Conquest of Bihar (1202)
| Conquest of Bihar | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Ghurid invasion of Bengal | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
 Ghurid Empire |
File:Pala Empire.png Pala Dynasty Guptas of Jayapura[1] | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
| Bakhtiyar Khalji |
Palapala Govindapala  [4]Sangramagupta[5] | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| 200 Cavalry |
~Unknown
| ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| ~Unknown |
~Heavy
| ||||||||
Conquest of Bihar (1200) is located in India Conquest of Bihar (1200) | |||||||||
The Conquest of Bihar[6][7], known as Muhammad Bakhtiyar Khalji's invasion and conquest of Bihar[8], was a significant military campaign of the Ghurid Empire led by the Ghurid commander Bakhtiyar Khalji. He successfully captured Bihar, incorporating it into the Ghurid Empire, before proceeding with his invasion of Bengal.
Background
Following the Ghurid conquest of the entire region from the Gahadavala dynasty after the Battle of Chandawar, Bakhtiyar Khalji was appointed as its governor. Under his leadership, successful military campaigns were carried out in Eastern India. He led a major army campaign to take over Bihar, which was ruled by the last Pala king, Govindapala or Palapala.
It is believed that Palapala ruled in the Monghyr-Bhagalpur region for about 35 years as a supporter of the Senas, but was eventually defeated by the Turks around 1200 AD.The small kingdom of Palapala was also defeated by Muhammad Bakhtiyar Khalji around 1200 AD and was never mentioned again in future years.
The Conquest
Muhammad Bakhtiyar Khalji advanced towards Bihar with a mere 200 soldiers, yet he accomplished the relatively easy capture of one of its most heavily fortified forts, Udantapuri.[9][10] While local inhabitants did resist the Ghurid general and his forces, resulting in significant casualties on both sides. At the time of this event, Bihar was under the rule of the final Pala rulers, Govindapala or Palapala.Despite emerging from his fort to engage in battle with great courage, the ruler was ultimately defeated and killed in the ensuing confrontation with the Khalji Commander.[11][12]
Destruction of Nalanda and Vikramshila
It is highly likely that during this particular conquest, as recorded by the Tibetan chronicler Taranath in the 15th century, Bakhtiyar also seized the monastic cities of Vikramsila and Nalanda, and proceeded to raze them to the ground. He mercilessly slaughtered all the residents and plundered a great amount of riches, which he then delivered to Sultan of Delhi, Qutubuddin Aibak.[13]
Contrary to the misconception that Muhammad Bakhtiyar Khalji demolished ancient centers of learning at Nalanda and Vikramshila before orchestrating a widespread massacre upon entering the fort, historical evidence suggests otherwise. The prevailing consensus among historians refutes the portrayal of Bakhtiyar Khalji as a merciless and bloodthirsty military leader. Instead, a more nuanced understanding reveals that Bakhtiyar Khalji's actions were not marked by cruelty or ruthlessness, challenging the traditional narrative that has painted him in an unfavorable light.[14]
The three kings of the Guptas of Jayapura dynasty who likely lived in the first half of the 12th century. They were vassals of the Palas, as Monghyr was part of the Pala kingdom until the mid-12th century. After the decline of the Palas, Rajadityagupta declared independence. His son, Krishnagupta, passed away before him. Rajadityagupta was succeeded by his grandson, Sangramagupta. It is believed that Sangramagupta, another ruler of the Guptas, was a contemporary of Lakshmanasena. The Guptas' power was likely ended by Muhammad Bakhtiyar Khalji in the early 13th century during the reign of Sangramagupta.[15]
Aftermath
In 1202, Bakhtiyar Khalji conquered the capital city of Odantapuri and established a fort there.[16]After his successful conquest, Bakhtiyar Khalji returned with a large amount of valuable loot. He then visited Qutbuddin Aibak and was warmly welcomed, being honored with great respect and distinguished gifts such as a special robe from his personal collection and many presents. Bakhtiyar Khalji generously shared these gifts with his followers. Following this, he went back to Bihar to prepare for his upcoming campaign to conquer Bengal.[17]
Bakhtiyar Khalji's conquest of Bihar in 1200 A.D. marked its incorporation into the Ghurid Empire.[18] This monumental victory holds significant importance, particularly due to the formidable resistance witnessed at the well-defended Udantapuri fort against various assaults by Vallala Sena, the influential Sena ruler of Bengal. Khalji's triumph over and subsequent demise of Govindapala, the final ruler of the Pala dynasty, spelled the official termination of the Pala lineage.[19][20][21]
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- ↑ S. Ramakrishnan (2001). History and Culture of the Indian People, Volume 05, The Struggle For Empire. Public Resource. Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. p. 49. Search this book on
- ↑ Chandra, Satish (2004). Medieval India: From Sultanat to the Mughals-Delhi Sultanat (1206-1526) - Part One. Har-Anand Publications. p. 41. ISBN 978-81-241-1064-5. Search this book on "Bakhtiyar Khalji now attacked a fort in Bihar with 200 horsemen which he later found was a Bud- dhist monastery (vihar). This apparently was the famous universi- ty of Nalanda.He also captured the capital, Uddandapur, and built a fort there. This is placed in 1202.After this victory, Bakhtiyar Khalji returned with great booty and presented himself before Qutbuddin Aibak and received from him great honour and distinction, including a robe of honour from his special wardrobe and many presents. Bakhtiyar Khalji distributed the presents to his people and returned to Bihar."
- ↑ Baxter, Craig (2018-02-23). Bangladesh: From A Nation To A State. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-429-98176-0. Search this book on "to Benares (Varanasi) on the Ganges, but in a surprise attack in 1202 he lost Nadia to Ikhtiyaruddin Muhammad Bakhtiyar Khalji, who had ended Pala rule in Bihar."
- ↑ Ahmed, Salahuddin (2004). Bangladesh: Past and Present. APH Publishing. pp. 59–60. ISBN 978-81-7648-469-5. Search this book on "The last of the Pala kings, Govindapala moved towards Bihar and continued to call himself King of Gaur (Gaureshwar) and did not accept Lakshman Sen as the King of Gaur.Ikhtiyar-ud-Din Muhammad, son of Bakhtiyar Khalji, a Turkish general conquered Bihar after defeating Govindapala."
- ↑ S. Ramakrishnan (2001). History and Culture of the Indian People, Volume 05, The Struggle For Empire. Public Resource. Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. p. 49. Search this book on
- ↑ Scharfe, Hartmut (2002). Handbook of Oriental Studies. BRILL. p. 150. ISBN 978-90-04-12556-8. Search this book on
- ↑ Ray, Aniruddha (2016-09-13). Towns and Cities of Medieval India: A Brief Survey. Taylor & Francis. p. 161. ISBN 978-1-351-99731-7. Search this book on
- ↑ Choubey, Asha Shukla (2021-11-29). Crafts and Craftsmen in Pre-colonial Eastern India: Technology and Culture. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-000-47769-6. Search this book on
- ↑ Siddiqi, Iqtidar Husain (2010). Indo-Persian Historiography Up to the Thirteenth Century. Primus Books. p. 134. ISBN 978-81-908918-0-6. Search this book on
- ↑ Khan, Muhammad Mojlum (2013-10-21). The Muslim Heritage of Bengal: The Lives, Thoughts and Achievements of Great Muslim Scholars, Writers and Reformers of Bangladesh and West Bengal. Kube Publishing Ltd. p. 15. ISBN 978-1-84774-062-5. Search this book on
- ↑ Samaddar, Jogindra Nath (1990). The Glories of Magadha. K.P. Jayaswal Research Institute. pp. XXXIII–XXXVI. Search this book on
- ↑ O'malley, L. S. S. (2007). Bihar And Orissa District Gazetteers : Monghyr. Concept Publishing Company. p. 33. ISBN 978-81-7648-135-7 Check
|isbn=value: checksum (help). Search this book on
- ↑ Srivastava, Ashok Kumar (1972). The Life and Times of Kutb-ud-din Aibak. Govind Satish Prakashan. pp. 145–150. Search this book on
- ↑ Khan, Muhammad Mojlum (2013-10-21). The Muslim Heritage of Bengal: The Lives, Thoughts and Achievements of Great Muslim Scholars, Writers and Reformers of Bangladesh and West Bengal. Kube Publishing Ltd. p. 15. ISBN 978-1-84774-062-5. Search this book on
- ↑ S. Ramakrishnan (2001). History and Culture of the Indian People, Volume 05, The Struggle For Empire. Public Resource. Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. p. 49. Search this book on
- ↑ Chandra, Satish (2004). Medieval India: From Sultanat to the Mughals-Delhi Sultanat (1206-1526) - Part One. Har-Anand Publications. p. 41. ISBN 978-81-241-1064-5. Search this book on
- ↑ Chandra, Satish (2004). Medieval India: From Sultanat to the Mughals-Delhi Sultanat (1206-1526) - Part One. Har-Anand Publications. p. 41. ISBN 978-81-241-1064-5. Search this book on
- ↑ Srivastava, Ashok Kumar (1990). Disintegration of North Indian Hindu States, C. 1175-1320 A.D. Purvanchal Prakashan. p. 285. Search this book on
- ↑ Ahmed, Salahuddin (2004). Bangladesh: Past and Present. APH Publishing. p. 59. ISBN 978-81-7648-469-5. Search this book on
- ↑ Srivastava, Ashok Kumar (1972). The Life and Times of Kutb-ud-din Aibak. Govind Satish Prakashan. p. 148. Search this book on
- ↑ Ahmed, Salahuddin (2004). Bangladesh: Past and Present. APH Publishing. pp. 59–60. ISBN 978-81-7648-469-5. Search this book on
