Muḥammad Shīrān Khaljī (), or simply Shiran Khalji (), was the second governor of the

Khalji dynasty of Bengal The Khalji dynasty (, ) was the first Muslim dynasty to rule the Bengal region in the Indian subcontinent. The dynasty, which hailed from the Garmsir District, Garmsir region of present-day Afghanistan, was founded in 1204 by Muhammad bin Bakhti ...

, based in Lakhnauti,

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 1206 until 1208.

Early life

He was member of the

Khilji The Khalji or Khilji dynasty was a Turco-Afghan dynasty that ruled the Delhi Sultanate for three decades between 1290 and 1320. It was the second dynasty to rule the Delhi Sultanate which covered large swaths of the Indian subcontinent.

tribe,''the Khiljī tribe had long been settled in what is now Afghanistan ...'
Khalji Dynasty
''

Encyclopædia Britannica The is a general knowledge, general-knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It has been published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. since 1768, although the company has changed ownership seven times. The 2010 version of the 15th edition, ...

''. 2010. ''Encyclopædia Britannica''. 23 August 2010. which is considered to be the largest Turco Afghan tribe settled in

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

. Shiran was given the role as the administrator of

Nagaur Nagaur (also Nagor and Nagore) is a city and municipal council in Nagaur district of the state of Rajasthan in India. It is the administrative headquarters of Nagaur District. The Nagaur city lies about midway between Jodhpur and Bikaner. Na ...

. He was working under

Bakhtiyar Khalji Ikhtiyār al-Dīn Muḥammad Bin Bakhtiyār Khaljī, also known as Bakhtiyar Khalji, was a Turko-Afghan Military General of the Ghurid ruler Muhammad of Ghor, who led the Muslim conquests of the eastern Indian regions of Bengal and parts of Bi ...

during the latter's office as the administrator of the Bhagwat and Bhuili and joined him in the Muslim conquest of Lakhnauti. During Bakhtiyar Khalji's governorship of Bengal (Lakhnauti), Shiran was promoted to army commander.

Governor of Bengal

When Bakhtiyar set off for the expedition to Tibet, he entrusted Lakhnauti to Shiran to care of. Bakhtiyar and his soldiers returned to Bengal after failing the expedition.

Ali Mardan Khalji Rukn ad-Dīn ʿAlī Mardān Khaljī (, ) was a 13th-century governor of Bengal, a member of the Khalji dynasty of Bengal. Early life He was a son of Mardan Khalji of the Khalaj tribe,''the Khiljī tribe had long been settled in what is now A ...

, the administrator of Devkot appointed by Bakhtiyar, and those loyal to him then assassinated bed-ridden Bakhtiyar who was resting in

Devkot Bangarh is an ancient city situated in Gangarampur, West Bengal, India.From the finding of Damodarpur inscription we know that Bangarh was the ancient city and the administrative centre of Kotivarsha Vishaya (territorial division), itself pa ...

. Upon hearing this, Shiran left his post as the acting Governor of Lakhnauti and set off to

to humble

and his supporters. However, Mardan had fled to Ghoraghat. Whilst at Devkot, the Khalji noblemen appointed Shiran as Bakhtiyar's rightful successor. Ascending as the next governor of Bengal, he invaded armies loyal to the rebel. Shiran managed to capture and imprison Mardan and appointed Baba Isfahani, the

kotwal The Kotwal also spelled as Cotwal, or Kotval, was a title used in medieval and early modern period for the leader of a Kot or fort. Kotwals often controlled the fort of a major town or an area of smaller towns on behalf of another ruler. It was ...

, to take care of him. Shiran attempted to maintain the policies set by his predecessor, Bakhtiyar, and even reinstated the roles of the rebels to maintain peace.

Death

Ali Mardan later managed to flee to

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

, where he managed to persuade the

Sultan Sultan (; ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be use ...

Qutb al-Din Aibak Qutb ud-Din Aibak (; 1150 – 4 November 1210) was a Turkic general of the Ghurid emperor Muhammad Ghori. He was in charge of the Ghurid territories in northern India, and after Muhammad Ghori's assassination in 1206, he established his ow ...

to invade Devkot which was now under Shiran's rule. The Sultan then instructed Qaimaz Rumi, the Governor of

Awadh Awadh (), known in British Raj historical texts as Avadh or Oudh, is a historical region in northern India and southern Nepal, now constituting the North-central portion of Uttar Pradesh. It is roughly synonymous with the ancient Kosala Regio ...

, to invade Devkot and dethrone Shiran. Rumi's army passed the

jagir A jagir (), ( Hindustani: जागीर/جاگیر, ''Jāgīr''), ( Marathi: जहागीर, ''Jahāgīrá'') also spelled as jageer, was a type of feudal land grant in the Indian subcontinent at the foundation of its Jagirdar ( Zamindar ...

of Kangori, southeast of Devkot, which was administered by

Iwaz Khalji Ḥusām ad-Dīn ʿIwaz bin Ḥusayn Khaljī (, ), later known by his regnal title as Ghiyāth ad-Dīn ʿIwaz Shāh (, ), was a two-time governor of Bengal under the Delhi Sultanate, and a member of the Khalji dynasty of Bengal. During his sec ...

. Shiran was defeated and fled to Dinajpur where he shortly afterwards died.Khilji Malik
/ref> Before returning to Awadh, Rumi then appointed Iwaz as the next Governor of Bengal. Shiran's tomb lies in Mahisantosh, Dhamoirhat in northwestern Bangladesh's

Naogaon District Naogaon District () is a district in northern Bangladesh, and part of Rajshahi Division. It is named after its headquarters, the city of Naogaon in Naogaon Sadar Upazila. Demographics According to the 2022 Census of Bangladesh, Naogaon Distri ...

(which was historically a part of Dinajpur District). The tomb is exceptionally 14 feet long, and beside an antique

mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...

. This site is around 25 kilometres northwest of the

Somapura Mahavihara Somapura Mahavihara (), also known as Paharpur Buddhist Vihara (), is a major Buddhist monastery (''mahavihara'') in Paharpur, Badalgachhi, Naogaon, Bangladesh. It is among the best known Buddhist viharas in the Indian Subcontinent and is one ...

References

{{Naogaon District Governors of Bengal 13th-century Indian Muslims 13th-century Indian people Naogaon District People from Dhamoirhat Upazila

Early life

Governor of Bengal

Death

See also

References