Habsi Sultan Shamsuddin Muzaffar Shah was assassinated by his vizier Syed Hussain, who established the Hussain Shahi dynasty. Syed Hussain assumed the title ‘Alauddin Hussain Shah‘ and ascended the throne in 1493 AD. Their capital was Gaur. Hussain Shahi dynasty ruled Bengal from about 1493 to 1538 AD.
The Hussain Shahi dynasty was a Sunni Muslim Dynasty in the medieval Bengal.
Important rulers of Hussain Shahi dynasty are discussed below.
Alauddin Hussain Shah [1493-1519 AD]
- 1493: Alauddin Hussain Shah founded the Hussain Shahi dynasty.
- 1493: He stopped the army’s free looting soon after ascending the throne. As a result, he executed about 12 thousand soldiers.
- Hussain Shah expelled the Habshis from Bengal who were engaged in military and administrative work. He disbanded the Habshi palace guard.
- 1495: At this time, Sultan Sikandar Lodi of Delhi invaded Bengal on the charge of giving shelter to the Sultan of Jaunpur in Bengal. However, later, a treaty with the Sultan of Delhi was established.
- 1499: an inscription at Malda insights that Hussain Shah’s general Shah Ismail Ghazi attacked Kamata Kingdom and captured up to the Hajo region.
- 1508: Commander Shah Ismail Ghazi attacked Orissa. But Gajapati ruler of Orissa Prataparudra defeated him and drove away to the Bengal border.
- Hussain Shah’s noble Surwar Khan attacked Pratapgarh and defeated Sultan Bazid.
- 1513: Husain Shah started expeditions to Tripura 4 times, but did not get too much success.
- 1513–1516: He started a campaign to Arakan, Chittagong was seized from Arakanese control.
- Hussain Shah was free from religious narrowness. Hindus gave him the titles ‘Nripatitilaka‘ and ‘Jagatbhushan‘. Hussain Shah is also known as Akbar of Bengal.
- During his time, Roop Goswami was the Revenue Secretary (Sakar Mallik), and Sanatan Goswami was the Administrator (Dabir-i-Khas). They were two brothers.
- He introduced the worship of Satyapir during this time for Hindu-Muslim harmony.
- Bengali literature made great progress during Hussain Shah’s reign. Maladhar Bose, Vijay Gupta, Yeshoraj Khan, Roop Goswami, Damodar, Kavindra Parameshwar, Srikar Nandi etc. got his patronage.
- References to Hussain Shah’s titles ‘Nripatitilak‘ and ‘Jagatbhushan‘ are found in Vijay Gupta’s writing.
- Architecture also flourished during his reign. The small gold mosque of Gaur was built during Hussain Shah’s reign.
- Kavindra Parameshwar wrote the Bengali version of Mahabharata ‘Pandabvijay‘ at the initiative of Paragal Khan, the ruler of Chittagong region of Bengal under Hussain Shah.
- Mansamangal Kavya (author – Vijay Gupta) and Vaighnavapada (author – Jashoraj Khan) were two notable books written during Hussain Shah’s reign.
Info: 1498: Vasco da Gama (Portuguese explorer) came to Bengal during the Husain Shah’s reign and established diplomatic relations.
Info: During Husain Shah’s period Sri Chaitanya appeared in Bengal. He lifted the ban on Sri Chaitanya’s Nagar-Sankirtan.
Nasrat Shah [1519-1532 AD]
- 1519: After Hussain Shah’s death, his son Nasrat Shah ascended the throne of Bengal under the name ‘Nasiruddin Mazaffar Nasrat Shah‘.
- He entered into matrimonial relationship with the daughter of Sultan Ibrahim Lodi of Delhi.
- It was during his reign that Babur ushered in Mughal rule in Delhi in 1526 AD.
- 1527: Nasrat Shah made a treaty with Babur.
- Nasrat Shah was one of the five famous Indian Muslim rulers mentioned by Babur in his ‘Tuzuk-e-Babri‘.
- He captured Trihut and Hajipur and signed a treaty with King Prataparudra Deva of Orissa.
- During the reign of Nasrat Shah, two Portuguese merchants came to his court. He granted duty-free trade rights in Bengal to a Portuguese merchant named Joncalo Tavares.
- He introduced gold and silver coins of his own denomination.
- Literature, art and architecture flourished during the reign of Nasrat Shah.
- 1526: Gaur’s Baro Shona Masjid (big gold mosque) and Kadam Rasul were built on his initiative.
- Srikar Nandi was patronized by Nasrat Shah.
- During the reign of Nasrat Shah, the ruler of the Chittagong region of Bengal was Paragal Khan’s son Chhuti Khan (Paragal Khan was the ruler of Chittagong under Sultan Hussain Shah). Under the supervision of Chuchi Khan, Shrikar Nandi wrote the Bengali version of the Mahabharata following the instructions of Nasrat Shah.
- He was killed by the palace guard Khoja in 1532 AD.
Alauddin Firoz Shah [1532 AD]
- 1533: After the death of Nasrat Shah, his son Alauddin Firoz Shah ascended the throne.
- He was governor of Chittagong during his father’s reign.
- His reign lasted only three months.
- He went to war with Assam and defeated them.
- During his reign Sridhar Kaviraj composed the poem ‘Vidyasundar‘.
- 1533: He built a congregational mosque in Kalna.
- He was killed by Ghiyasuddin Mamud.
Ghiyasuddin Mamud [1533-1538]
- He was the last sultan of Hussain Shahi dynasty.
- Kabishekhar Vidyapati received his patronage.
- 1538: Sher Khan (Sher Shah Suri) captured Gaur and overthrew the Hussain Shahi dynasty in 1538 AD.
Info: Ghiyasuddin Mahmud Shah granted permission to the Portuguese to build factories at Hoogli and Chittagong.
Literature-Architecture-Art
- Among the literary works of Hussain Shahi period, Vidagdhamadhava, Lalitmadhava by Roop Goswami, Srimadbhagavat (Bengali translation) by Maladhar Basu, Manasamangala by Vipradas Pippalai, Manasamangala by Vijay Gupta and Vaisnavapada (numerous) by Jasoraj Khan are particularly notable among the literary works of Husain Shahi period.
- Apart from this, other works include Mahabharata Panchali (Bengali translation of Mahabharata) written by Kabindra Parameshwar under the patronage of Paragal Khan and Bengali translation of Ashwamedha Parva of Mahabharata written by Shrikar Nandi under the patronage of Chhuti Khan.
- Two notable structures built by Nasrat Shah are Baro Sona Mosque and Kadam Rasul. Apart from this, Chika Mosque along with Naon Mosque of Gaur, Elakhi Mosque, Dakhil Darwaza are among the architectural works of this period.
Info: The navy’s effectiveness was reduced throughout the Hussain Shahi reign.