The Mughal conquest of Bengal was a series of campaigns against the Sultanate of Bengal, then ruled by the Afghan Karrani dynasty, by the Mughal Empire from 1574 "The vanquished army was too much cowed to make a stand. Surajgarh, Mungir, Bhagalpur, Kahlgaon fell in succession without a fight, and the Mughals reached Guna (probably Gurunda) west of the Teliagarhi pass, which Daud had entrenched and held in force." to 1666. The Mughals initially defeated the Sultanate of Bengal in the Battle of Raj Mahal in 1576, but the annexation of the region into their empire as the province of Bengal took in the subsequent periods.
The conquest of Bengal, along with the contemporaneous Roshani movement in the frontier Kabul Subah, are considered the fourth phase of the Mughal–Afghan Wars.
Background Before the Mughal conquest, Bengal was a flourishing region ruled by the Afghan Karrani dynasty. The dynasty had established its control over Bengal in the mid-16th century, after the decline of the Sur Empire. The Karrani rulers maintained a relatively strong hold over the region, fostering trade and cultural development.
Bengal was known for its fertile land, which supported extensive agriculture, and its strategic location along the Bay of Bengal, which facilitated trade with various parts of Asia, including the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and China. The region's wealth and prosperity made it a coveted prize for the Mughal Empire, which was expanding its territories under the leadership of Emperor Akbar.
However, the Karrani dynasty faced internal strife and political instability, weakening its ability to defend against external threats. This period of vulnerability provided an opportune moment for the Mughal Empire to launch its military campaigns and bring Bengal under its control.
Under Akbar Initial campaigns (1574)
The last Karrani ruler Daud Khan Karrani, had hostile policy towards Akbar. He cut off allegiance to Akbar and defied his suzerainty. After Daud crowning himself, Gujar Khan, installed Bayazid Khan Karrani's son in Bihar. Daud dispatched Ludi Khan against Bihar. Munim Khan, ordered by Akbar advanced to Bihar to capture the province. Ludi Khan and Gujar Khan bought presents and promised loyalty. After receiving reinforcement Mumin Khan laid siege on Patna, where Daud had shut himself up. Akbar himself arrived at the siege carrying guns and war elephants on 3 August 1574. On 6 August, Hajipur was captured and set on fire. Daud meantime fled to Bengal while Gujar Khan deserted. The Mughals entered the fort of Patna. 265 elephants and treasure were captured. Munim Khan was left with 20,000 troops to carry deep into Bengal. Surajgarh, Munger, Bhagalpur, Kahlgaon fell to the Mughals without any fight. He entered the capital Tanda on 25 September 1574. "The vanquished army was too much cowed to make a stand. Surajgarh, Mungir, Bhagalpur, Kahlgaon fell in succession without a fight, and the Mughals reached Guna (probably Gurunda) west of the Teliagarhi pass, which Daud had entrenched and held in force." It is said Nara Narayan allied with Mughals to invade Bengal. Chilarai invaded from the east. Following the defeat of Daud, Bengal Sultanate was divided between the Mughals and the Koch dynasty. "It is said in the Vangsavali that a few years later Nara Narayan combined with Akbar to attack the Padshah of Gaur. Chilarai invaded his kingdom from the east, while Raja Man Singh, who was in command of the imperial army, advanced upon him from the west. The ruler of Gaur, being thus attacked from two sides at the same time, was easily defeated, and his kingdom was then divided between the Koch king and the Emperor of Delhi. According to the Akbarnamah, this occurrence took place in 1574, after the conquest of Patna by Akbar himself."
Daud fled to Orissa by the way of Satgaon. From Tanda, Munim Khan dispatched detachments to capture Satgaon, Ghoraghat, Bakla (Bakarganj), Sonargaon (Dhaka), Mahmudabad (Jessore–Faridpur). In Ghoraghat, the jagirdar Sulaiman Mankali was defeated and slain by Majnun Khan Qaqshal. Srihari, father of Pratapaditya took refuge in jungles of Khulna. However Mughals could not fully establish their authority in Pabna, Rangpur–Dinajpur, Mymensingh, Bhawal (north Dhaka), Jessore-Khulna, Barisal or Bankura-Birbhum. Raja Todar Mal proposed to proceed into Orissa and capture Daud to end the war. He led his army from Burdwan to Garh-Mandaran then to Kolia. There Muhammad Quli Barlas died. Todar Mal receiving reinforcement by Munim Khan himself resumed his offensive. The Mughal army met Daud on the plains of Tukaroi.
Battle of Tukaroi (1575)
One of the pivotal moments in the conquest was the Battle of Tukaroi, fought in 1575. The Mughal forces, led by Munim Khan and Todar Mal, faced the army of Daud Khan Karrani. Daud's general Gujar Khan was killed in the battle. The battle was fierce, with both sides suffering significant casualties. However, the superior tactics and discipline of the Mughal army ultimately led to their victory, forcing Daud Khan to retreat to Cuttack. On 12 April, he submitted to Munim Khan in the durbar tent at Cuttack. His submission declared the de jure annexation of Bengal to Mughal Empire although de facto control was established only over a few towns in Bihar and Bengal.
Munim Khan proceeded to recover Ghoraghat, where the Mughal outpost had been driven out by Kalapahar, Babu Mankali and others who had returned from Kuch Bihar during Munim Khan's absence. He then captured Gaur and returned to Tanda. Munim Khan died shortly after on 23 October 1575 AD.
Munim Khan was succeeded by Husain Quli Beg entitled Khan-i-Jahan. Daud rising again in Orissa, captured Bhadrak, Jaleswar and reoccupied the whole Bengal. Isa Khan drove out Mughal flotilla under Shah Bardi from East Bengal while Junaid Karrani was creating havoc in south-east Bihar. At Hajipur Muzaffar Khan Turbati defended the possession with great fight. Gajapati Shah engaged in robbery in the Arrah district. Mughals counterattacked capturing Teliagarhi, forcing Daud to retreat to Rajmahal. Khan-i-Jahan laid siege there for months. To help the expedition, Akbar sent detachments from Bihar under Shahbaz Khan to suppress Gajapati.
Battle of Raj Mahal (1576)
Decisive battle with Daud took place at Raj Mahal on 10 July 1576. Khan-i-Jahan's forces, having regrouped and reinforced with the Bihar army, engaged in battle with the Karranis. Junaid Khan Karrani was killed in the battle by a cannonball, Jahan Khan the governor of Orissa was slain. Daud was captured and executed for breaking the treaty.
Kalapahar and Qutlu Lohani fled wounded. Thus Bengal came into the possession of Mughals once again. In south-west Bihar, Shahbaz forced Gajapati Shah to flee leaving his arms behind. Subsequently, Rohtas fort was surrendered to the invading army. Khan-i-Jahan then attacked Satgaon, defeating Mahmud Khan Khas-khel. Daud's family members surrendered. Mahmud Khan Khas-khel surrendered as well but was executed. He then marched to Bhawal (north of Dhaka) against the Afghan chiefs Ibrahim Maral and Karim-dad Musazai who submitted on his arrival. Another contingent defeated Isa Khan at Egarasindur. An attack by Majlis Dilawar and Majlis Qutb routed the Mughal flotilla helping them to flee.
Rebellions and recovery of Bengal and Bihar (1580–1586) In April 1579, Muzaffar Khan Turbati was appointed as the viceroy of Bengal. In 1579—January 1580, the Bengal officers backed by Akbar's brother who was Sunni in faith, Mirza Muhammad Hakim, the ruler of Kabul, declared revolt. Muzaffar Khan sent army to suppress the rebels. His army suffered defeat which prompted him to seek refuge in the fort of Tanda. On the following day, the rebels carried out assault on the fort. On 19 April 1580, Muzaffar Khan Turbati was killed and khutbah was read in the name of Mirza Muhammad Hakim. Baba Qaqshal was appointed as the viceroy of Bengal and Masum Khan Kabuli as wakil. Thus, Bengal and Bihar became independent from Mughals. Hindu zamindars in both southeastern and the southwestern delta shook their alliance off. Soon the loyalists recovered Bihar. In Tirhut Bahadur Badakhshi usurped, proclaiming himself independent. Muhib Ali Khan of Rohtas defeated Bahadur and recovered Patna. Tarsun Khan and Todar Mal arrived with forces at Munger to confront the rebels. On 7 June, the rebels carried out assault but lost 300 boats to the Mughals. Skirmishes continued until desertion by rebels on 25 July. By September, Mughals had captured Gaya and Sherghati. Azam Khan Koka defeated Dalpat Shah of Jagdishpur and joined the main army.
Qutlu Lohani had established himself in Orissa. He defeated Muhammad Nijat Khan, the Mughal faujdar of Hooghly at Salimabad, also gained success against another Mughal force near Mangalkot. Internal strife and tracheary amongst the nobles in Mughal army and Bengal chiefs weakened the progress of both sides for the following two years. Bengal chief Bahadur Kheshgi was killed by Sadiq Khan, a loyal commandant. Baba Qaqshal died too. In April 1582, Mirza Aziz Koka entitled Khan-i-Azam was appointed in Bengal. Awadh Subah was ordered co-operate with him. Meantime rebels had captured Hajipur and other parganas from Mughals. Bahadur Kuruh, general of Qutlu Khan joined the rebels at Tanda. Sadiq Khan defended Patna fort, even attacked the rebel forces under Jabbari, Khabita and Tarkhan Diwana. Sadiq Khan leading 2,000 men defeated an army 5,000 rebels killing Khabita, Tarkhan Diwana's son Nur Muhammad and Khwajah Abdur Ghafur in various engagements.