The Ekdala War (, Ekḍalar Juddhô) was a long-lasting conflict between the

Bengal Sultanate The Bengal Sultanate (Middle Bengali: , Classical Persian: ) was a Post-classical history, late medieval sultanate based in the Bengal region in the eastern South Asia between the 14th and 16th century. It was the dominant power of the Ganges- ...

and the

Delhi Sultanate The Delhi Sultanate or the Sultanate of Delhi was a Medieval India, late medieval empire primarily based in Delhi that stretched over large parts of the Indian subcontinent for more than three centuries.

which took place in the islets of Ekdala in

Bengal Bengal ( ) is a Historical geography, historical geographical, ethnolinguistic and cultural term referring to a region in the Eastern South Asia, eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. The region of Benga ...

. The war resulted in Delhi eventually recognising the independence of

Background

In the early 14th century, Delhi's rebel governors in Bengal formed their own sultanates. By 1352,

Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah was the founder of the Sultanate of Bengal and its inaugural Ilyas Shahi dynasty. The Ilyas Shahi Dynasty ruled Bengal for 145 years (1342–1487), except for a 21-year interregnum by the House of Ganesha, descendants of R ...

defeated other rulers in

and united the region into one sultanate. Ilyas Shah proclaimed himself as the

Sultan of Bengal The Bengal Sultanate (Middle Bengali: , Classical Persian: ) was a Post-classical history, late medieval sultanate based in the Bengal region in the eastern South Asia between the 14th and 16th century. It was the dominant power of the Ganges- ...

. Ilyas Shah's earlier military campaigns also involved the sacking of

Kathmandu Kathmandu () is the capital and largest city of Nepal, situated in the central part of the country within the Kathmandu Valley. As per the 2021 Nepal census, it has a population of 845,767 residing in 105,649 households, with approximately 4 mi ...

and

Varanasi Varanasi (, also Benares, Banaras ) or Kashi, is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world.* * * * The city has a syncretic tradition of I ...

; and an invasion of

Orissa Odisha (), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is a state located in Eastern India. It is the eighth-largest state by area, and the eleventh-largest by population, with over 41 million inhabitants. The state also has the thir ...

Location

The conflict centered on the mud fort of Ekdala. The fort was located on an island surrounded by a

moat A moat is a deep, broad ditch dug around a castle, fortification, building, or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. Moats can be dry or filled with water. In some places, moats evolved into more extensive water d ...

and marshy jungle. The exact location of the area is unclear; with various sources saying it may have been in

Dinajpur Dinajpur ( ) 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. It is bounded on the north by Suihari, Katapara, Bangi ...

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; , ), List of renamed places in Bangladesh, formerly known as Dacca, is the capital city, capital and list of cities and towns in Bangladesh, largest city of Bangladesh. It is one of the list of largest cities, largest and list o ...

Pandua Pandua may refer to: * Pandu (actor) (1947–2021), a Tamil film actor * Pandua (community development block), Hooghly District, West Bengal * Pandua (Vidhan Sabha constituency), Hooghly District, West Bengal * Pandua, Malda, now known as Adina, ru ...

First Ekdala War

In 1353, the Sultan of Delhi Firuz Shah Tughluq led 70,000 of his men into Bengal. They rested at the banks of the

Kosi River The Kosi or Koshi is a transboundary river which flows through China, Nepal and India. It drains the northern slopes of the Himalayas in Tibet and the southern slopes in Nepal. From a major confluence of tributaries north of the Chatra Gorge o ...

which was difficult to cross, and they could also see some of Ilyas Shah's forces posted on the other side near the Ganges Junction. When news of this reached Ilyas Shah, he deserted his capital at

and took shelter in the Fort of Ekdala. The Delhi army then besieged the fort, but was deterred by its island's location and the Bengal navy. According to erstwhile Delhi accounts, the two forces engaged in a battle after the Delhi Sultan tricked Ilyas Shah into attacking Delhi forces, who had pretended to withdraw. The Delhi army occupied Lakhnauti and issued a proclamation asking locals to pledge allegiance to

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

. With the Bengal army scattered across, Ilyas Shah had fled with seven horsemen as three of his elephants were killed and 48 captured. According to erstwhile Delhi accounts,

Firuz Shah Tughlaq Firuz Shah Tughlaq (1309 – 20 September 1388), also known as Firuz III, was Sultan of Delhi from 1351 until his death in 1388. He succeeded his cousin Muhammad bin Tughlaq following the latter's death at Thatta, Sindh. His father was ...

's forces were victorious but did not annex the territory upon the wish of their Sultan, who had learnt from historic incidents with rebellious governors. The Sultan of Delhi also renamed Ekdala to Azadpur (akin to Freetown) and

Firozabad Firozabad () is a city near Agra in Firozabad district in the state of Uttar Pradesh in India. It is the centre of India's glassmaking industry and is known for the quality of the bangles and glassware produced here. During the reign of Akba ...

(after himself). After the forces had set off for Delhi following the victory, Ilyas Shah entered Ekdala and executed the governor put in charge. Other sources claim that the conflict was settled after Bengal agreed to pay an annual tribute to Delhi, and that the exchange of gifts between Delhi and Bengal indicated each other's sovereignty.

Siege of Ekdala (1359)

Firuz Shah Tughluq again invaded Bengal in 1359 when Ilyas Shah's successor

Sikandar Shah Abul Mujāhid Sikandar Shāh (, ), commonly known as Sikandar Shah; was the second Sultan of Bengal and the Ilyas Shahi dynasty. He was the son of Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah. Sikandar Shah continued to project the imperial ambitions of his father. He ...

took the throne. Tughluq felt Sikandar Shah had violated the terms of the treaty reached with his father. Tughluq sought to place the son-in-law of one of Ilyas Shah's rivals as the sultan of Bengal. During the invasion, Sikandar Shah based himself in Ekdala fort like his father. The Delhi army besieged the island fort for months. After growing exhausted of Bengal's climate, the Delhi Sultan reached a peace treaty with Sikandar Shah. Delhi recognized Sikandar as an independent ruler. The peace treaty ensured Bengal's independence for two centuries.

References

Sources

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bengal Sultanate-Delhi Sultanate War Wars involving the Bengal Sultanate Wars involving the Delhi Sultanate Wars involving medieval India