Taraf ( bn, তরফ/তরপ, Torof/Torop), previously known as Tungachal ( bn, তুঙ্গাচল, Tungachol), was a feudal territory of the
Sylhet region
The 1947 Sylhet referendum was held in the Sylhet District of the Assam Province of British India to decide whether the district would remain in Undivided Assam and therefore within the post-independence Dominion of India, or leave Assam for E ...
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 ...
and was under many
petty kingdom
A petty kingdom is a monarchy, kingdom described as minor or "petty" (from the French 'petit' meaning small) by contrast to an empire or unified kingdom that either preceded or succeeded it (e.g. the Heptarchy#List of Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, numerou ...
s in different periods of time. It was part of what is present-day
Habiganj District
Habiganj ( bn, হবিগঞ্জ, Hobigonj), formerly known as Habibganj ( bn, হবিবগঞ্জ, Hobibgonj), is a district in north-eastern Bangladesh, located in the Sylhet Division. It was established as a district in 1984 as a succe ...
in
Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
.
Tungachal became a part of
Brahmachal
The Kingdom of Brahmachal ( bn, ব্রহ্মাচল রাজ্য, Brohmachol Rajjo), also known as Badapanchala ( bn, বড়পঞ্চাল, Boroponchal), was one of the many petty kingdoms of the Sylhet region. It was established ...
in 1170 AD and was annexed back to
Gour Kingdom
The Kingdom of Gour was one of the greater of the many petty kingdoms of the medieval Sylhet region. According to legend, it was founded by Gurak, off-shooting from Kamarupa's Jaintia Kingdom in 630. Much of its early history is considered leg ...
in 1258 for a few years before being captured by
Twipra Kingdom
The Twipra Kingdom (Sanskrit: Tripura, Anglicisation, Anglicized: Tippera) was one of the largest historical kingdoms of the Tripuri people in North East India, Northeast India.
Geography
The present political areas which were part of the Twi ...
.
Gour Govinda
Govinda Fenchu ( bn, গোবিন্দ ফেঞ্চু), better known by his regnal title Gour Gobind ( bn, গৌড় গোবিন্দ) and also known by the sobriquet Shomudro Tonoy ( bn, সমুদ্র তনয়), was the ...
, the king of Gour, would retake Tungachal in 1260. Following the
Capture of Taraf
The Conquest of Sylhet ( bn, শ্রীহট্টের বিজয়, Srīhôtter Bijôy, Conquest of Srihatta) predominantly refers to an Islamic conquest of Srihatta (present-day Sylhet, Bangladesh) led by Sikandar Khan Ghazi, the mili ...
in 1304, the area came under the rule of
Syed Nasiruddin
Syed Shah Nasiruddin ( bn, শাহ সৈয়দ নাসিরুদ্দীন, ar, شاه سيد ناصر الدين) was a Sufi saint and military leader associated with the spread of Islam in Bengal in the 14th century. As the commande ...
and was renamed to Taraf.
The territory was transformed to a renowned centre of Islamic and linguistic education in the
Indian subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent is a list of the physiographic regions of the world, physiographical region in United Nations geoscheme for Asia#Southern Asia, Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian O ...
hosting writers such as
Syed Shah Israil,
Syed Pir Badshah and
Syed Rayhan ad-Din.
[ Taraf peacefully remained under the rule of Nasiruddin's descendants until the Twipra Kingdom conquered it. Not long after, ]Khwaja Usman
Khawāja Uthmān Khān Lōhānī ( bn, খাজা উসমান খাঁন লোহানী), popularly known as Khwaja Usman, was a Pashtun chieftain and warrior based in northeastern Bengal. As one of the Baro-Bhuyans, he was a zamind ...
would shortly take over Taraf until his defeat by the Mughal Empire
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 ...
. The Mughals made use of the fortified territory in its future battles. Taraf remained as an administrative pargana
Pargana ( bn, পরগনা, , hi, परगना, ur, پرگنہ) or parganah, also spelt pergunnah during the time of the Sultanate period, Mughal times and British Raj, is a former administrative unit of the Indian subcontinent and each ...
up until the Partition of India
The Partition of British India in 1947 was the Partition (politics), change of political borders and the division of other assets that accompanied the dissolution of the British Raj in South Asia and the creation of two independent dominions: ...
in 1947.
Location
The headquarters of the territory has always been within the modern-day Chunarughat Upazila. Majority of Tungachal was a part of the modern-day Habiganj District
Habiganj ( bn, হবিগঞ্জ, Hobigonj), formerly known as Habibganj ( bn, হবিবগঞ্জ, Hobibgonj), is a district in north-eastern Bangladesh, located in the Sylhet Division. It was established as a district in 1984 as a succe ...
and eastern borders of the Moulvibazar District
Moulvibazar ( bn, মৌলভীবাজার) also spelled Maulvibazar, Moulavibazar, and Maulavibazar, (former South Sylhet) is the southeastern district of Sylhet Division in northeastern Bangladesh, named after the town of Moulvibazar. It i ...
. It was bounded by the Twipra Kingdom
The Twipra Kingdom (Sanskrit: Tripura, Anglicisation, Anglicized: Tippera) was one of the largest historical kingdoms of the Tripuri people in North East India, Northeast India.
Geography
The present political areas which were part of the Twi ...
and Bejura pargana to the south, Bhanugach Hills to the east, and Lakhai
Lakhai ( bn, লাখাই) is an upazila of Habiganj District in the Division of Sylhet, Bangladesh.
History
Following the 1303 Conquest of Sylhet, Bayazid Shah, a companion of Shah Jalal, took refuge in Bulla and propagated Islam there. Bayaz ...
to the west. Following the establishment of Muslim rule, its territory was extended all the way south to Sarail
Sarail ( bn, সরাইল, Shorail) is an upazila of Brahmanbaria District located in the Chittagong Division and near the Dhaka Division, Bangladesh.
History
The leader of the Baro-Bhuiyan zamindars, Isa Khan, had his first and temporary ...
and west to Joanshahi.
Early history
Epivishnu is the earliest known ruler of this territory. He is considered to be a Tripuri
Tripuri refer to:
*Tripuri people, an ethnic group in India and Bangladesh, also known as Tipra people
**Tripuri language
**Tripuri nationalism
**Tripuri calendar
**Tripuri culture
**Tripuri cuisine
**Tripuri dances
**Tripuri dress
**Tripuri games ...
though he was a feudal ruler under Raja Upananda of Brahmachal
The Kingdom of Brahmachal ( bn, ব্রহ্মাচল রাজ্য, Brohmachol Rajjo), also known as Badapanchala ( bn, বড়পঞ্চাল, Boroponchal), was one of the many petty kingdoms of the Sylhet region. It was established ...
and not the Twipra Kingdom
The Twipra Kingdom (Sanskrit: Tripura, Anglicisation, Anglicized: Tippera) was one of the largest historical kingdoms of the Tripuri people in North East India, Northeast India.
Geography
The present political areas which were part of the Twi ...
. He ruled from the capital at Rajpur (modern-day Bishgaon/Bishgram, Chunarughat
Chunarughat ( bn, চুনারুঘাট) is an Upazila of Habiganj District in the Division of Sylhet, Bangladesh.
Geography
Chunarughat is located at . It has 43660 households and total area 495.52 km2.
History
Rajapur (Tekarghat) i ...
). It is said that the entire territory was named Tungachal after the birth of his son, Prince Tungamadhav. Epivishnu appointed Bhadra Janardan to be his minister and Raghu to be the army commander.
Gour attack
After the murder of Raja Upananda and the capture of Brahmanchal by Govardhan of Gour
Gangadhwaj Govardhan was the 20th king of medieval Sylhet's Gour Kingdom.
Reign
Govardhan rose to power following the death of his father, Gouradhwaj Bhabananda. During this period, Raja Upananda was the King of Brahmachal ( Southern Sylhet). T ...
, this meant that Tungachal was now also a part of Gour by default. Epivishnu - who was not given a choice - was effectively under the control of Amar Singh, who was appointed by Govardhan to be in charge of Brahmanchal. Having close ties with the Brahmanchal rulers as well as the Twipra Kingdom
The Twipra Kingdom (Sanskrit: Tripura, Anglicisation, Anglicized: Tippera) was one of the largest historical kingdoms of the Tripuri people in North East India, Northeast India.
Geography
The present political areas which were part of the Twi ...
, Epivishnu was adamant to Govardhan and Singh's amicable compromises. With Epivishnu refusing every pleasant proposal given to be a feudal ruler under Gour, Govardhan and Singh decided it was time that they dethrone Epivishnu and appoint someone else to govern Tungachal. The Gour forces entered Tungachal, and a battle emerged on the banks of the Ghungi Jurir Haor. Raja Epivishnu was murdered and his commander-in-chief General Raghu was kidnapped and taken as a captive back to Gour. Govardhan then appointed his second general, Shandul, to be the feudal ruler of Tungachal.
Annexation to Twipra
Ratan Manikya, king of Twipra
The Twipra Kingdom (Sanskrit: Tripura, Anglicized: Tippera) was one of the largest historical kingdoms of the Tripuri people in Northeast India.
Geography
The present political areas which were part of the Twipra Kingdom are:
* Barak Valley ...
, was informed of the murder of Epivishnu, whom he was a close associate of. Manikya decided that the Gour administration was going too far and decided to put a stop to Govardhan's craving of invading neighbouring kingdoms. He sent a contingent towards Brahmanchal to attack Amar Singh. Singh's forces were outnumbered, and requested assistance from Govardhan. However, Govardhan was unable to help as Gour was facing an invasion in the north from the Jaintia Kingdom
The Jaintia Kingdom was a matrilineal kingdom in present-day Bangladesh's Sylhet Division and India's Meghalaya state. It was partitioned into three in 630 AD by Raja Guhak for his three sons, into the Jaintia Kingdom, Gour Kingdom and Laur ...
. Singh was killed by the Twipra forces and the Kuki chiefs saw this as an opportunity for them to annex Brahmanchal to the Twipra Kingdom
The Twipra Kingdom (Sanskrit: Tripura, Anglicisation, Anglicized: Tippera) was one of the largest historical kingdoms of the Tripuri people in North East India, Northeast India.
Geography
The present political areas which were part of the Twi ...
. Jaidev Rai
Jaidev Rai ( bn, জয়দেব রায়, Joydeb Ray) was the Governor of Brahmachal under the Twipra Kingdom.
Life
Jaidev Rai was a son of the minister of Brahmachal - a kingdom in southern Sylhet ruled by Raja Upananda. The long-lasted ...
, son of the minister of Raja Upananda, who was the king of Brahmanchal before Amar Singh, was made the feudal ruler under the Twipras. They then proceeded to Tungachal, in an attempt to dethrone Shandul. In fright, Shandul fled Tungachal for Gour, thus enabling the Twipras to bloodlessly annex Tungachal to its kingdom as well. Epivishnu's minister, Bhadra Janardan, was appointed as the feudal ruler of Tungachal under the Twipra Kingdom as Epivishnu's son, Tungamadhav, was still a child.
Gour rule
Tungachal continued to be governed by Janardan as a part of Raja Ratan Manikya's Twipra Kingdom
The Twipra Kingdom (Sanskrit: Tripura, Anglicisation, Anglicized: Tippera) was one of the largest historical kingdoms of the Tripuri people in North East India, Northeast India.
Geography
The present political areas which were part of the Twi ...
up until the ascension of Raja Govinda of Gour. By making peace with Ratan Manikya of Tripura and gifting him an elephant, Govinda was able to gain Tungachal back to Gour administration. Govinda's close friend Achak Narayan gained the respect of the Tungachal royal family by marrying the eight-year-old Princess Lalasa Devi. Through this marriage, Narayan was able to rightfully become the ruler of Tungachal, dismissing Bhadra Janardan, the former minister of Epivishnu. Narayan was a feudal ruler under Gour, with his sister, Hiravati, being married to Gour Govinda
Govinda Fenchu ( bn, গোবিন্দ ফেঞ্চু), better known by his regnal title Gour Gobind ( bn, গৌড় গোবিন্দ) and also known by the sobriquet Shomudro Tonoy ( bn, সমুদ্র তনয়), was the ...
.
Syed rule
There was also a minority of Muslim families who migrated to Tungachal, following the short-lived Azmardan Expedition in 1254 led by the Governor of Bengal, Malik Ikhtiyaruddin Iuzbak
Malik Ikhtiyār ad-Dīn Yūzbak ( fa, ملک اختیار الدین یوزبک), and later Mughith ad-Din Abu al-Muzaffar ( fa, مغیث الدین ابو المظفر) was the appointed as the Delhi Sultanate's Governor of Bengal from 1251 CE t ...
. Qazi Nuruddin, a rich cultivator, celebrated his son's marriage ceremony by slaughtering a cow for them to eat. Achak Narayan, in a fury for what he saw as sacrilege due to his Hindu beliefs, sentenced Nuruddin to death. Burhanuddin, a man punished by Govinda of Gour for also slaughtering a cow, as well as Nuruddin's brother, Halimuddin, travelled to lower Bengal where they addressed their issues with Sultan Shamsuddin Firoz Shah
Shamsuddin Firuz Shah ( fa, شمس الدين فيروز شاه, bn, শামসুদ্দীন ফিরুজ শাহ, ''Shams Ad-Dīn Firūz Shāh'') (reigned: 1301–1322) was the independent ruler of the Gauḍa (city), Lakhnauti Ki ...
of Lakhnauti.
In 1303, forces led by Sikandar Khan Ghazi
Sikandar Khān Ghāzī ( fa, , bn, 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 ...
and Shah Jalal
Jalāl Mujarrad Kunyāʾī (), popularly known as Shah Jalal, was a celebrated Sufi figure of Bengal. His name is often associated with the Conquest of Sylhet and the spread of Islam into the region, part of a long history of interactions betw ...
defeated Govinda
Govinda (), also rendered Govind and Gobind, is an epithet of Vishnu which is also used for his avatars such as Krishna. The name appears as the 187th and the 539th name of Vishnu in '' Vishnu Sahasranama''. The name is also popularly addresse ...
at Gour annexing it to Shamsuddin Firuz Shah's sultanate. Govinda then fled with his family to Hurong Harong cave in Mulnicherra. He then went to the shrine of Grivakali, where he left his aunt, Apurna, and his cousin Garuda
Garuda (Sanskrit: ; Pāli: ; Vedic Sanskrit: गरुळ Garuḷa) is a Hindu demigod and divine creature mentioned in the Hindu, Buddhist and Jain faiths. He is primarily depicted as the mount (''vahana'') of the Hindu god Vishnu. Garuda ...
and Garuda's wife Shantipriya in the care of the priest. Garuda, Apurna and Shantipriya, taking shelter at Grivakali shrine, then decided to head off to Tungachal. However, they were caught by Subid, a rebel from the time of Raja Govardhan
Gangadhwaj Govardhan was the 20th king of medieval Sylhet region, Sylhet's Gour Kingdom.
Reign
Govardhan rose to power following the death of his father, Gouradhwaj Bhabananda. During this period, Raja Upananda was the King of Brahmachal (South ...
, who informed the Muslims of their actions; leading to Garuda's boat being followed by the Muslims. Out of embarrassment, Garuda appeared to committed suicide, jumping off the boat at Puni beel. The boatmen, however, continued taking Apurna and Shantipriya to Tungachal, eventually finding refuge with Achak Narayan. They made a vow in Tunganath Shiva temple to fast for ninety days, hoping for safety.[
Following the successful Islamic ]conquest of Gour
The Conquest of Sylhet ( bn, শ্রীহট্টের বিজয়, Srīhôtter Bijôy, Conquest of Srihatta) predominantly refers to an Islamic conquest of Srihatta (present-day Sylhet, Bangladesh) led by Sikandar Khan Ghazi, the mil ...
, Syed Nasiruddin
Syed Shah Nasiruddin ( bn, শাহ সৈয়দ নাসিরুদ্দীন, ar, شاه سيد ناصر الدين) was a Sufi saint and military leader associated with the spread of Islam in Bengal in the 14th century. As the commande ...
, Sultan Shamsuddin Firuz Shah's commander-in-chief, set off on an expedition to Tungachal in 1304. Nasiruddin arrived accompanied by 12 saint
In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of Q-D-Š, holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and Christian denomination, denominat ...
s and they camped in a place now known as Laskarpur. One of the saint's, Majlis Amin, built the Shankarpasha Shahi Masjid
Shankarpasha Shahi Jame Masjid, ( bn, উচাইল শংকরপাশা শাহী মসজিদ, fa, شاهي مسجد شنكرپاشا) is an ancient mosque in the Habiganj Sadar Upazila of Bangladesh. It was built during the 15th ce ...
. Achak Narayan was defeated and fled with his family to Mathura
Mathura () is a city and the administrative headquarters of Mathura district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is located approximately north of Agra, and south-east of Delhi; about from the town of Vrindavan, and from Govardhan. ...
. Following a victory, Tungachal was annexed to Shamsuddin Firuz Shah's sultanate and renamed as Taraf.
Syed Nasiruddin
Syed Shah Nasiruddin ( bn, শাহ সৈয়দ নাসিরুদ্দীন, ar, شاه سيد ناصر الدين) was a Sufi saint and military leader associated with the spread of Islam in Bengal in the 14th century. As the commande ...
became the effective leader of Taraf and his descendants continued to rule there. The capital would be shifted from Rajpur to Laskarpur. Nasiruddin's son, Syed Sirajuddin would succeed him. Sirajuddin had two sons; Syed Musafir and Syed Faqir.
The elder son, Musafir, would succeed him as the ruler of Taraf. Musafir had four sons; Khudawand, Ismail, Sulayman and Ibrahim. Taraf was transformed to an esteemed centre of study in the subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent is a physiographical region in Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian Ocean from the Himalayas. Geopolitically, it includes the countries of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India ...
. This is evident with the famous proverb associated with Taraf; Translated, this means "The place is named Taraf, letters
Letter, letters, or literature may refer to:
Characters typeface
* Letter (alphabet), a character representing one or more of the sounds used in speech; any of the symbols of an alphabet.
* Letterform, the graphic form of a letter of the alphabe ...
in every house".[ Syed Ibrahim was an Islamic scholar who was recognised by Delhi emperors and granted land in ]Sonargaon
Sonargaon ( bn, সোনারগাঁও; pronounced as ''Show-naar-gaa''; lit. ''Golden Hamlet'') is a historic city in central Bangladesh. It corresponds to the Sonargaon Upazila of Narayanganj District in Dhaka Division.
Sonargaon is on ...
where he moved to in his later life. Syed Khudawand had three sons; Mikail, Israil and Sayef. Syed Israil, wrote the Persian
Persian may refer to:
* People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language
** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples
** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...
book ''Ma'dan al-Fawaid'' in 1534 and is considered to be the Sylhet region
The 1947 Sylhet referendum was held in the Sylhet District of the Assam Province of British India to decide whether the district would remain in Undivided Assam and therefore within the post-independence Dominion of India, or leave Assam for E ...
's first author. Mikail became the effective ruler of Taraf after his father Khudawand, and he had five sons; Nazir Khan, Abbas, Musa, Mina and Lukman. There are claims that Syed Mina is the same person as Syed Sultan although the dates do not seem to add up. This claim was then proven to be incorrect as the Rulers of Taraf, family historical books have stated that Syed Sultan Is the grandson of Lukman Khudawand's grandson Syed Qalandar married the daughter of Sultan Bazid of Pratapgarh.
Twipra attack
Syed Musa was the successor of Syed Mikail and his reign marked the end of the Syed dynasty of Taraf. It was also during his rule that the Bengal Sultanate
The Sultanate of Bengal ( Middle Bengali: শাহী বাঙ্গালা ''Shahī Baṅgala'', Classical Persian: ''Saltanat-e-Bangālah'') was an empire based in Bengal for much of the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries. It was the dominan ...
fell in 1576 leading to the nobles of Bengal to become fiercely independent local rulers forming an anti-Mughal confederacy known as the Baro-Bhuiyan
The Baro-Bhuyans (or ''Baro-Bhuyan Raj''; also ''Baro-Bhuians'' and Baro-Bhuiyans) refers to the confederacies of soldier-landowners in Assam and Bengal in the late Middle Ages and the early modern period. The confederacies consisted of loose ...
s.
Amar Manikya
Amar Manikya was the Maharaja of Twipra Kingdom, Tripura from 1577 to 1586.
Early life
Born Amardeva, he was a son of Maharaja Deva Manikya, but was only a prince as another family had taken over the throne.
General Ranagan Narayan, the de fact ...
of the Manikya dynasty
The Manikya dynasty was the ruling house of the Twipra Kingdom and later the princely Tripura State, what is now the Indian state of Tripura. Ruling since the early 15th century, the dynasty at its height controlled a large swathe of the north- ...
of Twipra
The Twipra Kingdom (Sanskrit: Tripura, Anglicized: Tippera) was one of the largest historical kingdoms of the Tripuri people in Northeast India.
Geography
The present political areas which were part of the Twipra Kingdom are:
* Barak Valley ...
, just south of Taraf, was digging a tank, now known as Amar Sagar, in his capital at Udaipur
Udaipur () (ISO 15919: ''Udayapura''), historically named as Udayapura, is a city and municipal corporation in Udaipur district of the state of Rajasthan, India. It is the administrative headquarter of Udaipur district. It is the historic capit ...
for religious reasons. He demanded various chieftains to supply labour for this task and pay tribute to Twipra. The Rajmala
''Rajmala'' is a chronicle of the Kings of Tripura, written in Bengali verse in the 15th century under Dharma Manikya I.
Overview
The ''Rajmala'' chronicles the history of the Manikya kings of Tripura. While it serves as an invaluable sou ...
chronicles highlights all the donations provided by the Baro-Bhuiyan
The Baro-Bhuyans (or ''Baro-Bhuyan Raj''; also ''Baro-Bhuians'' and Baro-Bhuiyans) refers to the confederacies of soldier-landowners in Assam and Bengal in the late Middle Ages and the early modern period. The confederacies consisted of loose ...
s, numbering at least over 500 labourers. Syed Musa was the only ruler to refuse to accept such subordination as he viewed Taraf to be an independent principality. This angered Amar Manikya and he sent his son, Prince Rajdhar, to deal with him. Musa called upon Fateh Khan, a Baro-Bhuyan 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 ...
of Sylhet, who came to his aid. In 1581, a battle took place in the village of Jilkua in Chunarughat
Chunarughat ( bn, চুনারুঘাট) is an Upazila of Habiganj District in the Division of Sylhet, Bangladesh.
Geography
Chunarughat is located at . It has 43660 households and total area 495.52 km2.
History
Rajapur (Tekarghat) i ...
. Isa Khan
Isa Khan (c. 1529 – September 1599) was a Muslim Rajput zamindar who was one of the Baro Bhuiyans (twelve landlords) and a Zamindar of Khizirpur in 16th-century Bengal. Throughout his reign he resisted the Mughal empire invasion. It was on ...
was appointed as Manikya's naval commander. The Tripuris
The Tripuri (also known as Tripura, Tipra, Tiprasa, Twipra) are an ethnic group originating in the Indian state of Tripura. They are the inhabitants of the Twipra/Tripura Kingdom in North-East India and Bangladesh. The Tripuri people through t ...
were victorious and Syed Musa and his son Syed Adam were taken as prisoners. Syed Musa was imprisoned in Udaipur, but Adam was eventually set free. The Twipra army then proceeded to Gudhrail, via Dinarpur and the Surma River
The Surma River ( bn, সুরমা নদী) is a major river in Bangladesh, part of the Surma-Meghna River System. It starts when the Barak River from northeast India divides at the Bangladesh border into the Surma and the Kushiyara rivers. ...
, where they defeated Fateh Khan with the help of their elephants. Khan was captured and transported to Udaipur via Dulali and Ita.[ He was treated well and later released. ]Amar Manikya
Amar Manikya was the Maharaja of Twipra Kingdom, Tripura from 1577 to 1586.
Early life
Born Amardeva, he was a son of Maharaja Deva Manikya, but was only a prince as another family had taken over the throne.
General Ranagan Narayan, the de fact ...
was very proud of the successful conquest of Taraf and even minted a coin referring himself as the ''Conqueror of Sylhet''. This coin was in the possession of Bir Bikram Kishore Debbarman
Maharaja Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya Debbarma Bahadur (19 August 1908 – 17 May 1947) was a List of Tripuri Kings, king (or M''aharaja'') of Tripura (princely state), Tripura State.
He was succeeded by his son, Maharaja Kirit Bikram Kishore De ...
in the 20th century.
Some historians suggest that Syed Musa of Taraf is the same person as the Syed Musa of Arakan. It is claimed that after Syed Adam was set free he went to Min Phalaung Sikandar Shah, the ruler of Kingdom of Mrauk U
The Kingdom of Mrauk-U ( Arakanese: မြောက်ဦး နေပြည်တော်,) was a kingdom that existed on the Arakan littoral from 1429 to 1785. Based out of the capital Mrauk-U, near the eastern coast of the Bay of Bengal, t ...
, for help requesting the freedom of his father, Syed Musa, to which he did. Both Musa and Adam found refuge in the Arakanese court. Musa was appointed as a minister and under it was under his patronage that Alaol
Syed Alaol ( bn, সৈয়দ আলাওল; 1607 – 1680) was a 17th century poet of Bengal. His most well known work is ''Padmavati'', which depicts the story of Padmavati, the Sinhalese princess. He is considered to be one of the most pro ...
completed Saiful Mulk Badi Uzzamal. Adam is claimed to have been appointed as a governor of Ramu
The Ramu River is a major river in northern Papua New Guinea. The headwaters of the river are formed in the Kratke Range from where it then travels about northwest to the Bismarck Sea.
Along the Ramu's course, it receives numerous tributaries ...
. This theory however has been proved to be incorrect as the dates do not match up.
Mughal rule
Although the Bengal Sultanate
The Sultanate of Bengal ( Middle Bengali: শাহী বাঙ্গালা ''Shahī Baṅgala'', Classical Persian: ''Saltanat-e-Bangālah'') was an empire based in Bengal for much of the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries. It was the dominan ...
was defeated, the Mughal Empire
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 ...
took a very long time to defeat the local chieftains across Bengal. Many rebellious Afghans led by Khwaja Usman
Khawāja Uthmān Khān Lōhānī ( bn, খাজা উসমান খাঁন লোহানী), popularly known as Khwaja Usman, was a Pashtun chieftain and warrior based in northeastern Bengal. As one of the Baro-Bhuyans, he was a zamind ...
migrated to the Sylhet region
The 1947 Sylhet referendum was held in the Sylhet District of the Assam Province of British India to decide whether the district would remain in Undivided Assam and therefore within the post-independence Dominion of India, or leave Assam for E ...
as it was seen as a safe-zone for them due to the strong insurgency of rebellious chieftains. Usman managed to gain control of Taraf and then appointed his brother Khwaja Malhi and his son Khwaja Mumriz to govern the territory, in which they built a lofty fort. After the capture of Baniachong Baniachong ( bn, বানিয়াচং) is an upazila of Habiganj District in the Division of Sylhet, Bangladesh. Village Baniyachong is the biggest and the most populous village in Asia.
History
Baniachong constituted the grand estate (zami ...
, Islam Khan I
Shaikh Alauddin Chisti (1570–1613; known as Islam Khan Chisti) was a Mughal general and the Subahdar of Bengal. He transferred the capital of Bengal from Rajmahal to Dhaka and renamed it Jahangirnagar. He was awarded the titular name of Isla ...
, the Subahdar 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 ...
, then appointed Haji Shamsuddin Baghdadi and the three brothers, Mirza Saqi, Baqi and Pattani, to carry a campaign against Malhi and Mumriz of Taraf and Pahlawan of Matang. He ordered Shamsuddin to build a fort in between Matang and Taraf. The Mughal forces reached the location in a few days, and raised a strong deeply-trenched fort. They plundered the neighbouring villages surrounding the fort. News of this reached Malhi and Mumriz who decided that they get ready for a battle. Leaving a small garrison at their own fort at Taraf, they set off on an expedition to attack the Mughal fort. They started marching at midday and reached the fort in the next morning after six pahar
Pahar (Bengali
পহর, Hindi/ Nepali: पहर, ), which is more commonly pronounced peher, is a traditional unit of time used in India, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh. One ''pahar'' nominally equals three hours, and there are eight ''paha ...
s. The Baharistan-i-Ghaibi
The ''Baharistan-i-Ghaibi'' ( fa, ), written by Mirza Nathan, is a 17th-century chronicle on the history of Bengal, Cooch Behar, Assam and Bihar under the reign of Mughal emperor Jahangir (1605-1627). Unlike other history books of the Mughal Empi ...
highlights the terror experienced by the Mughal forces in this battle and mentions that it reminded them of the Day of Resurrection
In Islam, "the promise and threat" () of Judgment Day ( ar, یوم القيامة, Yawm al-qiyāmah, Day of Resurrection or ar, یوم الدین, italic=no, Yawm ad-din, Day of Judgement),
when "all bodies will be resurrected" from the dead, ...
. The Mughals launched arrows and cannonballs from their fort, showering over the Afghans. The Afghans managed to charge in unison, behind a war elephant
A war elephant was an elephant that was trained and guided by humans for combat. The war elephant's main use was to charge the enemy, break their ranks and instill terror and fear. Elephantry is a term for specific military units using elephant ...
named Baaz, towards the gate of the fort. In the midst of the battle, the front and back drivers of Baaz were killed and lay wounded. Shamsuddin then emerged from the left trench and managed to close off the fort gate with his soldiers. They then killed the elephant. The Afghans offered a hand-fight to which they were driven out. The Afghans entered the fort two more times and were driven out again and again. In the fourth assault, the Afghans were finally defeated and they fled to Khwaja Usman
Khawāja Uthmān Khān Lōhānī ( bn, খাজা উসমান খাঁন লোহানী), popularly known as Khwaja Usman, was a Pashtun chieftain and warrior based in northeastern Bengal. As one of the Baro-Bhuyans, he was a zamind ...
who was at Uhar, thus leading to a Mughal victory and establishing Mughal rule in Taraf.
Taraf was incorporated into the Sarkar of Sylhet. The Mughals made use of the fort at Taraf, often camping whilst on expeditions to defeat other rebellious chieftains such as Pahlawan of Matang and Bayazid Karrani II of Sylhet. During the expedition against the latter, the Mughal forces camped at Taraf for one day in which they were given the news of the birth of a son of Mirza Nathan, a Mughal officer. Ihtimam Khan's camp was joyous of this occasion and Ihtimam celebrated by bringing out two of his strongest elephants to fight each other outside the fort of Taraf.[ In the final expedition against ]Khwaja Usman
Khawāja Uthmān Khān Lōhānī ( bn, খাজা উসমান খাঁন লোহানী), popularly known as Khwaja Usman, was a Pashtun chieftain and warrior based in northeastern Bengal. As one of the Baro-Bhuyans, he was a zamind ...
at Uhar, Shuja'at Khan rested at the fort of Taraf for a day and left a garrison there before proceeding. Mukarram Khan was briefly the Sardar of Sylhet in 1617 before being replaced by Mirak Bahadur Jalair
Mirak Bahadur Jalair ( bn, মীরক বাহাদুর জলাইর, Mirok Bahadur Jolair, fa, , Mīrak Bahādur Jalāyir) was a Mughal officer during the reign of Emperor Jahangir. He served as the chief sardar of Sylhet Sarkar from ...
at Sylhet and Sulayman Banarsi
Shaykh Sulaymān Banārsī ( bn, শেখ সুলেমান বানারসী, fa, ) was a Mughal Empire official during the reign of emperor Jahangir. He served as the co-sardar of Sarkar Sylhet from 1617 until his death in 1620.
B ...
at Taraf and Uhar. Banarsi died in 1620, and Taraf was then governed by his son, who was most probably Tufan Bahadur.[
The Syeds remained influential zamindars in Taraf despite the Mughal rule. Syed Nurul Hasan (better known as Syed Shah Nuri), son of Syed Musa, gained permission from the emperor to separate from Taraf and form his own ]pargana
Pargana ( bn, পরগনা, , hi, परगना, ur, پرگنہ) or parganah, also spelt pergunnah during the time of the Sultanate period, Mughal times and British Raj, is a former administrative unit of the Indian subcontinent and each ...
, known as Nurul Hasan Nagar, with Pail Haveli as it headquarters. His son, Syed Pir Badshah, was the writer of ''Ganj-e-Taraz'' and 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 Pail holds his tomb along with the descendants of this Pail branch of the Syeds of Taraf.
British rule
With the establishment of 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 ...
and later the British Raj
The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent;
*
* it is also called Crown rule in India,
*
*
*
*
or Direct rule in India,
* Quote: "Mill, who was himsel ...
, Taraf continued to exist as a ''pargana
Pargana ( bn, পরগনা, , hi, परगना, ur, پرگنہ) or parganah, also spelt pergunnah during the time of the Sultanate period, Mughal times and British Raj, is a former administrative unit of the Indian subcontinent and each ...
'' or fiscal division within Sylhet. Its area was 79.65 square miles, consisted of 1601 estates and had a land revenue of £4400 as of 1875. The Nurul Hasannagar ''pargana'' was 4.89 square miles, consisted of 70 estates and had a land revenue of £2788.
The erstwhile Zamindar of Taraf, Syed Riyazur Rahman, was granted the title of Chowdhury
Chowdhury is a title of honour, usually hereditary, originating from the Indian subcontinent. It is an adaption from Sanskrit. During the Mughal rule, it was a title awarded to eminent people, while during British rule, the term was associated ...
by the 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 t ...
Shah Alam II
Shah Alam II (; 25 June 1728 – 19 November 1806), also known by his birth name Ali Gohar (or Ali Gauhar), was the seventeenth Mughal Emperor and the son of Alamgir II. Shah Alam II became the emperor of a crumbling Mughal empire. His powe ...
in 1770. During the rebellion of Agha Muhammad Reza in 1799 near Sylhet, Reza invited other local zamindars to also rebel against the British colonials. Riyazur Rahman, who opposed the forced taxing of the natives introduced by the British, initiated a rebellion in Taraf but was shortly suppressed.
List of rulers
See also
*Laur Kingdom
The Kingdom of Laur was one of the many petty kingdoms of the Sylhet region. Others included the Gour Kingdom, Ita Kingdom, Taraf Kingdom, Pratapgarh Kingdom and Jaintia Kingdom.
Location
The kingdom was bounded by the Brahmaputra river in the ...
Bibliography
*
References
{{Habiganj District
Habiganj District
History of Sylhet