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Sikandar Khān Ghāzī (Persian: سکندر خان غازی, Bengali: সিকান্দার খান গাজী) was the first wazir of Srihat under the Lakhnauti Kingdom ruled by Shamsuddin Firuz Shah. Prior to this, Khan was one of the commanders of the Battles of Gour during the Conquest of Sylhet in 1303. Early Persian manuscripts and inscriptions relating to Shah Jalal name Sikandar Khan Ghazi as well, highlighting his role as a commander in the battles.

Background

Sikandar Khan Ghazi's maternal uncle was the Sultan of Lakhnauti, Shamsuddin Firuz Shah. He was of Turco-Persian tradition, and entered Bengal alongside Firuz.

Career

Sikandar Khan was appointed as a commander of an army and took part in many expeditions across Bengal. He defeated Raja Matuk of the Sundarbans in South Bengal. He accompanied Firuz in the conquests of Sonargaon and Satgaon, before reaching the Sylhet region.

Shaykh Burhanuddin, a Muslim living in Tultikar, Gour, notified Shamsuddin Firuz Shah of the injustice he was facing and Firuz ordered Sikandar to lead the expedition to Gour Kingdom. Sikandar's army, however, were inexperienced in the foreign hilly terrain and had no option but to retreat back to Bengal to avoid casualties. When Shah Jalal arrived in Bengal, Sikandar met him and greeted him with respect. He asked the cleric to join him in the expedition and that it is not the Raja's wealth and property which he wants but rather to propagate Islam in the Sylhet region. With the assistance of Shah Jalal and Syed Nasiruddin, the Conquest of Gour was successful. The King of the Gour Kingdom, Raja Gour Govinda escaped to Harong Hurong cave and was never heard of again.

Following the conquest, Sikandar was made the wazir and ruled over Sylhet. He reportedly ruled from modern-day Badarpur in Karimganj towards the east of the Sylhet region. Ghazi's drawing room can be seen in the village of Gorkapon sitting on the banks of the Barak River.

তখনে মরিল সেই শাহ সিকান্দর
Tokhone morilo shei Shah Shikandor
It was then that Sikandar Shah passed away
বেসরদার হৈল তবে ছিলট নগর
Be-shordar hoilo tobe Silot Nogor
Sylhet town became sardar-less
এজন্যে হযরত শাহ জালাল এমনী
Ejonne Hazrat Shah Jalal Yemeni
For that reason, Hazrat Shah Jalal of Yemen
নিযুক্ত করিল এক সরদার তখনি
Nijukto korilo ek shordar tokhoni
Appointed another sardar at the time

Death

Khan drowned whilst journeying on a boat to catch fish in at the junction of the Surma, Barak and Kushiyara rivers in Badarpur. His body was never found. Due to this he is considered a shaheed (martyr) in Islam. He was succeeded by Haydar Ghazi, who was appointed by Shah Jalal himself. This shows that Khan's death took place before 1346, which was the year of Shah Jalal's death. There is a poem found in the biography of Shah Jalal, Tarikh-e-Jalali, which mentions the incident.

See also

• Syed Nasiruddin

References

1. ^ Choudhury, Achyutcharan. "1". Sreehatter Itibritta – Purbangsho (A History of Sylhet), Part 2. Vol. 1. Mustafa Selim; Source publication, 2004.
2. Abdul Karim. "Shah Jalal (R)". Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh. Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
3. Hanif, N (2000). Biographical Encyclopaedia of Sufis: South Asia. p. 170-171.
4. Bhattasali, Nalinikanta (13 October 2018). Coins and Chronology of the Early Independent Sultans of Bengal. Creative Media Partners.
5. Sengupta, Nitish (2011). Land of Two Rivers: A History of Bengal from the Mahabharata to Mujib. Penguin Books.
6. ^ Barbhuiya, Atiqur Rahman (27 January 2020). Indigenous People of Barak Valley. Notion Press.
7. Sahih al-Bukhari, 4:52:82
8. Syed Murtaza Ali (1965). Hazrat Shah Jalal O Sylheter itihas (in Bengali). University Press.

• Rulers of Sylhet
• 14th-century Indian Muslims