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Khwaja Usman

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Usman Khan Lohani
Leader of Afghans of Bengal
Reign1593-1612
PredecessorKhwaja Sulayman
SuccessorKhwaja Wali
Bokainagar (Mymensingh)
Reign1599-1609
Predecessor Mughal Empire
Successor Mughal Empire
Taraf and Usmangarh (Southern Sylhet)
Reign1609-1612
PredecessorSubid Narayan
Successor Mubariz Khan
Bornخواجه عثمان خان لوحاني
Died12 March 1612
Daulambapur
Burial12 March 1612
Uhar (Patanushar)
IssueMumriz Khan
Names
Usman Khan Lohani Miankhel
Regnal name
Khwaja Usman
HouseMiankhel (Lohani/Nohani)
FatherIsa Khan Nohani Miankhel
ReligionSunni Islam
OccupationWarrior, Baro-Bhuyan chieftain[1]

Khawāja Uthmān Khān Lōhānī (Pashto: خواجه عثمان خان لوحاني, Bengali: খাজা উসমান খাঁন লোহানী), popularly known as Khwaja Usman, was a Pashtun chieftain and warrior based in northeastern Bengal. As one of the Baro-Bhuyans, he was a zamindar ruling over the northern parts of Bengal including Greater Mymensingh and later in South Sylhet.[2] He was a formidable opponent to Man Singh I and the Mughal Empire and the last of the Afghan chieftains and rulers in Bengal. His defeat led to the surrender of all the remaining Pashtuns as well as the incorporation of the Sylhet region into the Bengal Subah.[3] He is described as the most romantic figure in the history of Bengal.[4][5][6][7] His biography can be found in the Baharistan-i-Ghaibi, Tuzk-e-Jahangiri as well as the Akbarnama.

Early life

Usman Khan and his four brothers, Sulayman, Wali, Malhi and Ibrahim, were born to a Pashtun father, Khwaja Isa Khan Miankhel, who belonged to the Lohani tribe. Usman's uncle was Qutlu Khan Lohani who was the Governor of Puri appointed by the Sultan of Bengal Sulaiman Khan Karrani.[6] The Pashtuns living in Eastern India were a small but influential community to the Delhi and Bengal Sultanates.[8] Most Pashtuns were against Mughal rule and supported the Baro-Bhuyans after the defeat of the Sultanate.[9] Following Qutlu's demise in 1590, Nasir Khan Lohani gave allegiance to the Mughals which led to rebellion in the region between the Pashtuns.

Arrival in Bengal

The Governor of Bihar at the time, Man Singh I, defeated Nasir two years later due to his betrayal of the Mughal Empire. Later, Man Singh I became the Subahdar of the Bengal Subah and attempted to weaken the influence of the Pashtuns.[10] Khwaja Sulayman was killed in Orissa by Singh and so he was succeeded as leader of the Afghans by Usman. Usman managed to make a deal with him that he would leave Orissa if he can have jagirs in Fatehabad in Bengal.[11] Initially, Singh agreed which caused Usman, his four brothers and other Pashtuns to start migrating to Bengal. After Singh realised the rising influence of rebels in Bengal due to Isa Khan's resistance against the Mughals, Singh cancelled the jagirs in order to stop more Pashtuns from migrating to Bengal. This cancellation angered Usman leading to his invasion of South Bengal and capture of the fort in Satgaon. In 1593, Usman then continued east to Bhusna where he defeated Chand ibn Kedar Rai on 11 February. Here, he formed an alliance with Isa Khan of Bhati, the leader of what was to become the Baro-Bhuyans.[7] It is said that Usman also took shelter in Goyghor, South Sylhet as he was hiding from Man Singh I.[12]

Rule in Bokainagar

Working alongside Isa Khan, Usman was able to gain control of northeastern Bengal, ruling over Greater Mymensingh and making the fort town of Bokainagar, in Gouripur, his capital.[13] For a short period of time, the Pathans regained North Orissa. After the death of Emperor Akbar in 1599, Usman was able to rebuild and develop Bokainagar Fort into a powerful military base consisting of 20,000 soldiers.[14] Usman also established two other forts in Hasanpur and Egarosindur and took advantage of the Brahmaputra River to separate himself from the Mughal territory in the west.[7]

In 1596, Usman defeated Chand Rai of Sripur.[3] In 1602, Usman crossed the Brahmaputra and defeated the Mughal thanadars of Alapsingh, Sajawal Khan and Baz Bahadur Qalmaq, the latter who fled to Bhawal.[15] This news came to Man Singh I in one day who immediately set off from Jahangirnagar to battle Usman on the banks of the Banar River.[16] Many of Usman's weapons and resources were looted in this battle as well as the deaths of many Pashtuns.[17] After the death of Isa Khan, his son, Musa Khan rose to power. The plans of the insurgents were to launch an attack on the Mughal Empire and attempt to free Musa Khan in order to liberate Bhati again.[18]

Taraf and Usmangarh

See also: Taraf Kingdom § Mughal rule

After the surrender of Musa Khan to the Mughal Subahdar of Bengal Islam Khan I in 1606, Usman immediately became the next target of the Empire. In October of the same year, Islam Khan appointed Abdul Wahid and Sheikh Kamal Bayazid to march with a large army from Jahangirnagar to Hasanpur, which was north of Usman's capital in Bokainagar. From Hasanpur, the Mughal army built trenches and forts as they prepared for battle in Bokainagar. Usman's army was defeated and his Pashtun allies in nearby Tajpur, Nasir and Daria Khan surrendered to the Islam Khan I. Some Pashtuns of Tajpur followed their leaders and expressed support of the Mughals while others joined Usman. With Usman's support from other chieftains decreasing, he set off for Sylhet with over 200 Pashtuns. The Sylhet region had the strongest Afghan insurgency in Bengal and Usman made alliances with the many Afghan chiefs there such as Anwar Khan of Baniachong, Bayazid Karrani II of Sylhet and Mahmud Khan.[19] Bokainagar was taken over by the Mughal Empire on 7 December 1611.[6] However, Anwar Khan of Baniachong had successively surrendered to the Mughals after the death of Musa Khan, visiting them in Jahangirnagar, and promising to help defeat Usman as long as he can keep his land in Baniachong.

Usman reached Taraf where he appointed his son, Khwaja Mumriz, and brother, Khwaja Malhi to station themselves in Taraf (Habiganj). Governing there, they established a lofty fort. Khwaja Wali was also stationed at a hill fort called Putia (Putijuri) on the foot of the Giripal in Bahubal. Usman then continued and reached the Ita Kingdom ruled by Raja Subid Narayan who he defeated in a battle. He then established his new capital in Uhar, Kamalganj and managed to gain control of South Sylhet.[20] Uhar came to be known as Usmangarh and Taraf also encompassed Usman's domain. It is said a force was sent to Cachar from Taraf at an attempt to invade Manipur.[21] In a campaign led by Haji Shamsuddin Baghdadi and the three brothers, Mirza Saqi, Mirza Baqi and Mirza Pattani, the Afghans at Taraf were defeated in a battle compared by the Baharistan-i-Ghaibi to the Day of Resurrection. Defeated in a fourth assault, the Afghan fled to Khwaja Usman at Uhar.[22][23]

Final battle and death

Islam Khan I prepared a large army on an expedition to defeat Usman. Mughal emperor Jahangir provided soldiers and officers from across the subcontinent and appointed Shajaat Khan Chisti of the Deccan as the commander of the operation.[24] Before commencing, Shajaat sent messages to Usman advising him to surrender to the Mughal Empire. Usman replied to this message saying that he would like to create peace between themselves and to allow himself to continue living in the Sylhet region, a place not yet conquered by the Mughal Empire.[7]

Islam Khan I refused in trusting Anwar Khan of Baniachong to lead a force against Usman and replaced him with Islam Quli Khan. Anwar, in anger, marched from Jahangirnagar to Egarosindur. He came across Musa's brother Mahmud Khan and Bahadur Ghazi of Bhawal and made a new plot to fight the Mughals in Hasanpur, therefore supporting Usman. Their plot was unsuccessful and all rebel leaders were chained.[25]

However, Islam Khan I was keen to end Afghan power in Bengal and decided to commence the battle. He readied 500 of his own cavalry, 4,000 musketeers and large numbers of war horses and war elephants.[26] Shona Ghazi of Sarail provided warships and Ihtimam Khan assembled an imperial force. Shaykh Achhay and Iftikhar Khan Turkmen were placed on the wings. On 4 February 1612, the army reached Taraf, ruled by Malhi (Usman's brother) and Mumriz (Usman's son), who retreated to Uhar after a short skirmish. Khwaja Wali abandoned his Putia hill-fort before facing the approaching army.[6]

After the arrival of Malhi, Mumriz and Wali, Usman also prepared for war. He readied 2000 of his own cavalry, 5,000 infantry, and 40 war elephants. Usman was known for his tup-o-tufang style artillery.[27] On his left, he appointed Wali with 1000 cavalry, 2000 infantry, and 30 war elephants. On his right, he appointed Sher-e-Maydan with 700 cavalry, 1000 infantry and 20 war elephants.[7]

In 12 March 1612, the two armies met at the nearby village of Daulambapur where they entrenched themselves in a nullah bank.[28] Both, Iftikhar Khan Turkmen and Shaykh Achhay, were killed and their force was heavily defeated. The central force, led by Shajaat Khan, was then defeated although Shajaat managed to escape.[6]

Just as the defeat of the Mughals seemed certain, Iftikhar Khan's devoted soldier, Sheikh Abdul Jalil, rode his horse towards Usman. Abdul Jalil aimed his crossbow at Usman and fired. The arrow hit Usman's left eye, striking through his brain. Usman tried to pull the arrow out, causing his right eye to come out. Usman became blind as he tried giving a gesture to one of the men on the elephants to find and attack Shajaat. Usman died a few moments later, after also losing his speech.[7]

Usman was brought back to Uhar by the Pashtuns and buried in an unknown spot between two hills. A false tomb was also created outside Usman's palace.[29]

To formalise a surrender, the Afghans gifted all 49 elephants and jewels to the Mughal Empire.[30] The Mughals also honoured Usman's relatives and to the surrendered Afghans. They also had a feast to mark the victory.[31]

Legacy

An upazila (sub-district) has been proposed in the Moulvibazar District to be named after Usman, as Usmangarh (Fort of Usman) by locals since 1985. The proposal for this upazila Currently, Usman's fort at Uhar is spread across two areas, Srisurya and Usmangarh, both in the Patanushar Union of Kamalganj Upazila.[5] If successful, the Usmangarh Upazila will consist of 6 Union Parishads:

In 2009, the Prothom Alo reported that Usmangarh (Usman's estate) and its adjoining hills which were considered government land were being taken over by land-grabbers. The illegal occupiers had built shops and planted trees in the governmental territory but were not prosecuted due to their close links with the Awami League - Bangladesh's ruling political party. 30% of the land, including Usman's fort, was said to have been illegally occupied by local Awami League member Jamshed Miah. Other occupiers included Sundar Ali, Alta Miah, Durud Miah, Faruq Miah and Mubasshir Ali who were accused of opening shops and digging hills in the area.[32]

In 2017, Khwaja Usman's tomb was finally marked and identified with official recognition at 10pm on 17 May 2017 in the village of Usmangarh in Patanushar. The area of the fort and nearby hills are in close proximity to the Tilagarh Primary School playground. Located in the western part of Usman's estate, the tomb was restored by the Bir Pathan Khwaja Osman Khan Memorial Implementation Council. Many notable individuals were present at the inauguration such as Usman's descendant Mawlana Ghazi Muhammad Sirajul Islam Suruki Lohani who was the President of the named Council. Others present were Shuaybur Rahman (a successor of Fultoli) and Shaykh Muhammad Misir Mian (a noted freedom fighter).[33][34]

The Goyghor Mosque in Moulvibazar is also named after Usman as the Historical Khwaja's Mosque.[12]

Political offices
Preceded by
Raja Subid Narayan
 Ruler of Taraf and Usmangarh
1610-1612 		Succeeded by

See also

References

  1. ^ Eaton, Richard. "Bengal under the Mughals: The Rise of Mughal Power". The Rise of Islam and the Bengal Frontier, 1204–1760.
  2. ^ Ahmed, Salahuddin (2004). Bangladesh: Past and Present. APH Publishing. pp. 64–. ISBN 978-81-7648-469-5.
  3. ^ a b Nitish Sengupta (2011). Land of Two Rivers: A History of Bengal from the Mahabharata to Mujib.
  4. ^ Atul Chandra Roy (1968). History of Bengal: Mughal Period, 1526-1765 A.D. Nababharat Publishers.
  5. ^ a b Islam, Nazrul (30 August 2015). "পাঠান বীর খাজা উসমান ও উসমান গড় উপজেলা বাস্তবায়ন". Bangla Kagoj 24 (in Bengali). Zindabazar, Sylhet.
  6. ^ a b c d e Khan, Muazzam Hussain. "Khwaja Usman". Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh. Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
  7. ^ a b c d e f Islam, Nazrul (16 April 2018). "খাজা উসমান". Bangladesher Khabor (in Bengali).
  8. ^ Mohammad Raihan Uddin Sarker. "The history of two forts in Gouripur, Mymensingh". The New Nation.
  9. ^ Majumdar, R.C. (ed.) (2006). The Delhi Sultanate, Mumbai: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, pp.215-20
  10. ^ Sarkar, Jadunath (1984, reprint 1994). A History of Jaipur, New Delhi: Orient Longman ISBN 81-250-0333-9, pp.75-79
  11. ^ Rajiva Nain Prasad (1966). Raja Mān Singh of Amber.
  12. ^ a b "মৌলভীবাজারের ঐতিহাসিক গয়ঘর খোজার মসজিদ" (in Bengali). Moulvibazar: The Dhaka Times. 15 June 2016. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  13. ^ P Sensarma (1977). The Military History of Bengal. Darbari Udjog.
  14. ^ Shahnaj Husne Jahan. "Bokainagar Fort". Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh. Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
  15. ^ Roy, Kaushik (2015). Warfare in Pre-British India - 1500BCE to 1740CE.
  16. ^ Ramesh Chandra Majumdar & Jadunath Sarkar (2003). The history of Bengal.
  17. ^ R.K. Gupta, S.R. Bakshi (ed.). Rajasthan Through the Ages.
  18. ^ Nath, Pratyay. Climate of Conquest: War, Environment, and Empire in Mughal North India. Oxford University Press.
  19. ^ Shahnaj Husne Jahan. "Tajpur Fort". Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh. Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
  20. ^ Sylhet: History and Heritage. Sylhet, Bangladesh: Bangladesh Itihas Samiti. 1999.
  21. ^ Haji Muhammad Abdus Samad (2018). Historiography of Manipuri Muslims.
  22. ^ M. I. Borah (1936). Baharistan-I-Ghaybi – Volume 1.
  23. ^ Khan, Muazzam Hussain (2012). "Khwaja Usman". In Sirajul Islam; Miah, Sajahan; Khanam, Mahfuza; Ahmed, Sabbir (eds.). Banglapedia: the National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Online ed.). Dhaka, Bangladesh: Banglapedia Trust, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. ISBN 984-32-0576-6. OCLC 52727562. OL 30677644M. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
  24. ^ Gommans, Jos (2002). Mughal Warfare: Indian Frontiers and Highroads to Empire 1500-1700. Routledge.
  25. ^ Khan, Muazzam Hussain. "Anwar Khan". Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh. Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
  26. ^ Lobato, Manuel. Relações comerciais entre a Índia e a costa africana nos séculos XVI e XVII (in Portuguese). p. 168.
  27. ^ Nathan, Mirza. Baharistan-i-Ghaibi.
  28. ^ Pius Malekandathil (ed.). The Indian Ocean in the Making of Early Modern India.
  29. ^ Abdul Karim (1992). History of Bengal: From the fall of Daud Karrani, 1576 to the death of Jahangir, 1627. University of Rajshahi.
  30. ^ Stewart, Charles (1813). The History of Bengal. London.
  31. ^ Eaton, Richard (2019). India in the Persianate Age: 1000-1765.
  32. ^ "কমলগঞ্জের ওসমানগড় দখল হয়ে যাচ্ছে" [Kamalganj's Usmangarh is being taken over]. Prothom Alo (in Bengali). 6 September 2009.
  33. ^ "পাঁচশত বছর পর খাজা ওসমান লোহানীর সমাধিস্থল চিহ্নিতকরণ" [Five hundred years later, the marking of Khwaja Osman Lohani's tomb]. Boishakhi News 24 (in Bengali). 20 May 2017.
  34. ^ "পাঁচশত বছর পর খাজা ওসমান লোহানীর সমাধি স্থল চিহ্নিতকরণ". Sylhet Bangla News (in Bengali). Kamalganj Upazila. 20 May 2017.
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