Raja Sitaram Ray
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| Sitaram Ray | |||||
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Burdwan, Bengal Subah, Mughal Empire | |||||
| Died | October, 1714 (aged 56) Murshidabad, Bengal Subah, Mughal Empire | ||||
| Wives |
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| Issue | Shyamsundar, Surnarayan, Bamdev, Jaydev | ||||
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| Father | Udaynarayan Das | ||||
| Mother | Dayamayi Ghosh | ||||
| Religion | Hinduism (Vaishnavism) | ||||
| History of Bengal |
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Raja Sitaram Ray (
Early life
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Childhood
Sitaram was born in Rarh Bengal in the family of Uttar Rarhiya Das Kayastha, who originally came from Gaud Banga (later known as Murshidabad). His father was Udaynarayan, a landlord and Tehsildar under the Faujdar of Bhusna and mother, Dayamayi. When Mir Jumla transferred the capital back to Dhaka in 1660, Udaynarayan also moved to Dhaka. At that time, he did not bring his family with him. It is said that when Udaynarayan was away a pathan dacoit had attacked his house. Dayamayi fought with the pathan with her sword, killing him and her extreme dexterity with the sword won the admiration of all. Shaista Khan became the governor of Bengal in 1664. At that time, Udaynarayan rose to the post of tehsildar and shifted to Bhusna. After a few years, he built a residence at Hariharanagar near the banks of Madhumati and brought his family there.
Sitaram spent his childhood at his maternal uncle's home at
Early adulthood
While he was growing up, Sitaram used to frequent Dhaka, the
Career
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Reign as jagirdar
After obtaining the jagir, Sitaram concentrated on building an army. At Dhaka, he became acquainted with a
After the death of
Sitaram built his residence in the village of Suryakunda, where the erstwhile revenue office was also located.
Around 1684, Sitaram's parents died in quick succession. After the
Reign as monarch
In the same year, Sitaram was ceremonially sworn in as the king of Naldi, Satair and the Bhati region of lower Bengal. Although he had become a king, he had no capital. Therefore, he constructed a fortified capital at Mohammadpur, near Suryakunda.
Mohammadpur was guarded on three sides by bils and on the east by Madhumati. The fort was square, with each side not less than 1,300 feet (400 m), built of earthen bricks and surrounded by a moat. Beyond the fort were natural and artificial water bodies for protection. To the north and east was the Kaliganga River. To the west were the beels and Chhatravati river. To the east was Madhumati. In the south, Sitaram constructed a moat extending from east to west, measuring almost a mile in length and 200 feet (61 m) in width.
Inside the fort, Sitaram set up garrisons and built residences, temples and tanks. He encouraged craftsmen and merchants to set up businesses at Mohammadpur, and soon it became a thriving metropolis abuzz with trade and commerce. Sitaram added new recruits to the army and added an artillery division. His two famous cannons, Kale Khan and Jhumjhum Khan, were commissioned during this time.
After the demise of Satrajit Ray, the son of Mukundaram Ray and one of the
To the west of Satrajitpur lay the pargana of Mahmudshahi, at the time under the zamindari of Naldanga. When Sitaram invaded Mahamudshahi, Ramdev, the zamindar of Naldanga, was forced to cede the pargana to Sitaram. Later, when Sachipati Majumdar, the zamindar of Nanduali revolted against Ramdev and stopped paying taxes, Sitaram supported him and made a treaty with him.
Sitaram annexed the small zamindars in the north up to the
Sitaram invaded Nasibshahi when the battle for succession was taking place among the sons of Daulat Khan. Sitaram defeated Nasibshahi in the battle of Malanchigram and the battle of
When Sitaram was away from
Jadunath connected the streams of Chitra and Phatki by a canal to check their further advancement and garrisoned his troops and artillery. Manohar Ray, sensing defeat, made peace with Jadunath and retreated. When Sitaram received the news, he immediately invaded the Ishafpur pargana of Chanchra and advanced with his troops to Nilganj. Manohar was forced to accept the suzerainty of Sitaram and pay revenue to him.
In the
Sitaram's kingdom extended from the northern banks of
Conflict with the Mughals
When Azim-us-Shan became the subahdar of Bengal, he made his close relative Mir Abu Torap the faujdar of Bhusna. Although his primary duty was to keep Sitaram under check, he unleashed a reign of terror upon arriving at Bhusna. He forced the tax defaulters to convert to Islam. When Sitaram learned of such punitive measures, he resolved not to pay a penny to the Mughal treasury. Abu Torap sent a contemptful reminder explaining to him the consequences.
Abu Torap, however, did not have a warm relation with
Abu Torap was only a faujdar and, therefore, he had limited resources at his disposal. Whenever he sent his forces to subdue Sitaram, they were confronted with the archers and soldiers who manned the borders of Sitaram's kingdom. In 1713, Murshid Quli Khan became the subahdar of Bengal and Abu Torap approached him for help, which he ignored. Abu Torap sent his troops once again, but Sitaram opted for guerrilla tactics and frustrated the Mughal army in the unfriendly terrain. Unwilling to give up, Abu Torap deputed his commander-in-chief Pir Khan, a Pathan to subdue Sitaram. The latter had set up his artillery along the banks of Madhumati and garrisoned his troops in the jungles in the tract between Madhumati and Barasia.
Sitaram's troops met the Mughal army in the banks of Barasia. During the battle, the Mughal army was defeated, and Mir Abu Torap was killed by Mena Hati. Sitaram's army marched forward and captured the fort of Bhusna. Sitaram stationed a section of his army at Bhusna and put himself at the command of the fort. The Mohammadpur fort was put under the command of Mena Hati. The rest of the army was garrisoned along the Madhumati. Sitaram knew that the clash with the Mughals was inevitable. Sitaram, therefore, began to strengthen his army and reinforce his artillery.
As the news of Abu Torap's death reached
In the meantime, Dayaram had marched to Mohammadpur with his forces. Knowing that it would not be easy for him to capture the fort in a direct battle, he conspired and had Mena Hati killed by sabotage, sending his severed head to Murshidabad. On receiving the news of Mena Hati's death, Sitaram retreated to Mohammadpur with most of his troops. Bux Ali Khan, too, followed him to Mohammadpur. Sitaram evacuated most of the civilian population from the fort and sent his family to Kolkata.
Dayaram and Bux Ali Khan attacked the fort from the east and the south. After defending the fort for a long time, Sitaram was captured and Mohammadpur fell. Dayaram escorted him in chains to Murshidabad. At the trial, Sitaram was sentenced to death by Murshid Quli Khan and his relatives were imprisoned for life. His final rites were performed at the banks of Ganges in Murshidabad.[3]
Welfare
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Water reservoirs
Sitaram constructed a number of water reservoirs in the capital to meet the need of
To the west of Ram Sagar, towards the beels, Sitaram constructed another tank named Sukh Sagar. It was squarish in shape, with each side about 375 feet (114 m). At the centre, there was a three-story luxurious palace, which served as the summer retreat for the royal family. Mayurpankhi boats ferried them to the palace in the middle of the lake.
Temples
Sitaram came from a
Marriages and children
Sitaram married the daughter of a
References
- ISBN 81-7612-766-3.
- ^ Salim, Ghulam Husain (1898). Riad al-Salatin. Translated by Salam, Abdus. Bibliotbeca Indica. p. 264.
- ^ Stewart, Charles (1813). History of Bengal from the First Mohammedan Invasion until the Virtual Conquest of Bengal by the English in 1734. London.
- ^ Westland, J. (1874). A Report on the district of Jessore, its antiquities, its history, its commerce (2nd ed.). Bengal Secretariat Press. pp. 25–38.
- ^ Jadunath Bhattacharya. Sitaram Ray. p. 138.[ISBN missing]
Further reading
- Bhattacharya, Jadunath. Sitaram Ray.
- Mitra, Satish Chandra (2001). Jashor Khulnar Itihash. Dey's Publishing. ISBN 81-7612-766-3.
- Sen, Dinesh Chandra (1999). Brihatbanga. Dey's Publishing. ISBN 81-7079-186-3.
External links
- Bhusna and Raja Sitaram Ray
- Akhtar, Shirin; Jahan, Shahnaj Husne (2012). "Bhusna". In Islam, Sirajul; Jamal, Ahmed A. (eds.). Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
- Mohebbullah, Md. (2012). "Mohammadpur Upazila". In Islam, Sirajul; Jamal, Ahmed A. (eds.). Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.