Manoranjan Rai, or more commonly known as Mona Rai was the final chief minister of medieval

Sylhet Sylhet (; ) is a Metropolis, metropolitan city in the north eastern region of Bangladesh. It serves as the administrative center for both the Sylhet District and the Sylhet Division. The city is situated on the banks of the Surma River and, as o ...

Gour Kingdom The Gour kingdom was one of the greater of the many petty kingdoms of the medieval Sylhet region. According to legend, it was founded by Gurak, off-shooting from Kamarupa's Jaintia kingdom in 630. Much of its early history is considered leg ...

. He is most known for being named after the highest hill in Sylhet city.

Office

His office began in 1260 with ascension of Raja

Gour Govinda Govinda Fenchu (), better known by his regnal title Gour Govinda () and also known by the sobriquet Shomudro Tonoy (), was the 21st and final king of medieval Sylhet's Gour Kingdom. He is described as a very conservative Hindu ruler whose reign ...

to the throne. Govinda appointed Rai as his chief minister, replacing the previous King

Govardhan Govardhan also called Giriraj, is a key pilgrimage centre in India and a municipal town; a nagar panchayat; seat of an MLA (Member of the Legislative Assembly (India), Member of Legislative Assembly) of Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly, Uttar ...

's former chief minister

Madan Rai Madan Rai was the penultimate chief minister of medieval Sylhet's Gour Kingdom. He was described to have been very sharp and "shrewd". Office Appointed as Chief Minister of Gour, Madan Rai was stationed on a hillock (now known as Mona Rai's Til ...

. The palace which was used by the past ministers of Gour was gifted by Govinda to Mona Rai, and renamed Mona Rai Palace. It was situated in a hillock near the port for ease in tax collection and civil duties. Govinda built a brick tower in Penchagor named Gorduar, which would serve as his palace and central administration. Gorduar, which remains as ruins today, had seven floors; the second floor was also given to Mona Rai.

Death

With the arrival of

Shah Jalal Shāh Jalāl Mujarrad Kunyāʾī (), popularly known as Shah Jalal (), was a celebrated Sufi Saint, conqueror and historical figure of Bengal. His name is often associated with the Muslim conquest of Sylhet and the Spread of Islam into the ...

and the

Conquest of Sylhet The Conquest of Sylhet () predominantly refers to an Early Muslim conquests, Islamic conquest of Srihatta (present-day Sylhet, Bangladesh) led by Sikandar Khan Ghazi, the military general of Sultan Shamsuddin Firoz Shah of the Lakhnauti Sultanat ...

in 1303, Mona Rai was appointed by Govinda as one of the commanders. As Rai was based near the port, he decided to stop river transport and ferries making it difficult for the opponents as the only other option was through the hills. Rai was subsequently killed in the final battle of Gour. Govinda was shocked after hearing of this news and fled with his family and the area came under the rule of Wazir Sikandar Khan Ghazi.

Legacy

The hillock which housed Mona Rai's palace is known even today as the hill of Mona Rai () in Chowhatta. It is located next to the dargah of Shah Jalal.

Bipin Chandra Pal Bipin Chandra Pal ( ; 7 November 1858 – 20 May 1932) was an Indian nationalist, writer, orator, social reformer and freedom fighter. He was one third of the " Lal Bal Pal" triumvirate. He was one of the main architects of the Swadeshi move ...

mentions in his book, "''Memories Of My Life And Times''", mentions that during his childhood he studied in a government school which was a large brick building standing on top of Mona Rai's Tila. This is backed up by

Pandita Ramabai Pandita Ramabai Sarasvati ( Marathi: ; 23 April 1858 – 5 April 1922) was an Indian social reformer and Christian missionary. She was the first woman to be awarded the titles of '' Pandita'' as a Sanskrit scholar and '' Sarasvati'' after being ...

's biography which mentions that she was invited to Sylhet District School, on top of Mona Ray Hill, by a reception committee. During the

British Raj The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani language, Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule ...

, a 0.9 mile by-road was used connecting

with the hill. This road was named Monarai Tillah Approach Road and housed the Executive Officer's Bungalow in 1948. In 1975, it also housed the buildings for the Roads and Highways Division, Buildings Division and District Judges. The ruins of Rai's fort in Tilagarh is also present.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rai, Mona Rulers of Sylhet 14th-century Indian people 14th-century politicians Indian Hindus