarnagar. In 1610 the capital was shifted from Rajmahal to Dhaka
Dhaka
Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh and the principal city of Dhaka Division. Dhaka is a megacity and one of the major cities of South Asia. Located on the banks of the Buriganga River, Dhaka, along with its metropolitan area, had a population of over 15 million in 2010, making it the largest city...
and it was renamed Jahangirnagar. In 1639, Shah Shuja again shifted the capital to Rajmahal. In 1660, Muazzam Khan (Mir Jumla)
Mir Jumla II
Mir Jumla II was a prominent subahdar of Bengal in Eastern India under the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. An Iranian by birth, his original name was Mir Muhammad Saeed Ardestani...
again shifted the capital to Dhaka. In 1703, Murshid Quli Khan
Murshid Quli Khan
Murshid Quli Khan was the first Nawab of Bengal. In fact circumstances resulted in his being the first independent ruler of Bengal post the death of Emperor Aurangzeb...
, then diwan (chief revenue officer) of Bengal shifted his office from Dhaka to Maqsudabad and later renamed it Murshidabad
Murshidabad
Murshidabad is a city in Murshidabad district of West Bengal state in India. The city of Murshidabad is located on the southern bank of the Bhagirathi, a distributary of the Ganges River. It was the capital of undivided Bengal during the Mughal rule. Nawabs of Bengal used to rule Bengal from this...
.
The sarkars (districts) and the parganas (tehsil
Tehsil
A Tehsil or Tahsil/Tahasil , also known as Taluk and Mandal, is an administrative division of some country/countries of South Asia....
s) of Bengal Subah were:
| Sarkar | Pargana |
|---|---|
| Udamabar (Tanda) | 52 parganas |
| Jannatabad (Lakhnauti) Gaur, West Bengal Gour, or Gaur , as it is spelt mostly in modern times, or Lakhnauti is a ruined city, in the Malda district of West Bengal, India, on the west bank of the Ganges river, 40 kilometers downstream from Rajmahal.-History:... |
66 parganas |
| Fathabad | 31 parganas |
| Mahmudabad | 88 parganas |
| Khalifatabad | 35 parganas |
| Bakla | 4 parganas |
| Purniyah Purnia Purnia is a city and a Municipal Corporation in Purnia district of the Indian state of Bihar. It is located 400 km from Patna.The Indian army, Border Security Force ,and the SSB and the have bases around the city... |
9 parganas |
| Tajpur | 29 parganas |
| Ghoraghat | 84 parganas |
| Pinjarah | 21 parganas |
| Barbakabad | 38 parganas |
| Bazuha | 32 parganas |
| Sonargaon Sonargaon Sonargaon is the ancient capital of Isa Khan's kingdom in Bengal. It is located near the current-day city of Narayanganj, Bangladesh.... |
52 parganas |
| Sylhet Sylhet Sylhet , is a major city in north-eastern Bangladesh. It is the main city of Sylhet Division and Sylhet District, and was granted metropolitan city status in March 2009. Sylhet is located on the banks of the Surma Valley and is surrounded by the Jaintia, Khasi and Tripura hills... |
8 parganas |
| Chittagong Chittagong Chittagong ) is a city in southeastern Bangladesh and the capital of an eponymous district and division. Built on the banks of the Karnaphuli River, the city is home to Bangladesh's busiest seaport and has a population of over 4.5 million, making it the second largest city in the country.A trading... |
7 parganas |
| Sharifabad | 26 parganas |
| Sulaimanabad Jamalpur, Bardhaman Jamalpur is an administrative division in Bardhaman Sadar South subdivision of Bardhaman district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Jamalpur police station serves this block... |
31 parganas |
| Satgaon | 53 parganas |
| Mandaran | 16 parganas |
List of Subahdars
Following is the list of subahdarSubahdar
Subahdar was one of the designations of a governor of a Subah during the Mughal era of India who was alternately designated as Sahib-i-Subah or Nazim. The word, Subahdar is of Persian origin...
s or nazims (provincial governors) of Bengal Subah from 1574-1757:
| Name | From | To |
|---|---|---|
| Munim Khan Munim Khan Munim Khan Khan-i-Khanan was a Mughal general under both emperors Humayun and Akbar. He was titled Khan-i-Khanan when Akbar appointed him as Vakil . Then in 1564 he became the Subahdar of Jaunpur. He also served as the governor of Bengal and Bihar during 1574–1575.-Origin:His ancestors were from... |
25 September 1574 | 23 October 1575 |
| Husain Quli Beg Khan Jahan I Hussain Quli Beg was a Mughal General with the rank of 5000. He was entitled as Khan-i-Jahan by emperor Akbar.-Early Life:... |
15 November 1575 | 19 December 1578 |
| Muzaffar Khan Turbati | 1579 | 1580 |
| Mirza Aziz Koka | 1582 | 1583 |
| Shahbaz Khan | 18 May 1583 | 1585 |
| Sadiq Khan | 1585 | 1586 |
| Wazir Khan | 1586 | 1587 |
| Said Khan | 1587 | 1594 |
| Man Singh | 4 June 1594 | 1606 |
| Qutb ud-Din Khan Koka | 2 September 1606 | May 1607 |
| Jahangir Quli Beg | 1607 | 1608 |
| Islam Khan Chishti Islam Khan I Shaikh Alauddin Chisti was a Subahdar and general of the army of the Mughal empire in Bengal, and the first governor of the city of Dhaka, the capital of modern Bangladesh... |
June 1608 | 1613 |
| Qasim Khan Chishti | 1613 | 1617 |
| Ibrahim Khan | 1617 | 1624 |
| Mahabat Khan Mahabat Khan Mahabat Khan , was a prominent Mughal general and statesman, perhaps best known for his coup against the Mughal Emperor Jahangir in 1626.... |
1625 | 1626 |
| Mukarram Khan | 1626 | 1627 |
| Fidai Khan | 1627 | 1628 |
| Qasim Khan Juyini Qasim Khan Juvayni Qasim Khan Juvayni Nawab was a Mughal general and nobleman of the court of both of the Mughal emperors Jahangir and Shah Jahan and held the rank of 5,000. He also served as the governor of Bengal succeeding Fidai Khan.-Early life:... |
1628 | 1632 |
| Azam Khan Mir Muhammad Baqar | 1632 | 1635 |
| Islam Khan Mashhadi Islam Khan II Islam Khan Mashadi was the Subahdar of Bengal. His original name was Mir Abdus Salam.-History:In 1639, soon after the Assam-Mughal and Arakan-Mughal battles, Islam Khan Mashhadi was recalled to Delhi to assume the post of Wazir . Prince Shah Shuja succeeded him as the new governor of Bengal.... |
1635 | 1639 |
| Shah Shuja | 1639 | 1660 |
| Muazzam Khan (Mir Jumla) Mir Jumla II Mir Jumla II was a prominent subahdar of Bengal in Eastern India under the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. An Iranian by birth, his original name was Mir Muhammad Saeed Ardestani... |
May 1660 | 30 March 1663 |
| Shaista Khan Shaista Khan Mirza Abu Talib, better known by his title Shaista Khan , was a Subahdar and general in the army of the Mughal Empire. A maternal uncle to Emperor Aurangzeb, he served as the Mughal governor of Bengal from 1664 to 1688, and was a key figure during the rule of his nephew, the emperor... |
March 1664 | 1678 |
| Fidai Khan (Azam Khan Koka) | 1678 | 1678 |
| Muhammad Azam | 1678 | 1679 |
| Shaista Khan (2nd term) | 1679 | 1688 |
| Khan-i-Jahan Bahadur Khan | 1688 | 1689 |
| Ibrahim Khan | 1689 | 1697 |
| Azim-us-Shan | 1697 | 1712 |
| Khan-i-Jahan | 1712 | 1713 |
| Farkhunda Siyar (in absentia) | February 1713 | May 1713 |
| Muzaffar Jang Mir Jumla (in absentia) | 1713 | 1716 |
| Murshid Quli Khan Murshid Quli Khan Murshid Quli Khan was the first Nawab of Bengal. In fact circumstances resulted in his being the first independent ruler of Bengal post the death of Emperor Aurangzeb... |
1717 | 1727 |
| Shuja-ud-Din Muhammad Khan Shuja-ud-Din Muhammad Khan Shuja-ud-Din Muhammad Khan was the second Nawab of Bengal. He married Zainab un-nisa Begum, the daughter of Murshid Quli Khan and after the death of his father-in-law on June 30, 1727, he became the Nawab Nazim of Bengal Subah .-Early life:Born at Burhanpur, Deccan, as Mirza Shuja ud-din Muhammad... |
1727 | 1739 |
| Sarfaraz Khan Sarfraz Khan -Early life:Born Mirza Asadullah, sometime after 1700, he ascended as the Nawab of Bengal under the title Mutaman ul-Mulk, Ala ud-Daula, Nawab Sarfaraz Khan Bahadur, Haidar Jang [Mirza Asadullah], Nawab Nazim of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa... |
1739 | 1740 |
| Alivardi Khan Alivardi Khan Ali Vardi Khan was the Nawab of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa during 1740 - 1756. He toppled the Nasiri Dynasty of Bengal and took power as Nawab.-Early life:... |
1740 | 1756 |
| Siraj ud-Daulah Siraj ud-Daulah Mîrzâ Muhammad Sirâj-ud-Daulah , more commonly known as Siraj ud-Daulah , was the last independent Nawab of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa. The end of his reign marks the start of British East India Company rule over Bengal and later almost all of South Asia... |
1756 | 2 July 1757 |