Shah Sultan Balkhi Mahisawar
Encyclopedia
Shah Sultan Balkhi Mahisawar (also known as Hazrat Sultan Ibrahim Bin Adham Balkhi or Hazrat Sultan Balkhi Mahiuddin Mahi Sowar) was a 14th century Muslim
saint. He preached Islam
in Bogra District
or Pundravardhana
.
in Central Asia
. He was the son of Shah Ali Asgar, a ruler of Balkh
in Tataristan of Central Asia
. He was selected as ruler after the death of his father. He left his kingship and became a dervish. He took lesson from Hazrat Toufique (R.) , and became Dervish. In 44 H.E. after coming to Pundravardhana
, he first reached Sandwip
of Bangla, and he stayed there for few years. Later he came to (Mahasthangarh
, the Capital of Pundravardhana
)
king of Mahasthangarh
.. According to legend, Shah Sultan of Balkh came to Mahastahan
accompanied by his disciples dressed as a Faqir in a boat shaped like a fish. Initially Chilhan, the army chief of Parshuram and many others accepted the message of Islam and became Muslims but eventually there was conflict between Parshuram and Balkhi Mahisawar in which Parshuram was defeated and killed .
Babu Satish Chandra Sen stated a legend in his book Bogurar Itihas that, Shah Sultan of Balkh (Ancient Bactria
) accompanied by Ibrahim-bin-Adham
, another missionary, and some disciples arrived at Mahastan in the grab of a fakir, riding a fish-shaped barge in 1043 A.D. Here he succeeded in converting Chilhan, the General
of King Parshuram and many local Hindus to Islam
. This gave rise to the struggle between the Fakir and the King, in which the latter eventually was betrayed by one Harapal, defeated and killed. .
We thus get an idea that the Muslim rule was established in this district by the saint, Shah Sultan Balkhi Mahisawar. But it is very difficult to accept Mr. Sen's Claim of Sultan Balkhi's conquest of Mahasthan in 1043 A.D., as it presupposes a major conquest of the invasion of Ikhtiyaruddin Muhammad-bin-Bakhtiyar Khalji.
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
saint. He preached Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
in Bogra District
Bogra District
Bogra is a northern district of Bangladesh, in the Rajshahi Division. It is called the gateway to the north Bengal. It is an industrial city where many small and mid sized industries are housed. Bogra district was a part of the ancient Pundravardhana territory and Bogra was the capital of...
or Pundravardhana
Pundravardhana
This article is about the historical territory. For the Mahabharata kingdom see Pundra KingdomPundravardhana , was a territory located in North Bengal in ancient times, home of the Pundra, a group of people speaking languages not of the Indo-European family.-Etymology:There are several theories...
.
Who was he
Shah Sultan Balkhi Mahisawar was a ruler of BalkhBalkh
Balkh , was an ancient city and centre of Zoroastrianism in what is now northern Afghanistan. Today it is a small town in the province of Balkh, about 20 kilometers northwest of the provincial capital, Mazar-e Sharif, and some south of the Amu Darya. It was one of the major cities of Khorasan...
in Central Asia
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
. He was the son of Shah Ali Asgar, a ruler of Balkh
Balkh
Balkh , was an ancient city and centre of Zoroastrianism in what is now northern Afghanistan. Today it is a small town in the province of Balkh, about 20 kilometers northwest of the provincial capital, Mazar-e Sharif, and some south of the Amu Darya. It was one of the major cities of Khorasan...
in Tataristan of Central Asia
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
. He was selected as ruler after the death of his father. He left his kingship and became a dervish. He took lesson from Hazrat Toufique (R.) , and became Dervish. In 44 H.E. after coming to Pundravardhana
Pundravardhana
This article is about the historical territory. For the Mahabharata kingdom see Pundra KingdomPundravardhana , was a territory located in North Bengal in ancient times, home of the Pundra, a group of people speaking languages not of the Indo-European family.-Etymology:There are several theories...
, he first reached Sandwip
Sandwip Upazila
Sandwip is an Upazila of Chittagong District in the Division of Chittagong, Bangladesh.-Geography:Sandwip is located at . It has 45389 units of house hold and total area 762.42 km².-Demographics:...
of Bangla, and he stayed there for few years. Later he came to (Mahasthangarh
Mahasthangarh
Mahasthangarh is the earliest urban archaeological site so far discovered in Bangladesh. The village Mahasthan in Shibganj thana of Bogra District contains the remains of an ancient city which was called Pundranagara or Paundravardhanapura in the territory of Pundravardhana...
, the Capital of Pundravardhana
Pundravardhana
This article is about the historical territory. For the Mahabharata kingdom see Pundra KingdomPundravardhana , was a territory located in North Bengal in ancient times, home of the Pundra, a group of people speaking languages not of the Indo-European family.-Etymology:There are several theories...
)
Conqueror
He conquered the fort of Pundravardhana after warring with Raja Parshuram in the fourteenth century. Another source mentioned that, he defeated Raja Parshuram in 1043 C.E. , the last HinduHindu
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...
king of Mahasthangarh
Mahasthangarh
Mahasthangarh is the earliest urban archaeological site so far discovered in Bangladesh. The village Mahasthan in Shibganj thana of Bogra District contains the remains of an ancient city which was called Pundranagara or Paundravardhanapura in the territory of Pundravardhana...
.. According to legend, Shah Sultan of Balkh came to Mahastahan
Mahasthangarh
Mahasthangarh is the earliest urban archaeological site so far discovered in Bangladesh. The village Mahasthan in Shibganj thana of Bogra District contains the remains of an ancient city which was called Pundranagara or Paundravardhanapura in the territory of Pundravardhana...
accompanied by his disciples dressed as a Faqir in a boat shaped like a fish. Initially Chilhan, the army chief of Parshuram and many others accepted the message of Islam and became Muslims but eventually there was conflict between Parshuram and Balkhi Mahisawar in which Parshuram was defeated and killed .
Muslim conquest of Mahasthan by Shah Sultan Balkhi Mahisawar (C. 1043 A.D.)
A historian Provash Chandra Sen wrote in his book titled “Bogurar Itihash” that, ‘’Narshingh" or Parshuram, the Hindu king of the Mahasthan Bhoj Garh dynasty, was defeated and killed by Shah Sultan Balki in the year 1043CE’’.Babu Satish Chandra Sen stated a legend in his book Bogurar Itihas that, Shah Sultan of Balkh (Ancient Bactria
Bactria
Bactria and also appears in the Zend Avesta as Bukhdi. It is the ancient name of a historical region located between south of the Amu Darya and west of the Indus River...
) accompanied by Ibrahim-bin-Adham
Ibrahim Bin Adham
Ibrahim ibn Adham is one of the most prominent of the early ascetic Sufi saints.The story of his conversion is one of the most celebrated in Sufi legend, as that of a prince renouncing his throne and choosing asceticism closely echoing the legend of Gautama Buddha.Sufi tradition ascribes to...
, another missionary, and some disciples arrived at Mahastan in the grab of a fakir, riding a fish-shaped barge in 1043 A.D. Here he succeeded in converting Chilhan, the General
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
of King Parshuram and many local Hindus to Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
. This gave rise to the struggle between the Fakir and the King, in which the latter eventually was betrayed by one Harapal, defeated and killed. .
We thus get an idea that the Muslim rule was established in this district by the saint, Shah Sultan Balkhi Mahisawar. But it is very difficult to accept Mr. Sen's Claim of Sultan Balkhi's conquest of Mahasthan in 1043 A.D., as it presupposes a major conquest of the invasion of Ikhtiyaruddin Muhammad-bin-Bakhtiyar Khalji.