Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah
Encyclopedia
Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah was an independent ruler of Bengal
, who became the sultan of the kingdom of Lakhnauti in 1342 and after conquering the kingdom of Sonargoan in 1352, he became the sole ruler of whole Bengal and thus he became the founder of a sultanate of the unified Bengal. He founded the Ilyas Shahi dynasty
which ruled Bengal for 73 years (1342–1415) and after a gap of 20 years (1415–1435) the dynasty again ruled Bengal for 52 years (1435–1487). Ilyas Shah was succeeded by his son Sikandar Shah
.
but facing problems he escaped to Bengal
. Then Ilyas started working under Ijjuddin Yahya, the provincial governor of Satgaon under the Delhi Sultanate. In 1338, after Ijjuddin Yahya's death, Ilyas Shah took control of Satgaon, which became independent from the Delhi Sultanate under him. Consolidating his authority at Satgaon, he waged a long drawn war (1339–1342) against Sultan Alauddin Ali Shah
of Lakhnauti and after defeating him, Ilyas Shah ascended the throne of Lakhnauti in 1342 under the title of Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah.
region and raided Nepal
. He advanced as far as the capital Kathmandu following the Dudh Koshi river, destroyed the Swayambhunath
temple there and returned with a huge booty.He is said to have destroyed the Lichchhavi palaces of Managriha and Kailashkuta.He also damaged all the temples in the Kathmandu valley except the Changu Narayan Temple which he could not locate as it lies some hills away from Kathmandu. He returned after 3 days of looting and burning. Next, he invaded Orissa
. Due to the weakness of Bhanudeva II, the Eastern Ganga dynasty
ruler, he could advance through Jajpur and Katak
as far as the Chilika Lake and returned with an immense booty which included forty-four elephants. Finally he led a campaign against Sultan Ikhtiyaruddin Ghazi Shah, the ruler of Sonargaon
and annexed his dominions after defeating him in 1352. Thus he became the sole ruler of the whole Bengal. Towards the end of his reign, he also led a successful campaign against Kamarupa (present-day Assam
).
of Delhi led a formidable army against Bengal
. His army marched direct to Pandua
. Unable to resist the army, Ilyas evacuated Pandua
and took shelter in the fortress city of Ekdala. Sultan Firuz
occupied Pandua
without any opposition. Next, Sultan Firuz
marched to Ekdala. Unable to capture the fort by assault, Sultan Firuz
laid a siege. After continuing for two months, he raised the siege. Ilyas pursued Firuz
's troops with his entire army. Firuz
's army fought back with Ilyas' army. The battle probably ended in the discomfiture of Ilyas' army. According to Yahya Sirhindi, after staying two days in the battlefield, Sultan Firuz
made his way to Delhi
on the third day. After he left for Delhi in September 1355, Ilyas re-occupied Pandua
and re-established his authority up to the banks of the Koshi River
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...
, who became the sultan of the kingdom of Lakhnauti in 1342 and after conquering the kingdom of Sonargoan in 1352, he became the sole ruler of whole Bengal and thus he became the founder of a sultanate of the unified Bengal. He founded the Ilyas Shahi dynasty
Ilyas Shahi dynasty
Ilyas dynasty or Iliyas dynasty or Iliyas Shahi dynasty was the first independent ruling dynasty in late medieval Bengal, which ruled from the 14th century to the 15th century. The dynasty was founded by Ilyas Shah , who succeeded to achieve the political unity of Bengal...
which ruled Bengal for 73 years (1342–1415) and after a gap of 20 years (1415–1435) the dynasty again ruled Bengal for 52 years (1435–1487). Ilyas Shah was succeeded by his son Sikandar Shah
Sikandar Shah
Sikandar Shah was the second Sultan of the Ilyas dynasty of Bengal. He succeeded his father Ilyas Shah. He built the celebrated Adina Mosque in Pandua in 1368.-Second campaign of Firuz Shah Tughluq:...
.
Early life
He worked under the service of DelhiDelhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
but facing problems he escaped to 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...
. Then Ilyas started working under Ijjuddin Yahya, the provincial governor of Satgaon under the Delhi Sultanate. In 1338, after Ijjuddin Yahya's death, Ilyas Shah took control of Satgaon, which became independent from the Delhi Sultanate under him. Consolidating his authority at Satgaon, he waged a long drawn war (1339–1342) against Sultan Alauddin Ali Shah
Alauddin Ali Shah
Alauddin Ali Shah was an independent ruler of Lakhnauti, the old capital of Bengal.-History:...
of Lakhnauti and after defeating him, Ilyas Shah ascended the throne of Lakhnauti in 1342 under the title of Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah.
Sultan of the unified Bengal
During the early period of his reign, he occupied TirhutTirhut
Historically Tirhut refers to the Indo-Gangetic plains lying north of the Ganges River, in the Indian state of Bihar. The geographical area known as Tirhut corresponds to the ancient region of Mithila. Tirhut, a densely populated area of India, has alluvial plains and several rivers pass through...
region and raided Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
. He advanced as far as the capital Kathmandu following the Dudh Koshi river, destroyed the Swayambhunath
Swayambhunath
Swayambhunath is an ancient religious complex atop a hill in the Kathmandu Valley, west of Kathmandu city. It is also known as the Monkey Temple as there are holy monkeys living in parts of the temple in the north-west...
temple there and returned with a huge booty.He is said to have destroyed the Lichchhavi palaces of Managriha and Kailashkuta.He also damaged all the temples in the Kathmandu valley except the Changu Narayan Temple which he could not locate as it lies some hills away from Kathmandu. He returned after 3 days of looting and burning. Next, he invaded 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...
. Due to the weakness of Bhanudeva II, the Eastern Ganga dynasty
Eastern Ganga dynasty
The Eastern Ganga dynasty reigned from Kalinga and their rule consisted of the whole of the modern day Indian state of Orissa as well as parts of West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh from the 11th century to the early 15th century. Their capital was known by the name Kalinganagar, which is...
ruler, he could advance through Jajpur and Katak
Cuttack
Cuttack is the former capital of the state of Orissa, India. It is the headquarters of Cuttack district and is located about 20 km to the north east of Bhubaneswar, the capital of Orissa. The name of the city is an anglicised form of Kataka that literally means The Fort, a reference to the...
as far as the Chilika Lake and returned with an immense booty which included forty-four elephants. Finally he led a campaign against Sultan Ikhtiyaruddin Ghazi Shah, the ruler of 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....
and annexed his dominions after defeating him in 1352. Thus he became the sole ruler of the whole Bengal. Towards the end of his reign, he also led a successful campaign against Kamarupa (present-day Assam
Assam
Assam , also, rarely, Assam Valley and formerly the Assam Province , is a northeastern state of India and is one of the most culturally and geographically distinct regions of the country...
).
Campaign of Sultan Firuz Shah Tughluq
In November, 1353 Sultan Firuz Shah TughluqFiruz Shah Tughluq
-External links:*...
of Delhi led a formidable army against 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...
. His army marched direct to Pandua
Pandua
Pandua or Hazrat Pandua or Firuzabad is a historical city, presently lying in the ruined condition in Malda district of the Indian state of West Bengal. Pandua is now almost synonymously known as Adina, a small town located about 18 km North of Malda Town.The city was probably founded by...
. Unable to resist the army, Ilyas evacuated Pandua
Pandua
Pandua or Hazrat Pandua or Firuzabad is a historical city, presently lying in the ruined condition in Malda district of the Indian state of West Bengal. Pandua is now almost synonymously known as Adina, a small town located about 18 km North of Malda Town.The city was probably founded by...
and took shelter in the fortress city of Ekdala. Sultan Firuz
Firuz Shah Tughluq
-External links:*...
occupied Pandua
Pandua
Pandua or Hazrat Pandua or Firuzabad is a historical city, presently lying in the ruined condition in Malda district of the Indian state of West Bengal. Pandua is now almost synonymously known as Adina, a small town located about 18 km North of Malda Town.The city was probably founded by...
without any opposition. Next, Sultan Firuz
Firuz Shah Tughluq
-External links:*...
marched to Ekdala. Unable to capture the fort by assault, Sultan Firuz
Firuz Shah Tughluq
-External links:*...
laid a siege. After continuing for two months, he raised the siege. Ilyas pursued Firuz
Firuz Shah Tughluq
-External links:*...
's troops with his entire army. Firuz
Firuz Shah Tughluq
-External links:*...
's army fought back with Ilyas' army. The battle probably ended in the discomfiture of Ilyas' army. According to Yahya Sirhindi, after staying two days in the battlefield, Sultan Firuz
Firuz Shah Tughluq
-External links:*...
made his way to Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
on the third day. After he left for Delhi in September 1355, Ilyas re-occupied Pandua
Pandua
Pandua or Hazrat Pandua or Firuzabad is a historical city, presently lying in the ruined condition in Malda district of the Indian state of West Bengal. Pandua is now almost synonymously known as Adina, a small town located about 18 km North of Malda Town.The city was probably founded by...
and re-established his authority up to the banks of the Koshi River
Koshi River
The Kosi River or Koshi —also Saptakoshi for its seven Himalayan tributaries—is a trans-boundary river flowing through Nepal and India. Some of the rivers of the Koshi system, such as the Arun, the Sun Kosi and the Bhote Koshi, originate in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China...
See also
- Ilyas Shahi dynastyIlyas Shahi dynastyIlyas dynasty or Iliyas dynasty or Iliyas Shahi dynasty was the first independent ruling dynasty in late medieval Bengal, which ruled from the 14th century to the 15th century. The dynasty was founded by Ilyas Shah , who succeeded to achieve the political unity of Bengal...
- List of rulers of Bengal
- History of BengalHistory of BengalThe history of Bengal includes modern day Bangladesh and West Bengal, dates back four millennia. To some extent, the Ganges and the Brahmaputra rivers separated it from the mainland of India, though at times, Bengal has played an important role in the history of India.- Etymology :The exact origin...
- History of BangladeshHistory of BangladeshThe history of Bangladesh as a nation state began in 1971, when it seceded from Pakistan. Prior to the creation of Pakistan in 1947, modern-day Bangladesh was part of ancient, classical, medieval and colonial India....
- History of IndiaHistory of IndiaThe history of India begins with evidence of human activity of Homo sapiens as long as 75,000 years ago, or with earlier hominids including Homo erectus from about 500,000 years ago. The Indus Valley Civilization, which spread and flourished in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent from...