The Afghan raid on Odisha inaugurated a new phase in Odisha’s mediaeval history. It made way for the establishment of Muslim dominance in Odisha. In 1568 CE, the invasion of Bayazid and Kalapahada established Muslim dominance over Odisha, initially under the Afghans and afterwards the Mughals. Prior to the consolidation of Afghan control over Odisha, Sulaiman Karrani passed away in 1572 CE. His successor was Bayazid, whose arrogance earned him the contempt of the Afghan leaders. This led to his death at the hands of Sulaiman Karrani’s nephew and son-in-law, Hansu. The Riyazus-Salatin explains that following the death of Bayazid, his younger brother Daud Karrani led a large force against Hansu, who had taken refuge with Qutlu and other Lohanis, and killed him. Daud resisted Akbar’s authority by ordering the Khutba to be recited and coins to be minted in his name. In addition, at the instigation of the Governor of Odisha, Qutlu Lohani, Daud murdered several Afghan warriors whom he believed to be rivals for the throne of Bengal.
Contents
- Conflict Begins
- Akbar and the Afghan rebels
- The Mughal-Afghan Treaty
- Condition of Raja Ramachandradeva
- Sarangagarh fort surrenders to the Mughal army
Conflict Begins
It was noted by Emperor Akbar, who dispatched Raja Todarmal to Bihar to join Munim Khan. Even though he besieged Daud in Patna, Munim Khan was unable to defeat him. Daud fled Bihar upon the arrival of Akbar and returned to Bengal. Patna was conquered by the Mughals. Munim Khan chased Daud to Bengal, which he then occupied. Daud retreated to Cuttack once more and remained unconquered in Odisha. He travelled between Cuttack and Jaleswar while keeping a careful eye on the advancement of the Mughal army. In 1575 CE, the combined armies of Munim Khan and Todarmal clashed with Daud. The battle took place on the Tukaroi plain, six miles west of Jaleswar on the bank of the Suvarnarekha river. Gujar Khan, a capable Daud leader, inflicted injury on Munim Khan. When Munim Khan eventually returned to the battlefield, Raja Todarmal, Laskar Khan, Mir-bakshi, and others rained arrows down onto the Daud warriors. Gujar Khan was killed after he was struck by an arrow on the battlefield. The outcome of the fight of Tukaroi favoured the Mughals, therefore Daud had little choice but to rush towards Cuttack.
The Mughal army, led by Todarmal, followed Daud without stopping until they reached Kaikalghati (Bhadrak), which is mentioned in the Ain-i-Akbari. In the interim, Daud and other Afghans congregated inside Cuttack’s Barabati Fort. After being completely recovered, Munim Khan joined Todarmal. Then, he met with his Amirs on the bank of the Mahanadi River to devise a strategy for besieging the fort.
Daud now understood the issue perfectly. According to the Tabaqat-i-Akbari, he sent a message to Munim Khan as detailed below “An effort to subdue a group of Muslims is not a noble endeavour. I am willing to submit and become a subject, but I request that a significant portion of Bengal’s vast territory be allotted for my support. If approved, I will be satisfied and never again rebeL” After this, on 12 April 1557 CE, Munim Khan summoned Daud to his court, accompanied by his Afghan nobles and officers. He bowed before Munim Khan and pledged not to take aggressive action against Akbar. He gifted Munim Khan with his finest elephants and dispatched his nephew Shaikh Muhammad, son of Bayazid, to accompany him to the Mughal court. Munim Khan gave Daud a sword with a bejewelled scabbard and said:
“You have now become a subject of imperial throne, and have promised to give it your support. I have, therefore, requested that the country of Odisha may be settled upon you for your support, and I feel assured that His Majesty will confirm my proposition granting this to you as my ‘tankhwah’ has been granted to me. I now greet you afresh with this war like sword.”
(Tabaqat-i-Akbari)
Akbar authorised Munim Khan’s conduct. Daud got Odisha. Munim Khan was appointed Bengal’s new governor. After reaching this agreement, Todarmal returned to Delhi.
The surrender of Daud Karrani was merely an eye wash. He sought a window of opportunity to wage war against the Mughals. The opportunity presented itself when Munim Khan died on October 23, 1575 CE. Daud disregarded the humiliating treaty with Khan-iKhanan Munim Khan and raised the banner of rebellion against the Mughals. He swiftly marched to Bhadrak and assassinated the Governor of Akbar stationed there, Nazar Bahadur. After gaining control of Bhadrak, he marched towards Jaleswar while inhaling its perfume. The Mughal officer of Jaleswar, Murad Khan, fled to Tanda. Daud reoccupied Jaleswar and promptly travelled to Bengal. As Daud approached, the Mughal commanders and soldiers returned to Bhagalpur en way to Delhi. Now, Daud has strengthened his hold on Bengal and Odisha.
Akbar chose Husain Quli Beg, also known as Khen-i-Jenen, to head an expedition against the Afghans alongside Todarmal after hearing this news. He marched a massive Mughal army via Bihar towards Bengal. At Bhagalpur, Khan-i-Jehan waited. He spoke with the Bengali Amirs who greeted him there. The imperial army then marched forward and reclaimed the Teligarhi pass without difficulty. Daud Karrani, aided by his uncle Junaid and other Afghan chiefs, resisted the imperial force at Rajmahal with vigour. In the interim, Akbar dispatched Muzaffar Khan, who gathered men from Bihar, Hajipur, and Patna and joined the imperial army led by Khan-i-Jehan on 10 July 1576. On 12 July 1576 CE, Mughals and Afghans engaged in a deadly fight. Afghans were thoroughly defeated, and nearly all of their prominent leaders perished. A cannonball fractured Junaid’s leg, injuring him. Due to his treason to Akbar, Daud was apprehended and incarcerated. Kalapahada and Qutlu Lohani were able to live by fleeing, despite Kalapahada’s terrible wounds.
Between 1576 and 1605 CE, the Mughal officers of Bengal spent nearly thirty years attempting to drive the Afghans out of Odisha, but were largely unsuccessful. Though Odisha was annexed to Akbar’s empire following Daud’s defeat, Mughal administration could not be implemented effectively in the province until Akbar’s death. Muzaffar Khan Turbati was appointed Governor of Bengal and Mausum Khan Afghan was appointed Governor of Odisha following Hussain Quli Khan’s death in 1578 AD.
The Mughal government now appointed some Afghan Jagirdars in Odisha, where Muzaffar Khan was constantly harassing them. Masum Khan, Odisha’s administrator, now had the opportunity to organise the state’s Afghans and prepare for a showdown with the Mughals.
Akbar and the Afghan rebels
Todarmal returned to Delhi in 1582 AD after establishing order in Odisha. Meanwhile, Governor of Bengal Khen-i-Azetn was appointed. Qutlu Lohani, another prominent Daud Karrani supporter, has now entered the political arena and established his authority over Odisha, aided by Masum Khan. He advanced towards Hoogly and defeated Muhammad Nizat Khan, Salimabad’s Mughal Fauzdar. On hearing this, Akbar dispatched a vast army under the command of Ktien-i-Azem to Katigang in order to teach the Afghan rebels a lesson.
On 27 March 1583, the Afghan rebels, led by Masum Khan and Qutlu Lohani, met the Mughal army. The Mughals defeated the Afghans. The Afghans were now forced to make peace with the Mughals. Khani-Azem was transferred from Bengal at this point because the climate was unsuitable for him, and Shahbaz Khan was appointed as his successor. Qutlu Lohani violated the Mughal peace treaty, and as a natural consequence, a fight broke out between Qutlu and the Mughals near Burdwan on 15 July 1583 CE Bahadur Kuruh, the Afghan commander, was defeated in this battle. Following that, the Afghans made a beeline for Odisha.
Meanwhile, Akbar dispatched an army to guard the Odisha frontier. Qutlu Lohani organised the Pathans and met with the Burdwan Mughals. The Mughal army was led by Wazir Khan, who defeated the Afghan chief. After being defeated, Qutlu Lohani marched towards Jaleswarand surrendered to the Mughal army by presenting the Mughals with sixty elephants. T’iat situational surrender was Qutlu Lohani’s diplomatic strategy. The Afghans resurrected their attack and plunder over Burdwan after regaining strength. Isa Khan, Masum Khan, and other Afghan leaders abandoned Qutlu Lohani and surrendered to Akbar at the Mughals’ request. Qutlu Lohani spent his days in Odisha unconcerned about Mughal incursions. While the Mughals ruled Bengal, Odisha remained an Afghan stronghold until it was finally conquered by Man Singh in 1593 CE
The Mughal-Afghan Treaty
While Qutlu Khan Lohani was in Odisha, Akbar dispatched one of his most capable generals, Raja Man Singh, to deal with the Afghans. Qutlu Khan prepared himself for the fight with the Mughals as the imperial army marched. To that end, he dispatched Afghan General Bahadur Kuruh. Umar Khan, Khwaja Isa, and others assisted Bahadur Kuruh crushed the Mughal army led by Jagat Singh, Man Singh’s son, at Raipur. Meanwhile, Qutlu Khan Lohani died and was succeeded by his son. As a weak ruler, his Wazir Khwaja Isa petitioned Man Singh for peace with the Mughals, which Man Singh accepted. The Afghans and Mughals signed a treaty on 15 August 1590 CE The treaty’s terms were as follows:
- The coins should bear the Emperor’s name, and the Khutba should be read in his honour.
- The Afghan ruler of Odisha should be an obedient and loyal vassal.
- The emperor would receive Jagannath (at Puri) and the surrounding districts.
Condition of Raja Ramachandradeva
According to the treaty, neither the Afghans nor Ramachandradeva, the then-king of Odisha, were satisfied. Man Singh had inserted a clause in the treaty for the protection of the principal Hindu religious institution of Jagannath against any Afghan oppression very deftly by influencing Akbar. This was a diplomatic manoeuvre designed to win the Hindus of Odisha’s support for the benevolent Mughal rule founded on the principle of toleration. Why, then, was Ramachandradeva dissatisfied? It was only because his authority and position as God Jagannath’s custodian were not adequately reflected in the treaty. On the other hand, the Mughals assumed the role of God’s custodian. Of course, Man Singh’s conquest of Odisha did not end Afghan hostility. Khwaja Isa, the Wazir of Nasir Khan, had now pledged allegiance to Emperor Akbar and ruled for two years in accordance with the treaty’s terms. Nasir Khan and his followers captured the temple of God Jagannath in 1592 CE, defying Mughal authority and seizing the crown land of Puri. Raja Ramachandradeva undoubtedly supported the Afghans. Again, Man Singh marched against the Afghans with a grand Mughal army. On 10 April, 592 CE, the Mughal army encountered stiff resistance from the Afghans on the bank of the Suvarnarekha river. A determined Mughal army, on the other hand, defeated the Afghans and pursued them to Cuttack via Jaleswar and Bhadrak.
Sarangagarh fort surrenders to the Mughal army
The Afghans were unable to maintain their position at Cuttack due to the Mughal army’s pressure. Cuttack, their stronghold, fell to the Mughals. The Afghans fled to Sarangagarh fort. At this point, Man Singh began his journey towards Khurda, while Raja Ramachandradeva remained at the fort. He found it difficult to send assistance to the Afghans at Sarangagarh. The Afghans surrendered after a feeble resistance, and Sarangagarh fell. Khurda was besieged by Man Singh. In 1593, Ramachandradeva demonstrated his loyalty to Akbar by making peace with Man Singh. Akbar recognised him as the ruler of Khurda and as the protector of Puri’s Jagannath temple. He was offered the rank of Mansabdar, which carries a salary of three thousand and five hundred rupees. With Ramachandradeva’s surrender in 1593, the Mughal conquest of Odisha was completed, effectively ending Afghan rule in the state. Thus, Odisha was inextricably linked to the Mughal empire until it was conquered by the Marathas.
To Conclude
Thus, the Muslim conquest of Odisha ushered in a new era in Odisha’s mediaeval history. The Afghans assassinated Mukundadeva, the last independent Hindu king of Odisha, in 1568 A.D. This marked the end of mediaeval Odisha’s independence. The local rulers were therefore reduced to mere puppets in the hands of the Afghan Governors of Bengal. Akbar however defeated these Afghan rulers and established Mughal rule in Odisha.
Sources and References
1. History of Odisha Vol-I by Dr Manas Kumar Das
2. History of Odisha Vol-II by Dr Manas Kumar Das
3. History of Odisha Vol-III by Dr Manas Kumar Das
4. History of Odisha Sahu, Sahu, Mishra
5. History of Odisha Vol-I by Y.K. Sahu
6. History of Odisha Vol-II by Y.K. Sahu
7. History of Odisha by RD Banerjee
8. Odishara Itihasa by Satyanarayan Rajguru
