Sikandar Shah Suri
Encyclopedia
Sikandar Shah Suri was the sixth ruler of Sur dynasty
, a late medieval Pashtun (Afghan)
dynasty of northern India
. He became the sultan of Delhi after overthrowing Ibrahim Shah Suri
.
before declaring independence from Delhi in 1555.
captured Lahore in February 1555. Another detachment of his forces captured Dipalpur
. Next, the Mughal army occupied Jalandhar
and their advanced division proceeded towards Sirhind. Sikandar sent a force of 30,000 horses but they were defeated by the Mughal army in a battle at Machhiwara
and Sirhind was occupied by the Mughals. Sikandar, then led an army of 80,000 horses himself and met the Army at Sirhind. On June 22, 1555 he was defeated by the Mughal army and was compelled to retreat to the Sivalik Hills in northern Punjab
. The victorious Mughals marched to Delhi and occupied it.
) and began to collect taxes with Kalanaur as his headquarters. Bairam Khan
sent Khan Alam (Iskandar Khan) to assist Khizr Khwaja Khan and finally on December 7, 1556 Akbar along with Bairam Khan left Delhi to deal with him. Sikandar again retreated to the Sivaliks and took refuge in the fort of Mankot. Bairam Khan besieged the fort. After six months of resistance, Sikandar surrendered the fort on July 25, 1557. He received an assignment in Bihar but expelled by Akbar within a short period. He died in Bengal in 1559.
Sur Dynasty
The Suri Empire was established by a Muslim dynasty of Afghan origin who ruled a vast territory in the Indian subcontinent between 1540 to 1557, with Delhi serving as its capital...
, a late medieval Pashtun (Afghan)
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...
dynasty of northern India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. He became the sultan of Delhi after overthrowing Ibrahim Shah Suri
Ibrahim Shah Suri
Ibrahim Shah Suri was the fifth ruler of Sur dynasty, a Pashtun dynasty of late medieval northern India.-Reign:Ibrahim Khan Suri was son of Ghazi Khan. He was the brother-in-law of sultan Muhammad Adil Shah. He was the grovernor of Agra in 1555, when he revolted against the sultan...
.
Early life
Sikandar Shah Suri's actual name was Ahmad Khan Suri. He was the brother-in-law of sultan Muhammad Adil Shah. He was the governor of LahoreLahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
before declaring independence from Delhi in 1555.
Reign
After becoming the independent sultan and bringing Punjab under control, he marched towards the territory controlled by sultan Ibrahim Shah Suri. Ibrahim was defeated in a battle at Farah near Agra and Sikandar took possession of both Delhi and Agra. While Sikandar was busy with his struggle against Ibrahim, HumayunHumayun
Nasir ud-din Muhammad Humayun was the second Mughal Emperor who ruled present day Afghanistan, Pakistan, and parts of northern India from 1530–1540 and again from 1555–1556. Like his father, Babur, he lost his kingdom early, but with Persian aid, he eventually regained an even larger one...
captured Lahore in February 1555. Another detachment of his forces captured Dipalpur
Dipalpur
Dipalpur is a town in Okara District of the Punjab and headquarters of Depalpur Tehsil, assumed to be largest tehsil of Pakistan. It is situated 25 kilometres from the district capital Okara on a bank of the Beas River in Bari Doab...
. Next, the Mughal army occupied Jalandhar
Jalandhar
Jalandhar is a city in Jalandhar District in the state of Punjab, India. It is located 144 km northwest of the state capital, Chandigarh...
and their advanced division proceeded towards Sirhind. Sikandar sent a force of 30,000 horses but they were defeated by the Mughal army in a battle at Machhiwara
Machhiwara
Machhiwara is a village and a nagar panchayat in the Ludhiana district of the Indian state of Punjab. Machhiwara is famous for Gurudwara Sri Charan Kanwal Sahib named after the Guru's feet that are compared to the lotus flower...
and Sirhind was occupied by the Mughals. Sikandar, then led an army of 80,000 horses himself and met the Army at Sirhind. On June 22, 1555 he was defeated by the Mughal army and was compelled to retreat to the Sivalik Hills in northern Punjab
Punjab (Pakistan)
Punjab is the most populous province of Pakistan, with approximately 45% of the country's total population. Forming most of the Punjab region, the province is bordered by Kashmir to the north-east, the Indian states of Punjab and Rajasthan to the east, the Pakistani province of Sindh to the...
. The victorious Mughals marched to Delhi and occupied it.
Later days
In late 1556, Sikandar became active again. He defeated Mughal general Khizr Khwaja Khan at Chamiari (presently in Amritsar districtAmritsar District
Amritsar district is one of 22 districts in the state of Punjab in West India. It has a population of 3,074,207 and covers an area of 5075 km²...
) and began to collect taxes with Kalanaur as his headquarters. Bairam Khan
Bairam Khan
Bairam Khan also Bayram Khan was a important military commander, general of the Mughal army, a powerful statesman and regent at the court of the Mughal emperors Humayun and Akbar.-Background:...
sent Khan Alam (Iskandar Khan) to assist Khizr Khwaja Khan and finally on December 7, 1556 Akbar along with Bairam Khan left Delhi to deal with him. Sikandar again retreated to the Sivaliks and took refuge in the fort of Mankot. Bairam Khan besieged the fort. After six months of resistance, Sikandar surrendered the fort on July 25, 1557. He received an assignment in Bihar but expelled by Akbar within a short period. He died in Bengal in 1559.