History of Chittagong District of Bangladesh
Buzurg Umed Khan. Great hero of Chittagong recovery!
As an integral part of Bangladesh and as the commercial and spiritual city of the country, Chittagong is known all over the world today. But if a person did not come, this Chittagong could not have been included in Bangladesh. And that person is the son of The Mughal Subadar Shaista Khan, buzurg Umed Khan, the great hero of the Conquest of Chittagong!
In a complex political juncture by removing the Sultans of Bengal, the Maghs were established in Chittagong for about a hundred years in the Middle Ages! Extending from the Feni River to the whole of Arakan, this state is known to us in the language of literature as "Mugher Mulluk". (That is to say, you can understand what happened to The Magh-dominated Chittagong then!) And these oppressive Maghs were removed from Chittagong by the Mughal commander Buzurg Umed Khan!
On January 27, 1666, chittagong became part of Bangladesh (then Suba Bangla), since then Chittagong has never been outside the administrative and political purview of Bengal. Whenever there was no rule of Mughal, British, Pakistani, independent Bangladesh, in this land, Chittagong was always with Bengal, as the gateway to Bengal!
But before the conquest of Chittagong by Buzurg Umed Khan, this land was sometimes under the control of the King of Magh and sometimes the King of Tripura in addition to Bengal. Shaista Khan's son Buzurg Umed Khan expelled the oppressive rulers from this land in such a way that the neighboring states did not have the audacity to separate Chittagong from Bengal.
1) Even before the victory of Buzurg Umed Khan, Chittagong was included in Bengal twice, but those victories did not last long!
History of the conquest of Chittagong for the first time
Chittagong first came under greater Bengal in 1340 during the reign of Fakhruddin Mubarak Shah. The legendary Badar Pir of Chittagong also accompanied the Sultan in this conquest. In 1346, the famous tourist Ibn Battuta entered Bangladesh through this Chittagong. In his travelogue, he described Chittagong as a beautiful city included in the Sultanate of Bengal.
History of the conquest of Chittagong for the second time
After nearly 200 years of Muslim rule, Chittagong again lost to Bengal in 1513. Chittagong was occupied by the neighboring State of Tripura during the reign of Alauddin Hussain Shah, the Sultan of The Hussain Shahi dynasty.
However, this occupation of Tripura did not last long. Chittagong was soon conquered (Fateh) by Sultan Nasrat Shah, son of Sultan Alauddin Hussain Shah. After conquering Chittagong, the Sultan named the area "Fatehabad". Today, the Fatehabad area adjacent to Chittagong University holds the memory of Sultan Nasrat Shah. Located five kilometers away from Chittagong University, the Bara Dighi excavated by Nasrat Shah (the name of the place is named after that dighi is the bank of Baradighi) and The Sultan Nasrat Shah Mosque continue to exist today.
Although Sultan Nasrat Shah conquered Chittagong from tripuraraj, this victory was not sustainable. However, after the death of the Sultan, Chittagong remained with Bengal for another fifty years. But the sultans of Bengal continued to clash with the regular Arakan raj over the occupation of Chittagong.
In 1581, the Arakan king was able to reduce the dominance of Bengal and fully incorporate Chittagong into Arakan. The holy land of Baro Auliya, the Queen of Bengal, Chittagong becomes the sanctuary of Arakan Mogh and Portuguese pirates (Firingi)! Mogh - The Portuguese Alliance made the public life of the whole of Bhati Bengal terrible. This Mog and Harmad group used to carry out piracy and plunder in the vast land of the meghna river coast, based on Chittagong!
2) The occasion of the conquest of Chittagong was created by the assassination of the Mughal prince by the Arakan king!
In 1657, his other brothers were defeated by Aurangzeb in a fratricidal battle between the four sons of King Shah Jahan over the Mughal throne.
Shahzada Suja is one of the rival brothers of Aurangzeb Alamgir. Shahzada Shuja was the Subadar of Bengal (now of the rank of Chief Minister) of Bengal for about 20 years from 1640 to 1660.
After the defeat in the fratricidal war, Shahzada Shuja's goal was to go to Makkah or Istanbul by sea by ship from Noakhali. But since the rainy season has arrived, it has not happened anymore. Meanwhile, King Aurangzeb's forces are constantly searching for Shahzada Shuja.
In order to escape from Aurangzeb, Shahzada Shuja took political refuge in the neighboring Arakan state. In August 1660, Shahzada Shuja, the subadar of the once mighty Bengal, was born in the state of Arakan!
But six months later, Shahzada Shuja was assassinated by the Arakan king. The girls of Shahzada's family were humiliated and the boys were imprisoned. This tragic news of mughal shahzada soon reached Aurangzeb Alamgir, the king of Delhi and brother of Shuja!
King Aurangzeb may not have shown sympathy for Suja on the question of power, even though he was his own brother. But that's what the brother killed at the hands of a foreigner! This is the disgrace of the Timurid (Mughal) clan! How can the mighty King Aurangzeb tolerate this?
In order to avenge the murder of his brother by the Arakan Raj, the King of Delhi, Aurangzeb, sent his maternal uncle and long-time political companion Shaista Khan as the Subahdar of Bengal. And Aurangzeb's first instruction to Subadar Shaista Khan was, "Destroy the Maghs"!
Winter of 1665. Subadar Shaista Khan formed a well-equipped army to fight against the Maghs. Buzurg Umed Khan, son of Subadar Shaista Khan, joined this mission to recover Chittagong as the chief commander!
3) Buzurg Umed Khan was a cold-headed tactical military figure and an efficient administrator. He understood that in order to conquer Chittagong, the attack had to be conducted both by sea and land. To attack by sea, you need a naval base. And sandwip is the best place to set up this naval base!
But sandwip was then ruled by a former Mughal general named Dilawar Khan. He did not agree to help the Mughals conquer Chittagong. And so the naval forces sent by Buzurg Umed Khan first defeated Dilawar Khan and captured Sandwip. (The island's main road has long been named after Dilawar Khan in honor of the fifty-year-old independent Sultan of Sandwip.) )
Buzurg Umed Khan's second strategy was to gain advantage for the Mughals by escalating disputes between the Portuguese and the Maghs. He was also successful in this task through diplomatic means and through intelligence. And so the Portuguese did not help the Arakans in any way during the Mughal invasion of Chittagong.
January 1666! Buzurg Umed Khan is gradually moving towards Chittagong after crossing the Feni River. On the way, Buzurg Umed Khan stopped at a village in Mirsarai upazila of Chittagong and built a mosque. The mosque built by Buzurg Umed Khan is still there and the name of that village is still umednagar!
Despite being accompanied by a large army, the vast jungle of North Chittagong stood as a barrier in front of Buzurg Umed Khan! So he instructed the army to cut down the trees and make a road and move forward! The Mughal army made a road day and night to enter Chittagong city.
4) Buzurg Umed Khan's conquest of Chittagong fort. Bangla saw his Salauddin Ayubi!
At the end of January, Buzurg Umed Khan's army arrived in the main Chittagong city. Meanwhile, the Mughal army was able to anchor in Chittagong under the leadership of naval commander Ibn Hossain Mansur Khan by sea.
Land and naval armies combined and attacked the Arakans on 24 January 1666. The Mughals and the Maghs clashed for three days in a row at the Chatgicha Fort (Andarkilla), a stronghold of the Arakans. Finally, on January 26, the Arakan army was defeated.
On January 27, 1666, Umed Khan, commander of Helali Nishan's flight at Andarkilla Fort, dressed as a victorious hero! Chittagong was renamed "Islamabad" on the orders of Mughal King Aurangzeb Alamgir.
Such a victory of Buzurg Umed Khan can be compared to sultan Salahuddin Ayubi's victory in Baitul Muqaddas (Jerusalem). Just as Sultan Ayubi set an extraordinary feat by freeing the first Qibla of the Muslim Ummah, which was occupied by the Crusaders for hundreds of years, Buzurg Umed Khan also set an unforgettable feat by freeing Chittagong, the holy land of twelve Auliyas, which was occupied by the Mogh and the Portuguese for a hundred years.
In Chittagong, the holy land of Baro Auliya, Buzurg Umed Khan re-cultivated Islam! He established many mosques, libraries, taverns across Chittagong. Andarkilla Shahi Jami Mosque, Hamidia Taj Mosque in Chandanpura, Baitul Hamd Hashemi Mosque in Battoli (under Bayezid Police Station of Chattogram), Shaista Khan Mosque in Mirsarai are the sources of the achievements of Ajo Buzurg Umed Khan.
Buzurg Umed Khan did not stop only by building a mosque or developing Islam. He was an efficient administrator. And so King Aurangzeb gave him the title of Nawab and gave him the responsibility of ruling Chittagong. Buzurg Umed Khan has been appointed the first Mughal Faujdar of Chittagong!
As a faujdar, he built the whole of Chittagong uniquely. He created efficient administration, systematic revenue system and strong defense system.
5) Instead of sitting down to enjoy the comforts of the conquest of Chittagong, he marched with the Mughal army to the south of Chittagong city to leave the Maghs completely.
Buzurg Umed Khan reached Ramu in Cox's Bazar to drive the Maghs out of Chittagong gradually. But since the rainy season had arrived, he did not move forward. And due to the difficulty in supplying supplies from Chittagong to Ramu, Buzurg Umed Khan took a position on the banks of the Shankh (Sangu) River, a little behind Ramu.
The Mughal forces came to the banks of the Sangu River and established forts and adopted a plan to execute the Mughal boundary up to the Sangu River. For this purpose, buzurg Umed Khan deployed two generals (Adhu Khan and Laxman Singh) at this place on the banks of the Sangu river. These two generals were the controllers of thousands of soldiers. Therefore, after their name, the place is named Dohazari > Dohazari.
In the return year, The Magra attacked from Arakan to recapture Chittagong. The Maghs fought 4 battles with the Mughals in the Sangu River and the surrounding areas. Under the bravery of the Mughal general Adhu Khan, deployed by Buzurg Umed Khan, the Mughals won all the battles and extended the Mughal border up to the Sangu River. Chittagong's defence is confirmed.
It is to be noted that due to the bravery of Adhu Khan, the whole of South Chittagong was occupied by the Mughals. The "Adhu Nagar" union of Lohagara upazila of south Chittagong informed the people of Chittagong about the existence of Adhu Khan. After the victory in the war against the Maghs, Adhu Khan woven an iron as a memorial on the hill top of South Chittagong. The place was named Lohagara from the iron.
Many Mughal soldiers were martyred in the battle that took place on the banks of the Sangu River by the Mughal army with the Moghs of Arakan. Twenty-two of them were royally buried in bagichahat (Bag-e-Shah is the real name) of Hashimpur union of Chandanaish upazila. Even today, the cemetery is maintaining its existence and telling that the soil of Chittagong was bought in their blood!
6) The role of the Mughals in the formation of Chittagong city
The Mughals did not come to take advantage of it only by occupying Chittagong. Rather, the Mughals made Chittagong a complete city. Although many Mughal structures established across Chittagong have been lost in the womb of time, many are still alive.
* Askar Dighi! Built by Askar Khan, the second Mughal faujdar of Chittagong, this huge dighi still survives between the city's Kazir Deuri and Jamalkhan intersections.
* Ghat Farhad Beg! Ghat built by Mughal Nawab Farhad Khan.
* Andarkilla Shahi Jami Mosque, Wali Beg Khan Mosque, Hamza Khan Mosque, Kadam Mubarak Mosque, Hamidia Taj Mosque, Sheikh Bahar Ullah Mosque and many other ancient mosques in the city were built in mughal architectural style during the Mughal period.
Apart from these establishments, the names of most of the areas of Chittagong are Mughal influenced!
a) Agrabad. The Mughal army, who came from Agra along with Buzurg Umed Khan, developed cultivation in the area, so the name Agrabad was given.
b) Chawkbazar. The market set up by the Mughals.
c) Andarkilla. Buzurg Umed Khan named the Chatgicha Fort as Anderkilla. Later, many establishments were built here.
d) Hazari Lane, Hathazari. Hazari was a major post in the Mughal empire. The areas were formed through the bureaucrats holding the hazari rank.
e) Faujdarhat, Dewan Hat, Dewan Bazar! Haat Bazaar built by the faujdars and dewans of the Mughal period.
f) Baklia. Arabic Baqillah means vegetable field. The name from there.
g) Patenga! Fateh village to Patenga. The Arabic fateh means victory.
h) Panchlaish, Hamzar Bagh, Bakshir Hat, Nijshahar (Katalganj), Postogola, Jamalkhan, Chaktai, Bagmoniram, Sadarghat, Kapasgola, Mughaltuli, Bibirhat, Pilkhana, Mirzarpul of the city are still witness to the tradition of the Mughals!
7) The conquest of the fort of Chittagong by Buzurg Umed Khan and the victory of his subordinate general Adhu Khan up to the banks of the Sangu River is one of the most groundbreaking events in the history of Bengal. The impact of this victory was far-reaching.
After the exclusive Mughal domination up to the Sangu River, it gradually extended to the Naf River i.e. Cox's Bazar and Bengal. The conquest of Chittagong also strengthened the dominance of Bengal in the region. The conquest of Chittagong is a sign of the strength with which the Bengali nation is ahead of the neighboring Arakan and Tripura.
Chittagong is from Bangladesh! Today it is an integral part of Bangladesh, insha Allah will also be in front of it. But without an elderly Umed Khan, this Chittagong might not have emerged as a part of Bangladesh like Arakan today (despite being a Bengali and Muslim-majority region). Like the Rohingya refugees on the naf bank, perhaps the banks of the Feni river would have trembled with the cries of the Chatgaonia refugees in the 21st century.
But do we remember Umed Khan, the old man for whom Chittagong became a permanent part of Bengal? Numerous establishments across Chittagong are in the name of various political, historical figures. The birth and death days of different people are also celebrated in a grand manner. But there is nothing in the name of Buzurg Umed Khan in this Chittagong. Chittagong Victory Day is also not celebrated anywhere in this city.
As much as the victory of Chittagong as a nation is a matter of pride for us, it is just as shameful not to remember the great hero of the Chittagong victory!
Information:
1) Dr. Muhammad Abdul Karim, History of Bangladesh. The expulsion of the mug and the conquest of Chittagong. Pp. 269-270.
2) Sarkar, Jadunath, [First published 1948]. The History of Bengal. Vol. II, p378-379.
3) Alaol Sikandarnama, edited by Ahmed Sharif, pp. 32-33.
4) NA VOC 1236, fol. 127-134 Letter from Gerrit van Voorburg to Batavia, dated Arakan 21 January 1661.
5) Arakan and Bengal : the rise and decline of the Mrauk U kingdom (Burma) from the fifteenth to the seventeeth century AD, Galen, S.E.A. van, p192-193.
6) Chowdhury Sripurna Chandra Debbarma Tattvanidhi, History of Chittagong p. 61.
7) Leider, Le royaume d'Arakan, p. 311.
8) Muhammad Kazim, 'Ālamgīrnāma, pp. 953–56.