Tātār Khān Nāghir ( ps, تاتار خان ناغر; d. 1611) was a soldier of the Eastern Afghan Confederates, 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 t ...

Jahangir Nur-ud-Din Muhammad Salim (30 August 1569 – 28 October 1627), known by his imperial name Jahangir (; ), was the fourth Mughal Emperor, who ruled from 1605 until he died in 1627. He was named after the Indian Sufi saint, Salim Chishti. Ear ...

. Although he fought against 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 ...

, Mughal documents such as 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 ...

described him to have the "boldness of a lion of the forest".

Biography

Khan was born to a

Pashtun Pashtuns (, , ; ps, پښتانه, ), also known as Pakhtuns or Pathans, are an Iranian ethnic group who are native to the geographic region of Pashtunistan in the present-day countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan. They were historically re ...

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 ...

family. He belonged to the tribe of Naghir who were descended from Naghir, son of Dani, son of Gharghasht, son of

Qais Abdur Rashid Qais Abdur Rashīd or Qais Abdul Rasheed ( ps, قيس عبد الرشيد) is said to be, in post-Islamic lore, the legendary founding father of the Pashtuns. It is believed that the conception of such a figure was promoted to bring harmony betw ...

. Khan entered the service of

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 ...

, the leader of the Eastern Afghan Confederates, and fought against 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 ...

. Usman and his forces, which included Naghir, would often launch surprise attacks at the Mughal fort-builders near Hasanpur (modern-day Haybatnagar in

Kishoreganj Kishoreganj is a city and the headquarters of Kishoreganj District Kishoreganj ( bn, কিশোরগঞ্জ) is a district in Dhaka Division, Bangladesh. Earlier it was a Mohkuma (মহকুমা) under the Mymensingh district. It ...

), who would build a fort every five days as they moved. When the Mughal camp pitched themselves at the eleventh fort, Usman and the Afghans came to oppose the Mughals. In this occasion, Tatar Khan Naghir directly attacked the fort. An affray took place between Khwaja Khan and Mirza Isfandiyar against Naghir, who was now on his own as the other Afghans had fled, fearing the Mughal artillery. Khwaja Khan and Isfandiyar swung their swords at Naghir and threw javelins and shot guns. Both sides suffered wounded though only Naghir was killed. The Mughals had a custom of respecting the dead, regardless of allegiance. They sprinkled large amounts of saffron perfume on Naghir's body before sending some men to carry Naghir on a

palanquin The litter is a class of wheelless vehicles, a type of human-powered transport, for the transport of people. Smaller litters may take the form of open chairs or beds carried by two or more carriers, some being enclosed for protection from the el ...

back to his leader Usman's presence. Although the Mughals and Afghans continued their warfare as time passed, this occasion was appreciated by both sides and regarded as an act of humanity, manliness and religiosity.

References

1611 deaths Pashtun diaspora in India Pashtun diaspora in Asia Pashtun people Afghan Muslims 17th-century soldiers 17th-century Indian Muslims 16th-century births Eastern Afghan Confederates {{Mughal Empire

Biography

See also

References