Sayyed Majnu Shah Malang (died 1787Ray, Rajat Kumar (1986). ''Colonial Penetration and the Initial Resistance: The Mughal Ruling Class, the English East India and the Struggle for Bengal 1756-1800'', in ''The Indian Historical Review'', Vol.XII, No.1-2, New Delhi: Indian Council for Historical Research, pp.70-3) was a

faqir Fakir, faqeer, or faqīr (; (noun of faqr)), derived from ''faqr'' (, 'poverty'), is an Islamic term traditionally used for Sufi Muslim ascetics who renounce their worldly possessions and dedicate their lives to the worship of God. They do n ...

(Sufi saint) from the present-day

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...

, who actively participated in the Fakir-Sannyasi Rebellion, which, according to a number of scholars, was an early war for

India's independence The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events in South Asia with the ultimate aim of ending British colonial rule. It lasted until 1947, when the Indian Independence Act 1947 was passed. The first nationalistic movement t ...

and joined in many battles against the

British East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company that was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to Indian Ocean trade, trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (South A ...

with his 'pious team'.

Life

In the Battle of Udhuanala (1761) and the

Battle of Buxar The Battle of Buxar was fought between 22 and 23 October 1764, between the forces of the British East India Company, under the command of Major Hector Munro, against the combined armies of Balwant Singh, Maharaja of the Benaras State; Mir Qa ...

(1764), Majnu gathered a great number of

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

''faqirs'' and

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

sannyasi ''Sannyasa'' (), sometimes spelled ''sanyasa'', is the fourth stage within the Hindu system of four life stages known as '' ashramas'', the first three being ''brahmacharya'' (celibate student), '' grihastha'' (householder) and '' vanaprastha ...

s'' against the East India Company who took over power in

Bengal Bengal ( ) is a Historical geography, historical geographical, ethnolinguistic and cultural term referring to a region in the Eastern South Asia, eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. The region of Benga ...

from the

Nawab of Bengal The Nawab of Bengal (, ) was the hereditary ruler of Bengal Subah in Mughal India. In the early 18th-century, the Nawab of Bengal was the ''de facto'' independent ruler of the three regions of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa which constitute the mod ...

in 1757. His center was in

Rangpur Rangpur may refer to: Places In Bangladesh *Rangpur Division, one of the eight administrative divisions of Bangladesh. *Rangpur District, district of Bangladesh in Rangpur Division. *Rangpur, Bangladesh, metropolis and a major city in northern ...

Dinajpur Dinajpur ( ) is a city and the district headquarters of Dinajpur district situated in Rangpur Division, Bangladesh. It was founded in 1786. It is located 413 km north-west of Dhaka. It is bounded on the north by Suihari, Katapara, Bangi ...

and in

Bogra District Bogra District, officially Bogura District (), is a district in the northern part of Bangladesh, in Rajshahi Division. Bogra is an industrial city where many small and mid-sized companies are sited. Bogra was a part of the Pundravardhana terri ...

. Majnu Shah was a faqir of the Madariya

Sufi order A ''tariqa'' () is a religious order of Sufism, or specifically a concept for the mystical teaching and spiritual practices of such an order with the aim of seeking , which translates as "ultimate truth". A tariqa has a (guide) who plays the r ...

founded by Syed Badiuduin Qutb-ul Shah Madar. His headquarters was at the shrine of Shah Madar in

Makanpur Makanpur (formerly known as Khairabad) is a town in Kanpur Nagar district in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. Makanpur is a town in the tehsil of Bilhaur. Makanpur is well connected by rail and road. The nearest city to Makanpur is Araul, wh ...

near

Kanpur Kanpur (Hindustani language, Hindustani: ), originally named Kanhapur and formerly anglicized as Cawnpore, is the second largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Uttar Pradesh after Lucknow. It was the primary ...

. His first encounter with the

army on 25 February 1771 with the

sepoy ''Sepoy'' () is a term related to ''sipahi'', denoting professional Indian infantrymen, traditionally armed with a musket, in the armies of the Mughal Empire and the Maratha. In the 18th century, the French East India Company and its Euro ...

s led by Lieutenant Feltham in Dinajpur was unsuccessful and he fled to the ''

dargah A Sufi shrine or dargah ( ''dargâh'' or ''dargah'', Turkish: ''dergâh'', Hindustani: ''dargāh'' दरगाह درگاہ, ''dôrgah'') is a shrine or tomb built over the grave of a revered religious figure, often a Sufi saint or dervi ...

'' at

Mahasthangarh Mahasthangarh is the earliest urban archaeological sites discovered thus far in Bangladesh. The village Mahasthan in Shibganj upazila of Bogra District contains the remains of an ancient city which was called Pundranagara or Paundravardha ...

Bogra district Bogra District, officially Bogura District (), is a district in the northern part of Bangladesh, in Rajshahi Division. Bogra is an industrial city where many small and mid-sized companies are sited. Bogra was a part of the Pundravardhana terri ...

. He even managed to get a follower from

zamindar A zamindar in the Indian subcontinent was an autonomous or semi-autonomous feudal lord of a ''zamindari'' (feudal estate). The term itself came into use during the Mughal Empire, when Persian was the official language; ''zamindar'' is the ...

family named Moti Giri or Moti Singh.Sannyasi and Fakir Rebellion
Muslim Societies, Vol 6.2 In the winter of 1773, Majnu Shah and his team of faqirs reappeared in

Rajshahi district Rajshahi District () is a district in mid-western Bangladesh. It is a part of Rajshahi Division. The metropolitan city of Rajshahi is in Rajshahi District. Geography Rajshahi District is bounded by Naogaon District to the north, Natore Distric ...

and joined up with a body of

s. On 23 December 1773 they had an encounter with the four companies of sepoys of the British East India Company army. The company army repulsed them again.

Death

Majnu Shah sustained reverses while raiding the areas adjacent to

Mymensingh Mymensingh () is a metropolis, metropolitan city and capital of Mymensingh Division, Bangladesh. Located on the bank of the Old Brahmaputra River, Brahmaputra River, about north of the national capital Dhaka, it is a major financial center ...

in 1786 in a battle against the

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company that was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to Indian Ocean trade, trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (South A ...

army under Lieutenant Brenan in Kaleswar area. He lost large number of his followers, and some of his wounded followers were carried to

Mewat Mewat (; ) is a historical and cultural region which encompasses parts of the modern-day states of Haryana, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh in northwestern India. Geography The loose boundaries of the Mewat region generally include parts of th ...

. After 1786 Majnu Shah was not found to lead any expedition. From a report of Lieutenant Brenan it is revealed that Majnu Shah was defeated and wounded in a battle on 8 December 1786. It is likely that with his wound he retired to the ''dargah'' of Shah Madar at Maqanpur in Cawnpur (

) district, where he is reported to have died on 26 January 1788. After his death, his nephew Musa Shah led the faqirs and carried out attacks with muskets and rockets till he was killed in an encounter in 1792.

Notes

References

* Muhammad Abu Talib, ''Majnu Shah''

External links

*
The Daily Star Web Edition, Vol. 5 Num 423
{{DEFAULTSORT:Majnu Shah 1787 deaths Year of birth unknown

Life

Death

See also

Notes

References

External links