Majnu Shah or Faqir Majnu Shah Burhan (died 1787Ray, Rajat Kumar (1986). ''Colonial Penetration and the Initial Resistance: The Mughal Ruling Class, the English East India and the Struggle for Bengal 1756-1800'', in ''The Indian Historical Review'', Vol.XII, No.1-2, New Delhi: Indian Council for Historical Research, pp.70-3) was a

faqir Faqir may refer to: People * Fakir, Sufi Muslim ascetics * Faqir (given name), Arabic masculine name * Faqir (clan), Muslim ethnic group in South Asia Places * Faqir Mosque Faqir Mosque ( bn, ফকির মসজিদ, ar, ) is an obl ...

(Sufi saint) from the present-day

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...

, who actively participated in the

Fakir-Sannyasi Rebellion The Sannyasi rebellion or monk rebellion 1770-77 ( bn, সন্ন্যাসী/ সাধু বিদ্রোহ, The monks' rebellion) was a revolt by the ''sannyasis'' and sadhus (Hindu ascetics, respectively) in Bengal, India in the late ...

, which, according to a number of scholars, was an early war for

India's independence The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events with the ultimate aim of ending British rule in India. It lasted from 1857 to 1947. The first nationalistic revolutionary movement for Indian independence emerged from Bengal. ...

and joined in many battles against the

British East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...

with his 'pious team'.

Life

In the Battle of Udhuanala (1761) and the

Battle of Buxar The Battle of Buxar was fought between 22 and 23 October 1764, between the forces under the command of the British East India Company, led by Hector Munro, and the combined armies of Mir Qasim, Nawab of Bengal till 1764; the Nawab of Awadh, Sh ...

(1764), Majnu gathered a great number of

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

''faqirs'' and

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

sannyasi ''Sannyasa'' (Sanskrit: संन्यास; IAST: ), sometimes spelled Sanyasa (सन्न्यास) or Sanyasi (for the person), is life of renunciation and the fourth stage within the Hindu system of four life stages known as '' As ...

s'' against the East India Company who took over power in

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 ...

from the

Nawab of Bengal The Nawab of Bengal ( bn, বাংলার নবাব) was the hereditary ruler of Bengal Subah in Mughal India. In the early 18th-century, the Nawab of Bengal was the ''de facto'' independent ruler of the three regions of Bengal, Bihar, ...

in 1757. His center was in Rangpur,

Dinajpur Dinajpur ( bn, দিনাজপুর ) is a city and the District headquarters of Dinajpur district situated in Rangpur Division, Bangladesh. It was founded in 1786. It is located 413 km north-west of Dhaka in Bangladesh. It is bounde ...

and in

Bogra District Bogra District, officially known as Bogura District, is a district in the northern part of Bangladesh, in the Rajshahi Division. Bogra is an industrial city where many small and mid-sized companies are sited. Bogra was a part of the ancient Pun ...

. Majnu Shah was a faqir of the

Madariya The Madariyya is a Sufi order () popular in North India, especially in Uttar Pradesh, the Mewat region, Bihar, Gujarat and West Bengal, as well as in Nepal and Bangladesh. Known for its syncretic aspects and its focus on internal ''dhikr'', i ...

Sufi order A tariqa (or ''tariqah''; ar, طريقة ') is a school or order of Sufism, or specifically a concept for the mystical teaching and spiritual practices of such an order with the aim of seeking ''haqiqa'', which translates as "ultimate truth". ...

founded by Syed Badiuduin Qutb-ul Shah Madar. His headquarters was at the shrine of Shah Madar in

Makanpur Makanpur (formerly known as Khairabad) is a town in Kanpur district in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. Makanpur is a town in the tehsil of Bilhaur. Makanpur is well connected by rail and road. The nearest city to Makanpur is Araul, which is ...

near

Kanpur Kanpur or Cawnpore ( /kɑːnˈpʊər/ pronunciation (help·info)) is an industrial city in the central-western part of the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. Founded in 1207, Kanpur became one of the most important commercial and military stations o ...

. His first encounter with the

army on 25 February 1771 with the

sepoy ''Sepoy'' () was the Persian-derived designation originally given to a professional Indian infantryman, traditionally armed with a musket, in the armies of the Mughal Empire. In the 18th century, the French East India Company and its oth ...

s led by Lieutenant Feltham in Dinajpur was unsuccessful and he fled to 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 ...

'' at

Mahasthangarh Mahasthangarh ( bn, মহাস্থানগড়, ''Môhasthangôṛ'') is one of the earliest urban archaeological sites so far discovered in Bangladesh. The village Mahasthan in Shibganj upazila of Bogra District contains the remain ...

Bogra district Bogra District, officially known as Bogura District, is a district in the northern part of Bangladesh, in the Rajshahi Division. Bogra is an industrial city where many small and mid-sized companies are sited. Bogra was a part of the ancient Pun ...

. He even managed to get a follower from

zamindar A zamindar ( Hindustani: Devanagari: , ; Persian: , ) in the Indian subcontinent was an autonomous or semiautonomous ruler of a province. The term itself came into use during the reign of Mughals and later the British had begun using it as a ...

family named Moti Giri or Moti Singh.Sannyasi and Fakir Rebellion
Muslim Societies, Vol 6.2 In the winter of 1773, Majnu Shah and his team of faqirs reappeared in

Rajshahi district Rajshahi District ( bn, রাজশাহী জেলা) is a district in mid-western Bangladesh. It is a part of the Rajshahi Division. The metropolitan city of Rajshahi is in Rajshahi District. Geography Rajshahi district is bounded by Naoga ...

and joined up with a body of

s. On 23 December 1773 they had an encounter with the four companies of sepoys of the British East India Company army. The company army repulsed them again.

Death

Majnu Shah sustained reverses while raiding the areas adjacent to

Mymensingh Mymensingh ( bn, ময়মনসিংহ) is the capital of Mymensingh Division, Bangladesh. Located on the bank of Brahmaputra River, about north of the national capital Dhaka, it is a major financial center and educational hub of north ...

in 1786 in a battle against the

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...

army under Lieutenant Brenan in Kaleswar area. He lost large number of his followers, and some of his wounded followers were carried to

Mewat Mewat is a historical region of Haryana and Rajasthan states in northwestern India. The loose boundaries of Mewat generally include Hathin tehsil and Nuh district of Haryana, Alwar (Tijara, Kishangarh, Bas, Ramgarh, Laxmangarh, Kathumar tehsil ...

. After 1786 Majnu Shah was not found to lead any expedition. From a report of Lieutenant Brenan it is revealed that Majnu Shah was defeated and wounded in a battle on 8 December 1786. It is likely that with his wound he retired to the ''dargah'' of Shah Madar at Maqanpur in Cawnpur (

) district, where he is reported to have died on 26 January 1788. After his death, his nephew Musa Shah led the faqirs and carried out attacks with muskets and rockets till he was killed in an encounter in 1792.

Notes

References

* Muhammad Abu Talib, ''Majnu Shah''

External links

*
The Daily Star Web Edition, Vol. 5 Num 423
{{DEFAULTSORT:Majnu Shah 1787 deaths Year of birth unknown

Life

Death

See also

Notes

References

External links