Saturday, July 13, 2013

Sikandar Shah of Ilyas Shahi dynasty of Bengal

Sikandar Shah was the second ruler of the Ilyas Shahi dynasty, an independent Muslim kingdom of Bengal founded by his father Shamsuddin Iliyas Shah in about AD 1345. He ascended the throne after the death of his father in 1357 and ruled Bengal for thirty-three years. During his reign he was able to ensure peace and prosperity in his kingdom which is attested by the richness of his coins. 

Soon after his accession, Sikandar Shah has to face a military campaign of the Tughlaq Sultan Firuz Shah Tughlaq who had earlier made an expedition to Bengal in 1353 during the rule of Shamsuddin Iliyas Shah. However like the first expedition, the second one also proved to be a failure for the Tughlaq ruler. 

Last years of Sikandar Shah were rendered unhappy by the rebellion of his son Ghiyas-ud-din Azam who killed him in 1390 in a battle at Goalpara near Pandua.

The long and prosperous rule of Sikandar Shah provided him ample opportunity to build some magnificent mosques and buildings. Chief among them is renowned Adina Mosque at Pandua (presently in Maldah district of West Bengal). Consisting of four hundred domes, this imposing mosque was built in A.D. 1368. The pillars of the mosque were taken from Hindu temples and palaces in Lakhnauti. 

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