Mirza Agha Bakar
Encyclopedia
Agha Bakar Mirza an 18th century Persian noble and Zamindar
of parganas Buzurg Umedpur and Salimabad constituting major part of modern greater Barisal District
.
(Rustam Jang). Famous for his firmness and courage, Agha Bakar had an adventurous role in the conflict between Rustam Jang and Alivardi Khan
over the possession of Orissa
.
after the fall of Sarfaraz Khan, but Orissa continued to be held by Rustam Jang. Mirza Bakar accompanied his father-in-law and proceeded towards Balasore
from Cuttack
to face Alivardi with the object of re-conquering Bengal and encamped at Phulwari (December 1740). The Mirza
launched the attack
, but was wounded and defeated on 3 March 1741. Rustam Jang fled with the wounded Mirza
to Masulipatam
. Their family members were saved from being captured by Alivardi's men through the timely aid of a friend of Rustam Jang, who was the Zamindar of Khurda district. Rustam Jang's general Shah Murad safely conducted them to Mirza Bakar. They had to spend their days in the Deccan in a destitute condition. Alivardi left Orissa for Murshidabad
leaving his nephew and son-in-law Sayed Ahmad as Naib Nazim of Orissa.
After his recovery Mirza Bakar, along with Mir Habib, reached Cuttack with a batch of Maratha
infantry in August 1741, held Sayed Ahmad with his family, kept them confined and captured Midnapore
and Hijli.
Alivardi, hearing of this discomfiture, marched against the Mirza, inflicted a defeat upon him at Raipur on the southern bank of the Mahanadi (December 1741) and compelled him to return to the Deccan with his Maratha allies.
Aga Bakar seems to have surrendered to Alivardi Khan sometime at the beginning of 1742 and was granted a fief in the Buzurg Umedpur and Salimabad parganas which he held till his death in 1754 AD. He established a Big Ganj (mart) in Buzurg Umedpur, which was named Bakarganj
after him. Bakarganj grew up into an important port-town where Persians
, Armenians
and Kashmiri
Khwajas used to trade in salt and hide. Perhaps Aga Bakar controlled his estate through a deputy, himself residing in Dhaka.
Aga Bakar and his son Aga Sadeq appear to have been involved in the palace intrigue in Murshidabad and were in clear alignment with Siraj ud-Daula. Nawazish Muhammad Khan
, the Naib Nazim of Dhaka, had two deputies named Husain Quli Khan and his nephew Husain ud-Din Khan. Siraj charged Husain Quli and Husainuddin with conspiracy and got Husain ud-Din murdered through his agent Aga Sadeq in 1754 AD. In retaliation Mirza Ali Naqi, a relation of Husain ud-Din and the Kotwal
of Dhaka
, raided the residence of Aga Bakar. Aga Sadeq fled by the back door leaving his old father a victim to the infuriated mob (1754).
Agha Bakar lies buried in a tomb to the north of Aga Sadeq Maidan in Dhaka.
Zamindar
A Zamindar or zemindar , was an aristocrat, typically hereditary, who held enormous tracts of land and ruled over and taxed the bhikaaris who lived on batavaslam. Over time, they took princely and royal titles such as Maharaja , Raja , Nawab , and Mirza , Chowdhury , among others...
of parganas Buzurg Umedpur and Salimabad constituting major part of modern greater Barisal District
Barisal District
Barisal is a district in southern Bangladesh. It is also the headquarters of Barisal Division.-Geography and climate:Latitude: 22.75, Longitude: 90.36, Altitude: 4....
.
Early life
Mirza Agha was the son-in-law of Mirza Murshid Quli KhanMurshid 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...
(Rustam Jang). Famous for his firmness and courage, Agha Bakar had an adventurous role in the conflict between Rustam Jang and 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:...
over the possession 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...
.
History
Alivardi became the Nawab of BengalNawab 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:...
after the fall of Sarfaraz Khan, but Orissa continued to be held by Rustam Jang. Mirza Bakar accompanied his father-in-law and proceeded towards Balasore
Balasore
Balasore is a strategically located city in the state of Orissa, about north of the state capital Bhubaneswar, in eastern India. It is the administrative headquarters of Balasore district. It is best known for Chandipur beach. It is also the site of the Indian Ballistic Missile Defense...
from Cuttack
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...
to face Alivardi with the object of re-conquering Bengal and encamped at Phulwari (December 1740). The Mirza
Mirza
Mirza , is of Persian origin, denoting the rank of a high nobleman or Prince. It is usually translated into English as a royal or imperial Prince of the Blood...
launched the attack
Offensive (military)
An offensive is a military operation that seeks through aggressive projection of armed force to occupy territory, gain an objective or achieve some larger strategic, operational or tactical goal...
, but was wounded and defeated on 3 March 1741. Rustam Jang fled with the wounded Mirza
Mirza
Mirza , is of Persian origin, denoting the rank of a high nobleman or Prince. It is usually translated into English as a royal or imperial Prince of the Blood...
to Masulipatam
Machilipatnam
Machilipatnam is a city and a special grade municipality in the Krishna district, Andhra Pradesh, India. It is located south east of state capital, Hyderabad.-History:...
. Their family members were saved from being captured by Alivardi's men through the timely aid of a friend of Rustam Jang, who was the Zamindar of Khurda district. Rustam Jang's general Shah Murad safely conducted them to Mirza Bakar. They had to spend their days in the Deccan in a destitute condition. Alivardi left Orissa for 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...
leaving his nephew and son-in-law Sayed Ahmad as Naib Nazim of Orissa.
After his recovery Mirza Bakar, along with Mir Habib, reached Cuttack with a batch of Maratha
Maratha
The Maratha are an Indian caste, predominantly in the state of Maharashtra. The term Marāthā has three related usages: within the Marathi speaking region it describes the dominant Maratha caste; outside Maharashtra it can refer to the entire regional population of Marathi-speaking people;...
infantry in August 1741, held Sayed Ahmad with his family, kept them confined and captured Midnapore
Midnapore
Midnapore is the district headquarters of Paschim Medinipur district of West Bengal. It is situated on the banks of the Kangsabati River . This area had taken a pioneering role in India's freedom struggle...
and Hijli.
Alivardi, hearing of this discomfiture, marched against the Mirza, inflicted a defeat upon him at Raipur on the southern bank of the Mahanadi (December 1741) and compelled him to return to the Deccan with his Maratha allies.
Aga Bakar seems to have surrendered to Alivardi Khan sometime at the beginning of 1742 and was granted a fief in the Buzurg Umedpur and Salimabad parganas which he held till his death in 1754 AD. He established a Big Ganj (mart) in Buzurg Umedpur, which was named Bakarganj
Bakarganj, Bangladesh
Bakarganj, Bangladesh is a village in Barisal District in the Barisal Division of southern-central Bangladesh....
after him. Bakarganj grew up into an important port-town where Persians
Persian people
The Persian people are part of the Iranian peoples who speak the modern Persian language and closely akin Iranian dialects and languages. The origin of the ethnic Iranian/Persian peoples are traced to the Ancient Iranian peoples, who were part of the ancient Indo-Iranians and themselves part of...
, Armenians
Armenians
Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
and Kashmiri
Kashmiri people
The Kashmiri people are a Dardic linguistic group living in Kashmir Valley in Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir and parts of the Pakistani territory of Azad Kashmir who speak the Kashmiri language...
Khwajas used to trade in salt and hide. Perhaps Aga Bakar controlled his estate through a deputy, himself residing in Dhaka.
Aga Bakar and his son Aga Sadeq appear to have been involved in the palace intrigue in Murshidabad and were in clear alignment with Siraj ud-Daula. Nawazish Muhammad Khan
Nawazish Muhammad Khan
Nawazish Muhammad Khan Naib-Nazim was a of Dhaka. His original name was Muhammad Raza.-Early life:He came to Subah Bangala with his father Haji Ahmed and uncle Alivardi Khan, and started his career as a petty officer under Shuja-ud-Din Muhammad Khan, the naib nazim of Orissa...
, the Naib Nazim of Dhaka, had two deputies named Husain Quli Khan and his nephew Husain ud-Din Khan. Siraj charged Husain Quli and Husainuddin with conspiracy and got Husain ud-Din murdered through his agent Aga Sadeq in 1754 AD. In retaliation Mirza Ali Naqi, a relation of Husain ud-Din and the Kotwal
Kotwal
Kotwal was a title used in medieval India for the leader of a Kot or fort. Kotwals often controlled the fort of a major town or an area of smaller towns on behalf of another ruler. It was similar in function to a British India Zaildar From Mughal times the title was given to the local ruler of a...
of 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...
, raided the residence of Aga Bakar. Aga Sadeq fled by the back door leaving his old father a victim to the infuriated mob (1754).
Agha Bakar lies buried in a tomb to the north of Aga Sadeq Maidan in Dhaka.
See also
- Mirza JalaluddinJalaluddin MirzaJalaluddin Mirza was a prince of the Mughal Royal Family, Gurkhan-e-Mirza.Most of his life was spent hiding from the British. He took refuge under the Zamindari Dighapatia family in Natore, Rajshahi. He had four sons and two daughters. His son Mirza Zafar eventually came to be an official in the...
- Mirza ZafarMirza ZafarMirza Zafar was a prince of the Mughal royal family. He was an officer in King Dighapatia's court, and in 1876 upon the death of his father became the prince of the Timurid Dynasty In Bengal...
- BakarganjBakarganj, BangladeshBakarganj, Bangladesh is a village in Barisal District in the Barisal Division of southern-central Bangladesh....
- 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...