Shah Sultan Balkhi ( bn, শাহ সুলতান বলখী, fa, ), also known by his

sobriquet A sobriquet ( ), or soubriquet, is a nickname, sometimes assumed, but often given by another, that is descriptive. A sobriquet is distinct from a pseudonym, as it is typically a familiar name used in place of a real name, without the need of expl ...

, Mahisawar ( bn, মাহিসওয়ার, fa, , Mâhi-Savâr, Fish-rider), was a 14th-century Muslim saint. His name is associated with the

spread of Islam The spread of Islam spans about 1,400 years. Muslim conquests following Muhammad's death led to the creation of the caliphates, occupying a vast geographical area; conversion to Islam was boosted by Arab Muslim forces conquering vast territori ...

in Sandwip and Bogra.

Early life

Balkhi was the son of Shah Ali Asghar, a ruler of

Balkh ), named for its green-tiled ''Gonbad'' ( prs, گُنبَد, dome), in July 2001 , pushpin_map=Afghanistan#Bactria#West Asia , pushpin_relief=yes , pushpin_label_position=bottom , pushpin_mapsize=300 , pushpin_map_caption=Location in Afghanistan ...

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bord ...

. He was the

crown prince A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title is crown princess, which may refer either to an heiress apparent or, especially in earlier times, to the wife ...

but left this role to become a follower of the religious preacher, Shaykh Tawfiq of Damascus.

Migration to Bengal

One day, the Shaykh ordered Balkhi to go to the land of

Bengal Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...

and preach the religion of Islam there. Balkhi then set off by boat, eventually reaching the island of Sandwip where he remained in for a number of years. His boat was a

barge Barge nowadays generally refers to a flat-bottomed inland waterway vessel which does not have its own means of mechanical propulsion. The first modern barges were pulled by tugs, but nowadays most are pushed by pusher boats, or other vessels. ...

and shaped like a fish; leading to him earning the nickname of Mahi-sawar (fish-rider). He then went to Hariramnagar, most likely another island, which was ruled by Balaram, a Hindu Raja who worshipped Kali. Balaram's minister decided to accept Islam which angered the Raja. A feud took place eventually leading to Balaram's death. Balkhi then decided to leave Hariramnagar so he leaped on his boat, reaching the ancient city of Mahasthangarh, the capital of the Pundravardhana kingdom, ruled by Narsingh Parshuram of the Bhoj Garh dynasty. Balkhi asked Parshuram for permission to live in his domain and freely practice his religion to which the King allowed. Balkhi preached to the native Buddhists and Chilhan, the army chief of Raja Parshuram, amongst many others accepted the message of Islam. Parshuram, like Balaram, was also not happy with Balkhi's missionary activities and a war took place. Another officer of Parshuram, Harapal, betrayed the king and also became a Muslim. This led to Balkhi eventually defeating Parshuram and conquering his fort in 1343. Parshuram was the last

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

king of Mahasthangarh. After hearing the news of her father's death, the King's daughter, Princess Shiladevi drowned herself in the Karatoya River. The area around her drowning place is known as Shila Devi's Ghat.

Legacy

It is unknown how and when Balkhi died. During the reign of

Mughal emperor The Mughal emperors ( fa, , Pādishāhān) were the supreme heads of state of the Mughal Empire on the Indian subcontinent, mainly corresponding to the modern countries of India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. The Mughal rulers styled ...

Aurangzeb Muhi al-Din Muhammad (; – 3 March 1707), commonly known as ( fa, , lit=Ornament of the Throne) and by his regnal title Alamgir ( fa, , translit=ʿĀlamgīr, lit=Conqueror of the World), was the sixth emperor of the Mughal Empire, ruling ...

in 1685, the

dargah A dargah ( fa, درگاه ''dargâh'' or ''dargah'', Turkish: ''dergâh'', Hindustani: ''dargah'' दरगाह درگاہ, bn, দরগাহ ''dorgah'') is a shrine or tomb built over the grave of a revered religious figure, often a ...

of Balkhi was a rent-free land and sanads were issued to Syed Muhammad Tahir, Syed Abd ar-Rahman and Syed Muhammad Reza. The

Mughals The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the d ...

paid great attention to the shrine and built a gate entry to Balkhi's

mausoleum A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be con ...

called ''Buri Ka Darwaza''. In 1719, during the reign of Emperor

Farrukhsiyar Farrukhsiyar or Farrukh Siyar () (20 August 16839 April 1719) was the tenth emperor of the Mughal Empire from 1713 to 1719. He rose to the throne after assassinating his uncle, Emperor Jahandar Shah. Reportedly a handsome man who was easily s ...

, Khodadil built a large single-domed mosque near the shrine which remains in use today.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Balkhi Mahisawar Bengali Sufi saints 14th-century Indian Muslims People from Balkh