Raja Sitaram Ray - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Raja Sitaram Ray (1658–1714) was an autonomous king, vassal to 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...

, who revolted against the Empire and established a short lived sovereign Hindu

Hindu

Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...

dominion in 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...

Ancestry

Sitaram came from the Kashyap Das clan, one of the nine clans that constitute the Uttar Rarhi Kayastha

Kayastha

Kayastha or Kayasth or Kayeth is a caste or community of Hindus originating in India. Kayastha means "scribe" in Sanskrit, and has traditionally denoted members of the writer caste....

s. The clan was settled in the Fatehsingh region of 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...

. Ramdas Khan Gajdani who became famous in the early 15th century by donating a golden elephant at his mother's sraddha
Śrāddha
Śrāddha or Shraaddha is a Sanskrit word which literally means anything or any act that is performed with all sincerity and faith . In the Hindu religion, it is the ritual that one performs to pay homage to one’s 'ancestors' , especially to one’s dead parents...

, belonged to this family. His son Anantaram Das was an official at 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...

. After him the next few generations had fallen into penury. The family rose again when Sriram Das obtained the title of Khas Biswas from Man Singh, the then Mughal

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...

governor

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...

of Bengal

Bengal

. His son Harish Chandra Das rose to further prominence and obtained the title of Rai Raiyan from the Mughals. Harish Chandra's son Udaynarayan, the father of Sitaram rose to the post of a tehsildar

Tehsildar

A tehsildar is a revenue administrative officer in Pakistan and India in charge of obtaining taxation from a tehsil. The term is of imperial Mughal origin made of "tahsil", an Islamic administrative derived from Arabic, meaning "revenue generating; collection" and "dar", Persian for "holder of a...

under the faujdar

Faujdar

Faujdar/Fouzder/Fouzdar/Foujdar was a title awarded by Muslim rulers to people who had responsibility of protecting some territory.In pre-Mughal times, the term referred to a military officer but did not refer to a specific rank. With the administrative reforms performed by Mughal emperor Akbar,...

of Bhusna.

When Udaynarayan was posted at the 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...

, the capital of Bengal

Bengal

, he married Dayamayi, the daughter of a Kayastha

Kayastha

Kayastha or Kayasth or Kayeth is a caste or community of Hindus originating in India. Kayastha means "scribe" in Sanskrit, and has traditionally denoted members of the writer caste....

Ghosh family of Mahipatipur in Katwa

Katwa

Katwa is the head quarters of Katwa subdivision in the district of Bardhaman, West Bengal. The area has a rural charm and natural beauty, but many trading and other business activities has made it clumsy and congested. It is mostly a middle class residential area.-History:The small town has a five...

. Sitaram was born in Mahipatipur, the first child of Udaynarayan and Dayamayi in 1658, some time before Aurangzeb

Aurangzeb

Abul Muzaffar Muhy-ud-Din Muhammad Aurangzeb Alamgir , more commonly known as Aurangzeb or by his chosen imperial title Alamgir , was the sixth Mughal Emperor of India, whose reign lasted from 1658 until his death in 1707.Badshah Aurangzeb, having ruled most of the Indian subcontinent for nearly...

ascended the throne at Delhi

Delhi

. Sitaram's mother was a brave woman. In her girlhood she had fended off a band of dacoits with a khadga

Khadga

The Khadga Dynasty of Bengal was a family that ruled the areas of Vanga and later Samatata from the 7th to 8th Century CE. Chronoloically, they were the major power in central Bengal between the fall of the Kingdom of Gauda ruled by Shashanka and the rise of the Pala Empire established by Gopala...

Childhood

When Mir Jumla transferred the capital back 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...

in 1660, Udaynarayan also moved to Dhaka. At that time he didn't bring his family with him. 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...

became the governor of Bengal

Bengal

in 1664. At that time Udaynarayan rose to the post of tehsildar

Tehsildar

and shifted to Bhusna. After a few years he built a residence at Hariharanagar near the banks of Madhumati

Madhumati

Madhumati is a 1958 Hindi film produced and directed by Bimal Roy, and written by Ritwik Ghatak and Rajinder Singh Bedi. The music was composed by Salil Choudhury with the lyrics by Shailendra. The film stars Dilip Kumar, Vyjayantimala, Pran, and Johnny Walker. It was one of the earliest films to...

and brought his family there.

Sitaram spent his childhood at his maternal uncle's home at Katwa

Katwa

. At school he learned Sanskrit

Sanskrit

Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...

. At that time Bengali

Bengali language

Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...

was not taught at the chatuspathis, but he studied it at home. He could recite Chandidas

Chandidas

Chandidas refers to medieval poet of Bengal. Over 1250 poems related to the love of Radha and Krishna in Bengali with the bhanita of Chandidas are found with three different sobriquets along with his name, , Dvija and Dina as well as without any sobriquet also...

and Jaydev

Jayadeva

Jayadeva was a Sanskrit poet circa 1200 AD. He is most known for his composition, the epic poem Gita Govinda, which depicts the divine love of Krishna-an avatar of Vishnu and his consort, Radha, and it is mentioned that Radha is greater than Hari, and is considered an important text in the...

. He had a very good handwriting. When he grew up a little he had to learn Persian

Persian language

Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...

, the official language 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...

. Later when he arrived at Bhusna, he picked up Urdu

Urdu

Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...

, during interactions with the Muslims. In his childhood he also learned how to wield a lathi
Lathi
Lathi means stick and also refers to an Indian martial art based on cane-fighting. The word is used in Hindi, Bengali and various other Indian languages. The lathi typically measures 6 to and may be tipped with metal. It commonly used as a crowd control device by the Indian Police and other South...

. He learned horse riding and fencing

Fencing

Fencing, which is also known as modern fencing to distinguish it from historical fencing, is a family of combat sports using bladed weapons.Fencing is one of four sports which have been featured at every one of the modern Olympic Games...

after arriving at Hariharanagar.

Early Adulthood

When he grew up he used to frequent Dhaka

Dhaka

, the provincial

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...

capital of Bengal

Bengal

. Shaista Khan

Shaista Khan

was very much impressed with his courage and work. At that time a Pathan

Pashtun people

Pashtuns or Pathans , also known as ethnic Afghans , are an Eastern Iranic ethnic group with populations primarily between the Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan and the Indus River in Pakistan...

rebel

Rebellion

Rebellion, uprising or insurrection, is a refusal of obedience or order. It may, therefore, be seen as encompassing a range of behaviors aimed at destroying or replacing an established authority such as a government or a head of state...

named Karim Khan was wreaking havoc in the 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...

of Satair. The Mughal

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...

faujdar

Faujdar

had failed to suppress him and Shaista Khan

Shaista Khan

was wondering how to crush the rebellion. When Sitaram came forward to subdue the rebel the governor

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...

sent him on the mission with a few thousand infantry

Infantry

Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...

and cavalry

Cavalry

Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...

. Sitaram fought valiantly and Karim Khan was killed. Shaista Khan

Shaista Khan

, much impressed with the success rewarded Sitaram with the jagir

Jagir

In historic India, a jagir was a small territory granted by the ruler to an army chieftain in fairly short terms usually of three years but not extending beyond his lifetime, in recognition of his military service...

of Naldi pargana

Pargana

Reign as jagirdar

After obtaining the jagir

Jagir

Sitaram concentrated on building up an army. At Dhaka

Dhaka

he had got acquainted with a soldier of fortune

Mercenary

A mercenary, is a person who takes part in an armed conflict based on the promise of material compensation rather than having a direct interest in, or a legal obligation to, the conflict itself. A non-conscript professional member of a regular army is not considered to be a mercenary although he...

named Ramrup Ghosh. The latter had accompanied him on the mission against Karim Khan. Ramrup was not only a great soldier but also an accomplished strongman

Strongman (strength athlete)

In the 19th century, the term strongman referred to an exhibitor of strength or circus performers of similar ilk who displayed feats of strength such as the bent press , supporting large amounts of...

, well versed in wrestling. He was popularly known as Mena Hati, for he had killed a small elephant with bare hands. Ramrup became the chief of Sitaram's army. Two other generals were Rupchand Dhali and Fakira Machhkata. Bakhtar Khan, a Pathan

Pashtun people

Pashtuns or Pathans , also known as ethnic Afghans , are an Eastern Iranic ethnic group with populations primarily between the Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan and the Indus River in Pakistan...

dacoit and Amal Baig, a Mughal

Mughal (tribe)

The term Mughal is simply a Turkic word and many groups in India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh use the term Mughal to describe themselves...

soldier also joined his ranks.

After the death of Shah Jahan

Shah Jahan

Shah Jahan Shah Jahan (also spelled Shah Jehan, Shahjehan, , Persian: شاه جهان) (January 5, 1592 – January 22, 1666) Shah Jahan (also spelled Shah Jehan, Shahjehan, , Persian: شاه جهان) (January 5, 1592 – January 22, 1666) (Full title: His Imperial Majesty Al-Sultan al-'Azam wal Khaqan...

, the Mughal battle for succession had left the province

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...

in turmoil. Lawlessness was the order of the day. Naldi was infested with dacoits and Sitaram had to deal with them first in order to restore order to the troubled pargana

Pargana

. Soon the dacoity was suppressed and Sitaram became the saviour of the masses and began to be compared to the village deity Nishanath. Sitaram built his residence in the village of Suryakunda where the erstwhile revenue office too was located. Garrisons were set up both at Suryakunda and Hariharanagar. His father was still stationed at Bhusna and he used to visit him regularly. At this time he also added some talukas of Satair to his jagir

Jagir

.

Around 1684, Sitaram's parents passed away in quick succession. After the sraddha

Śrāddha

Śrāddha or Shraaddha is a Sanskrit word which literally means anything or any act that is performed with all sincerity and faith . In the Hindu religion, it is the ritual that one performs to pay homage to one’s 'ancestors' , especially to one’s dead parents...

he went on a pilgrimage to Gaya

Gaya, India

Gaya is the second largest city of Bihar, India, and it is also the headquarters of Gaya District.Gaya is 100 kilometers south of Patna, the capital city of Bihar. Situated on the banks of Falgu River , it is a place sanctified by both the Hindu and the Buddhist religions...

. His secretary Muniram Ray and principal aide Ramrup Ghosh accompanied him. The affairs of the jagir

Jagir

were entrusted with his younger brother Lakshmi Narayan. After completing the ceremonial rites at Gaya, he travelled to the Mughal court at Delhi

Delhi

and made a plea for vassal rule under the empire. In 1688 he was granted the title of Raja
Raja
Raja is an Indian term for a monarch, or princely ruler of the Kshatriya varna...

and additionally granted the right of Southern Bengal extending into the Sunderbans.

Reign as monarch

In the same year, Sitaram was ceremonially sworn in as the king of Naldi, Satair and the Bhati region of lower Bengal

Bengal

. Although he had become a king he had no capital. So he constructed a fortified capital at Mohammadpur, very near to Suryakunda. Mohammadpur was guarded on three sides by bils

Beel

A beel or a bheel is a term for a pond with static water , in the Ganges - Brahmaputra flood plains of the Eastern Indian states of West Bengal, and Assam and in the country of Bangladesh...

and on the east by Madhumati

Madhumati

. The fort was square in shape having each side not less than 400 metres, built of earthen bricks and surrounded by moat. Beyond that there were natural and artificial water bodies to protect the fort. To the north and east it was the Kaliganga river. To the west there were the bils

Beel

A beel or a bheel is a term for a pond with static water , in the Ganges - Brahmaputra flood plains of the Eastern Indian states of West Bengal, and Assam and in the country of Bangladesh...

and Chhatravati river. To the east fell Madhumati

Madhumati

. In the south Sitaram constructed a moat extending from east to west, measuring almost a mile in length and 200 feet in width. Inside the fort Sitaram set up garrisons and built residences, temples and tanks. He encouraged craftsmen and merchants to set up businesses at Mohammadpur and soon it became a thriving metropolis abuzz with trade and commerce. Sitaram added new recruits to the army and added an artillery

Artillery

Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...

division. His two famous cannons Kale Khan and Jhumjhum Khan were commissioned during this time.

After the demise of Satrajit Ray, the son of Mukundaram Ray one of the Bara Bhuiyans

Baro-Bhuyan

The Baro-Bhuyans were warrior chiefs and landlords of medieval Assam and Bengal who maintained a loose independent confederacy. In times of aggression by external powers, they generally cooperated in defending and expelling the aggressor. In times of peace, they maintained their respective...

of Bengal

Bengal

in 1636, the royal family diminished in stature. Kalinarayan Ray the son of Satrajit was a zamindar

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 the small pargana

Pargana

s of Rupapat, Poktani, Rukanpur & Kachuberia taraf of Naldi pargana

Pargana

under the chakla of Bhusna. During Sitaram's reign the minor sons of Kalinarayan's grandson Krishna Prasad were the zamindars. Sitaram annexed this small feudatory into his kingdom.

To the west of Satrajitpur lay the pargana

Pargana

of Mahmudshahi, at the time under the zamindar

Zamindar

i of Naldanga. When Sitaram invaded Mahamudshahi, Ramdev, the zamindar

Zamindar

of Naldanga was forced to cede the pargana

Pargana

to Sitaram. Later when Sachipati Majumdar, the zamindar of Nanduali revolted against Ramdev and stopped paying taxes, Sitaram supported him and made a treaty with him.

Sitaram annexed the small zamindar

Zamindar

s in the north up to the Padma and even some portions to the north of Padma in the district of Pabna

Pabna

Pabna is a town in Rajshahi Division ofBangladesh and the administrative capital of eponymous Pabna District. It is located on the north bank of Padma river and has a population of about 138,000.-Name:...

. Most of these zamindars were under Pathan

Pashtun people

Pashtuns or Pathans , also known as ethnic Afghans , are an Eastern Iranic ethnic group with populations primarily between the Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan and the Indus River in Pakistan...

rule. To the north of Satair lay the jagir

Jagir

of a Pathan

Pashtun people

Pashtuns or Pathans , also known as ethnic Afghans , are an Eastern Iranic ethnic group with populations primarily between the Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan and the Indus River in Pakistan...

named Daulat Khan. After his demise, the estate broke into four pargana

Pargana

s - Nasibshahi, Nusratshahi, Mahimshahi & Belgachhi. Sitaram invaded Nasibshahi when the battle for succession was going on among the sons of Daulat Khan. Sitaram defeated Nasibshahi in the battle of Malanchigram and the battle of Kalikapur. After defeating the other sons of Daulat Khan, Sitaram annexed all the four pargana

Pargana

s into his kingdom

Monarchy

A monarchy is a form of government in which the office of head of state is usually held until death or abdication and is often hereditary and includes a royal house. In some cases, the monarch is elected...

. The conquest of these Pathan

Pashtun people

Pashtuns or Pathans , also known as ethnic Afghans , are an Eastern Iranic ethnic group with populations primarily between the Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan and the Indus River in Pakistan...

feudatories took place between 1702 and 1704.

When Sitaram was away from Mohammadpur, Manohar Ray, the zamindar of Chanchra conspired with the Nurullah Khan the Mughal

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...

faujdar

Faujdar

of Mirzanagar to attack Mohammadpur. At that time the capital was entrusted with his diwan Jadunath Majumdar. The combined forces of Manohar Ray and Nurullah Khan camped at Bunagati. Jadunath connected the streams of Chitra and Phatki by a canal to check their further advancement and garrisoned his troops and artillery

Artillery

. Manohar Ray sensing defeat made peace with Jadunath and retreated. When Sitaram received the news, he straight away invaded the Ishafpur pargana

Pargana

of Chanchra and advanced with his troops to Nilganj. Manohar was forced to accept the suzerainty

Suzerainty

Suzerainty occurs where a region or people is a tributary to a more powerful entity which controls its foreign affairs while allowing the tributary vassal state some limited domestic autonomy. The dominant entity in the suzerainty relationship, or the more powerful entity itself, is called a...

of Sitaram and pay revenue to him.

In the Sundarbans, Sitaram's domain lay to the east of Shibsha river, corresponding to the modern district of Bagerhat. In 1710, the peasants revolted and stopped paying taxes. So he advanced with his troops in vessels like sip and palwar along the Madhumati

Madhumati

towards the south. In the battle of Rampal he defeated the rebels and annexed the pargana

Pargana

s of Churulia and Madhudiya.

Sitaram's kingdom extended from the northern banks of Padma to the Bay of Bengal

Bay of Bengal

The Bay of Bengal , the largest bay in the world, forms the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean. It resembles a triangle in shape, and is bordered mostly by the Eastern Coast of India, southern coast of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to the west and Burma and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to the...

in the south. The kingdom constituted of two distinct regions - the densely populated urban settlements to the north of Bhairab river and the sparsely populated agricultural estates to the south of Bhairab. The northern portion extended from Pabna

Pabna

in the north to Bhairab in the south and from Mahmudshahi pargana

Pargana

in the west to Telihati pargana

Pargana

in the east. The southern portion extended from Bhairab in the north to Bay of Bengal

Bay of Bengal

in the south and from river Pashar in the west to Barisal in the east. The kingdom consisted of 44 pargana

Pargana

s and its annual revenue amount to more than one crore

Crore

A crore is a unit in the Indian number system equal to ten million , or 100 lakhs. It is widely used in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Pakistan....

Conflict with the Mughals

When Azim-us-Shan

Azim-ush-Shan

Prince Azim-ush-Shan was the third son of Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah I, by his second wife, Maharajkumari Amrita Bai Sahiba. He was also the grandson of emperor Aurangzeb.-Reign:...

became the 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...

of Bengal

Bengal

, he made his close relative Mir Abu Torap the faujdar

Faujdar

of Bhusna. Although his primary duty was to keep Sitaram under check, he unleashed a reign of terror on arriving at Bhusna. He forced the defaulters of tax to convert to Islam

Islam

Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...

. When Sitaram learned of such punitive measures, he resolved not to pay a penny to the Mughal

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...

treasury. Abu Torap sent a contemptful reminder explaining him the consequences. Abu Torap, however, didn't have a warm relation with 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...

the Diwan of Bengal

Bengal

and Sitaram knew that well. Azim-us-Shan

Azim-ush-Shan

Prince Azim-ush-Shan was the third son of Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah I, by his second wife, Maharajkumari Amrita Bai Sahiba. He was also the grandson of emperor Aurangzeb.-Reign:...

, the 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...

was away in Delhi

Delhi

. His son Farrukhsiyar

Farrukhsiyar

Abu'l Muzaffar Muin ud-din Muhammad Shah Farrukh-siyar Alim Akbar Sani Wala Shan Padshah-i-bahr-u-bar [Shahid-i-Mazlum] was the Mughal emperor between 1713 and 1719. Noted as a handsome but weak ruler, easily swayed by his advisers, Farukhsiyar lacked the ability and character to rule independently...

the acting governor

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...

was more interested in the developments at Delhi

Delhi

rather than the affairs of Bengal

Bengal

. The capital of the province

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...

was also relocated from Dhaka

Dhaka

to Patna

Patna

Paṭnā , is the capital of the Indian state of Bihar and the second largest city in Eastern India . Patna is one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in the world...

. So it was difficult for Abu Torap to get any direct support either from the Diwan or the 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...

. So he decided to act on his own.

Abu Torap was only a faujdar

Faujdar

and therefore he had limited resources at his disposal. Whenever he sent his forces to subdue Sitaram they were confronted with the archers and Rajbangshi

Rajbongshi

Koch Rajbongshi is an ancient tribe originally from the ancient Koch kingdom. The Rajbongshi tribe is referred to as Koch Rajbongshi, or Rajbanshi, or Rajvanshi. The word "Rajbongshi" literally means "royal community"...

soldiers who manned the borders of Sitaram's kingdom. 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 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...

of Bengal

Bengal

and Abu Torap approached him for help which he ignored. Abu Torap sent his troops once again, but Sitaram opted for guerrilla tactics

Guerrilla warfare

Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare and refers to conflicts in which a small group of combatants including, but not limited to, armed civilians use military tactics, such as ambushes, sabotage, raids, the element of surprise, and extraordinary mobility to harass a larger and...

and frustrated the Mughal

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...

army in the unfriendly terrain. Not to give up, Abu Torap deputed his commander-in-chief Pir Khan, a Pathan to subdue Sitaram. The latter had set up his artillery

Artillery

along the banks of Madhumati

Madhumati

and garrisoned his troops in the jungles in the tract between Madhumati

Madhumati

and Barasia. Sitaram's troops met the Mughal

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...

army in the banks of Barasia. In the battle the latter were defeated and Mir Abu Torap was killed by Mena Hati. Sitaram's army marched forward captured the fort of Bhusna. Sitaram stationed a section of his army at Bhusna and put himself at the command of the fort. The Mohammadpur fort was put under the command of Mena Hati. The rest of the army was garrisoned along the Madhumati

Madhumati

. Sitaram knew that the clash with the Mughals

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...

was inevitable. Sitaram therefore began to strengthen his army and reinforce his artillery.

As the news of Abu Torap's death reached Murshidabad

Murshidabad

, 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...

wasted no time in appointing his own brother-in-law Bux Ali Khan as the new faujdar

Faujdar

of Bhusna. He notified all the zamindar

Zamindar

s to assist the faujdar

Faujdar

in subduing Sitaram. Bux Ali Khan was accompanied to Bhusna by Sangram Singh the commander-in-chief of the provincial

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...

army of Bengal

Bengal

. Dayaram Ray, the principal aide of Raghunandan, the founder of the Natore estate, followed them with the zamindar's

Zamindar

army under his command. Bux Ali Khan and Sangram Singh went along the Padma and embarked near Faridpur and then marched to Bhusna. Sitaram too marched forward with his troops and in th ensuing battle the Mughals

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...

were defeated. The Mughal

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...

army surrounded the fort of Bhusna and Sitaram sensed that it would be difficult to hold on to both the forts at Bhusna and Mohammadpur.

In the meanwhile Dayaram had marched to Mohammadpur with his forces. Knowing that it would not be easy for him to capture the fort in a direct battle, he conspired and got Mena Hati killed by sabotage

Sabotage

Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening another entity through subversion, obstruction, disruption, or destruction. In a workplace setting, sabotage is the conscious withdrawal of efficiency generally directed at causing some change in workplace conditions. One who engages in sabotage is...

and sent his severed head to Murshidabad

Murshidabad

. On getting the news of Mena Hati's death Sitaram retreated to Mohammadpur with most of his troops. Bux Ali Khan too followed him to Mohammadpur. Sitaram evacuated most of the civilian population out of the fort and sent his family to Kolkata

Kolkata

Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...

. Dayaram and Bux Ali Khan attacked the fort from the east and the south. After defending the fort for quite some time Sitaram was captured and Mohammadpur fell. Dayaram escorted him in chains to Murshidabad

Murshidabad

. At the trial, Sitaram was sentenced to death by 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...

and his relatives were imprisoned for life. His final rites were performed at the banks of Ganges in Murshidabad

Murshidabad

Water reservoirs

Sitaram constructed a number of water reservoirs in the capital to meet the need of drinking water of the fort, city and the adjacent villages. The most famous of them was the Ram Sagar, a rectangular lake measuring 2400 ft by 900 ft. It had a depth of about 18–20 feet. Even in the summer it sustained a water level of at least 12 feet. The reservoir was treated to prevent against any algal bloom

Algal bloom

An algal bloom is a rapid increase or accumulation in the population of algae in an aquatic system. Algal blooms may occur in freshwater as well as marine environments. Typically, only one or a small number of phytoplankton species are involved, and some blooms may be recognized by discoloration...

. Towards west of the fort, in the village of Harekrishnapur Sitaram constructed another lake called Krishna Sagar measuring 1000 ft by 350 ft. The dug up earth was used to raise earthen embankments at some clearance around the lake in order to prevent the flood water from contaminating the tank.

To the west of Ram Sagar and towards the beel

Beel

A beel or a bheel is a term for a pond with static water , in the Ganges - Brahmaputra flood plains of the Eastern Indian states of West Bengal, and Assam and in the country of Bangladesh...

s Sitaram constructed another tank named Sukh Sagar. It was squarish in shape having each side about 375 feet. At the centre there was a three-storeyed luxurious palace, which served as the summer retreat for the royal family. Mayurpankhi boats ferried them to the palace in the middle of the lake.

Temples

Sitaram came from a Shakta family. Sitaram was initiated into Shaktism

Shaktism

Shaktism is a denomination of Hinduism that focuses worship upon Shakti or Devi – the Hindu Divine Mother – as the absolute, ultimate Godhead...

in his early life. After setting up the capital at Mohammadpur, he erected a Dashabhuja temple there. When he used to visit his father in Bhusna, he also used to frequent the Gopinath Jiu akhada. Gradually he became attracted to Vaishnavism

Vaishnavism

Vaishnavism is a tradition of Hinduism, distinguished from other schools by its worship of Vishnu, or his associated Avatars such as Rama and Krishna, as the original and supreme God....

. He became a disciple of Krishna Vallabh Goswami of Murshidabad

Murshidabad

who initiated him to the faith. Sitaram erected a pancharatna temple dedicated to Hare Krishna the village of Kanainagar to the west of the fort at Mohammadpur.

Marriages and children

Sitaram married the daughter of a Kayastha

Kayastha

Kayastha or Kayasth or Kayeth is a caste or community of Hindus originating in India. Kayastha means "scribe" in Sanskrit, and has traditionally denoted members of the writer caste....

resident of Edilpore in Bhusna. She did not have any children. Very little is known about her. After obtaining the jagir

Jagir

of Naldi he married Kamala, the daughter of a Kulin

Kulin

The Kulin nation, was an alliance of five Indigenous Australian nations in Central Victoria, Australia, prior to European settlement. Their collective territory extended to around Port Phillip and Western Port, up into the Great Dividing Range and the Loddon and Goulburn River valleys. To their...

Kayastha

Kayastha or Kayasth or Kayeth is a caste or community of Hindus originating in India. Kayastha means "scribe" in Sanskrit, and has traditionally denoted members of the writer caste....

, Saral Khan Ghosh, a resident of Das Palsha village in the district of Birbhum. Kamala became his principal wife and when Sitaram became a king she became the king's consort. She bore him two sons Shyamsundar and Surnarayan. Sitaram's third wife came from the village of Patuli

Patuli

Patuli is a census town under Purbasthali police station of Kalna subdivision in Bardhaman district in the Indian state of West Bengal.-Geography:Patuli is located at . It has an average elevation of 18 metres ....

, presently under Katwa

Katwa

sub-division of Burdwan district. Though her name is not known, she bore him two sons Bamdev and Jaydev. Both the sons died in childhood.

External links

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