| Nasiruddin Bughra Khan | |
|---|---|
| Governor of Bengal & Sultan of Bengal | |
| Reign | 1281–1287 |
| Predecessor | Tughral Tughan Khan |
| Successor | Rukunuddin Kaikaus |
| Issue |
Muiz ud din Qaiqabad Rukunuddin Kaikaus |
| Father | Ghiyas ud din Balban |
Nasiruddin Bughra Khan ( Bengali: নাসিরউদ্দিন বুগরা খান, Persian: ناصر الدین بغرا خان) was the Governor (1281–1287) and later an independent Sultan (1287–1291) of Bengal. He was the son of Delhi Sultan Ghiyasuddin Balban. Earlier Bughra Khan was the governor of Samana (Patiala) and Sanam (Sangrur). [1]
History
Governor of Bengal
Bughra Khan assisted his father, Sultan Ghiyasuddin Balban, to crush the rebellion of the governor of Lakhnauti, Tughral Tughan Khan. Then Bughra was appointed the governor of Bengal. After the death of his eldest brother, Prince Muhammad, he was asked to take the throne of Delhi by Sultan Ghiyasuddin. But Bughra was indulged in his Bengal governorship and refused the offer. [1] Sultan Ghiyasuddin instead nominated Kaikhasrau, [2] son of Prince Muhammad. [1]
Independent Sultan of Bengal
After the death of Ghiyasuddin in 1287, Bughra Khan declared independence of Bengal. Nijamuddin, the Prime Minister, appointed Nasiruddin Bughra Khan's son, Qaiqabad, as the Sultan of Delhi. But inefficient ruling of Qaiqabad spread anarchy in Delhi. Qaiqabad became a mere puppet in the hand of wazir Nijamuddin. Bughra Khan decided to bring an end to the anarchy in Delhi and advanced with a huge army towards Delhi. At the same time, Nijamuddin forced Qaiqabad to advance with a massive army to confront his father. The two armies met in the banks of Saryu river. But the father and the son reached an understanding instead of facing a bloody battle. Qaiqabad acknowledged Bughra Khan's independence from Delhi and also removed Nijamuddin as his wazir. Bughra Khan returned to Lakhnauti.
Renouncing power
The death of Qaiqabad in 1289 shocked Bughra Khan. He left the power of Bengal for his other son, Rukunuddin Kaikaus in 1291. [3]
{{Succession box| before= Tughral Tughan Khan| title= Mamluk Governor of Bengal| years=1281–1291| after= Rukunuddin Kaikaus Bughra Khan was the governor of lakhnauti from 1281 to 1287 and an independent sultan of the kingdom from 1287 to 1291 AD. Bughra Khan, the younger son of ghiyasuddin balban, sultan of Delhi, was earlier appointed the governor of Samana and Sanam. When the sultan advanced towards Lakhnauti to crush the rebellion of tughral khan he took Bughra Khan with him. It took the sultan about three years to suppress the rebellion. He beheaded Tughral and hanged most of his associates. Before embarking on his return journey, the sultan entrusted Bughra Khan with the charge of Lakhnauti. He, however, cautioned the prince about the fate of a rebel, left behind two of his veterans to assist him for he did not hold a very high opinion about the prowess of his son. Ease loving Bughra Khan was soon given to pleasures. In the mean time Prince Muhammad, the eldest and the ablest son of the sultan had lost his life in an encounter with the Mongals. The sultan summoned Bughra Khan to the court and asked him to assume the responsibility of the sultanate. But Bugra was so bemused by the tranquil atmosphere of Bengal that he rather preferred the governorship to the Sultanate of Delhi and one day silently departed for Lakhnauti even without taking leave of the sultan. Balban, bewildered and shaken, nominated Kaikhasrau, son of Muhammad, as his successor and breathed his last. Nizamuddin, the wazir, put Kaikobad, the eldest and worthless son of Bughra Khan on the throne and thereby captured the real authority. Thus a queer thing happened; father became the vassal and son the overlord. Soon Kaikobad turned a careless debauch. Bughra Khan resolved to proceed to Delhi to make him come to senses. Kaikobad also marched his army against the advancing father. The two sides encamped, confronting each other, on the opposite banks of the Sarayu. Everything, however, was settled amicably. The father gave the son advice on statecraft, cautioned him about the evil designs of the wazir and then parted. Amir Khasrau, in his qiran-us-sadain (Meeting of Two Stars), has immortalised the incident. ==More about Nasir-ud-din Bughra khan's Reign==: Bughra Khan came back to Lakhnauti and ruled independently. Kaikobad was killed in 1290 in an uprising led by Jalaluddin Khalji and thus the House of Balban was extinguished in Delhi. The news was too shocking to Bughra Khan and he abdicated in favour of his son, ruknuddin kaikaus. The importance of Bughra Khan's rule lies in the fact that henceforth Bengal followed an independent policy. Perhaps he had initiated the expansion of the principality of Lakhnauti to the southwest and southeasterly directions; and this trend was continued during the time of his successors. His son and successor Kaikaus proclaimed himself in coins and inscriptions as Sultan-bin-Sultan (the sultan, son of a sultan) and it may be inferred that Bughra Khan also was, for all practical intents and purposes, an independent sultan. At least he sowed the seeds of future independent sultanate of Bengal. [Muhammad Ansar Ali]See also
References
- ^ a b c Ali, Muhammad Ansar Ali (2012). "Bughra Khan". In Islam, Sirajul; Jamal, Ahmed A. (eds.). Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
- ^ Sen, Sailendra (2013). A Textbook of Medieval Indian History. Primus Books. pp. 76–79. ISBN 978-9-38060-734-4.
- ^ KingListsFarEast
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