Akananda and Bakananda ( bn, অকানন্দ ও বকানন্দ, মতান্তরে আকানন্দ ও বাকানন্দ) were the

Bengali Hindu Bengali Hindus ( bn, বাঙ্গালী হিন্দু/বাঙালি হিন্দু, translit=Bāṅgālī Hindu/Bāṅāli Hindu) are an ethnoreligious population who make up the majority in the Indian states of West Benga ...

generals of Hatiagarh, who mortally wounded

Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...

missionary

Pir Gorachand Pir Gorachand, born Shah Syed Abbas Ali Makki, was an Arab Islamic missionary in Bengal in the 14th Century. Biography Makki was born in 1294 in Mecca. He moved towards Bengal with fellow missionary Shah Jalal to preach Islam. Makki settled in ...

in a pitched battle.Mitra, Satish Chandra. ''Jashor Khulnar Itihash Volume I''. Deys Publishing, p. 482.

Early life

Little is known about the early life of the princes Akananda and Bakananda. Satish Chandra Mitra however identified Akananda with his apparently uncorrupted name viz. ''Akshayananda''. Akananda and Bakananda were the sons of Mahidananda, the ruler of Hatiagarh. According to Dr. Girindranath Das, Akananda and Bakananda were two generals based at Hatiagarh, under the command of king Chandraketu.Chakraborty, Dr. Barun Kumar (ed) (2007). ''Bangiya Loksanskriti Kosh''. Aparna Book Distributors (Publishing Division), p. 143. According to Binay Ghosh, Akananda and Bakananda were either Poundra Kshatriyas or Byagra Kshatriyas by caste.Ghosh, Binay (1980). ''Paschimbanger Sanskriti Volume III''. Prakash Bhavan, p. 168.

Resistance to Arab missionaries

In the middle of the 14th century, an

missionary named Syed Abbas Ali arrived in lower

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 ...

with a team of 21 auliyas and other mercenaries. At Balanda, near

Deganga Deganga is a community development block that forms an administrative division in North 24 Parganas district in the Indian state of West Bengal. History The saga of the Vidyadhari River, which flows through the Deganga area, has been part o ...

in present

North 24 Parganas North 24 Parganas (abv. 24 PGS (N)) or sometimes North Twenty Four Parganas is a district in southern West Bengal, of eastern India. North 24 Parganas extends in the tropical zone from latitude 22° 11′ 6″ north to 23° 15′ 2″ north and f ...

district the missionaries started his charity work among the oppressed lower caste people and achieved huge popularity among them in a short while. At this time lower caste people ware oppressed by upper caste Brahmins which led to mass conversions to Islam. There was a cruel religious program in every year 'Sacrifice one young boy before the God' from the lower cast people. Although this was a cruel religious program, nobody from the lower cast could rise against it. The missionary Sayed Abbas Ali rise strong voice against the cruel system along with the oppressed lower cast common people. This was a big insult to the Brahmin & king Chandraketu so they send Akananda and Bakananda, the princes of Hatiagarh. A pitched battle ensued between them in the battle, Akananda mortally wounded Gorachand with a sharp arrow. According to Dr. Girindranath Das, both Akananda and Bakananda died in the battle.

References

{{Reflist 14th-century Indian people Bengali Hindus