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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