MUGHAL DHAKA AND THE LALBAGH FORT:PART - I

Occupying nearly the centre of an immense flat land, drained by some of the mightiest rivers of the world, chiefty the Ganges and the Brahmaputra with their numerous tributaries, nature has bestowed on the city her bounties in a generous mood, scarcely met with elsewhere. The fertile surrounding low-lying areas of the city is a vast sea of lush green crop-fields, stretching for miles around as far as the eyes can see. It is not surprising, therefore, that the ancient chroniclers while lavishing praises for its natural charm have called it,” a land of emerald and silver “,”a gardin fit for kings,” while the mughal official documents styled it as, “Jannat-ul-bilad”or the paradise of Countries. Time and again, however, the site of the capital city in various phases of its history, has changed with the change of perpetuate their its history, has changed with the change of masters. “At the whim of kings and conquerors, eager to perpetuate their fame, new cities have arisen with startling rapidity, often but to be deserted in their turn well nigh before the last stones have crowned the minarets and pinnacles of their mosques and palaces. Yet, cariable as its site has been the great rivers where Megna, Ganges, Brahmaputra and Ishmutti meet at the head of the delta, a hundred miles from the sea”. From the obscure position of a military outpost on the easternmost and most turbulant province of the far-flung Mughal empire how Dacca (correctly Dhaka) rapidly rose to eminence as the .”queen of cities” in the East in early 17th century, is a fascinating story. To an ordinary tourist, not jaded for adventure and spirit of exploration, till that century, it was beyond the beaten track, dimly known to the western world for its famed Musin, unhealthy swamps and forests, myriads of surging water-courses, magnificent elephants and magic, a veritable back-water of civilization. The origin of the curious name of the city is as controversial as its early history is shrouded in fanciful tradition and myth. One thing, however, is certain that its history goes back to the early centuries of the Christian era. It flourished during the Hindu rule and also under the Independent Sultans of Bengal. But Dacca, doubtless a pre-mughal name, came into prominence for the first time under the Mughal, who established here their provincial capital in 1608 A.D. it was a time when the whole province was in flames. The newly ousted turbulant Afghan Chiefs, defeated again and again by the ruling, Mughals, tenaciously hovered across the province and carried on desperate raids on the settlid populace on a bed to regain their lost territory. The province lay exhausted and torn by the prolonged struggle between the Afghans and the Mughals. Afghan chiefs, repeatedly driven back in Eastern Bengal still held important and strategic outposts around Dacca and found a safe retreat in the jungles of Bhawal. Even the ancient kingdom of Sonargaon across the Sitalakhya, distant about 15 miles east of Dacca, was virtually under their control. To the state of political confusion and anarchy, many rebellious local chiefs, known popular as “Bara-Bhuiyans” eagerly joined hand with the recalcitrant Afghan adventurers in a bid for territorial gain. But there was yet another cause of anxiety for the Mughal administration. The maughs, a wild and ruthless people, originally migrating from the neighbouring state of Arakan infested the lower water of the delta. Taking advantage of the general lawlessness and confusion in the country they frequently sallied forth from their homes in Chittagong, than a veritable pirate’s nest, and swarmed up the rivers like locusts to plunder and burn villages and town they past by ,leaving only desolation and ruin in their blazing trail. Like the scourge of God, these heartless hordes of buccaneers by their frequent marauding raids, threatened to lay waste the fertile plains of lower Bengal and drive its peaceful inhabitants in terror from their lands. They often came up to Dhaka in their light gallies for plunder. The unhappy land also at that time became a happy hunting ground of another menace, the portuguese free-booters. Adventurous seamen and skilful navigators, many of them had settled in Chittagong and Arakan and a small company of these reckless sea-rovers sailing up the Meghna, entrenched themselves at Sripur, about 20miles south of Sonargaon. Francois Bernier the famous French traveller of the 17th century graphically describes them as “very detestable and altogether unworthy of Christians, in so much that they impunely butchered and poisoned one another ,and assassinated their own priests, who sometime was not better then themselves”........”Their ordinary trade was robbery and piracy “. They often surprised and carried away whole towns, markets and other prosperous habitations situated on the river bank, making women slaves and burning all that they could not carry away. These human pests also joined hands with the Mugh pirates of Chittagong and carried on their depredations unchecked in lower Bengal. In such a critical period of Bengal history emperor Jahangir appointed Islam Khan Chisti, the grandson of famous saint Shaikh Salim Chisti, as the Governor of Bengal with instruction to crush all refractory elements in the province and restore peace. The iron-willed new Governor grew up with the emperor since his childhood and was honoured with the title ‘son’. Personally brave and temperate in habits, imperious on manners, his great resolution and resourcefulness in moments of crisis were remarkable. In his 5 years of eventful office, he succeeded in accomplishing his task and therefore befittingly earned the pseudo-name of “ The pacifier of Bengal”. His first task was to transfer the capital of the province from Rajmahal to Dhaka in1608 in the very heart of the rebel’s den and to rename it as Jahangirnagar after his patron’s name. He brought the entire province under effective control of the Mughal administration, but his energy towards more peaceful pursuits like the adornment of his capital. Although we hear from contemporary accounts of his building several forts, mansions and mosques in and around Dhaka nothing has survived the ravages of time. From 1608 to 1717 Dhaka remained the capital of the province except for a short break of about 20 years, from 1639 to 1659, when Prince Shuja, The Governor of Bengal, shifted his capital to Rajmahal. Dhaka, under the Mughal Governors, for about hundred years, attained its greater extent of prosperity and expansion. It lasted till 1706, the date on which Prince Azimush-shan left Dhaka and officially the capital was removed to Murshidabad in 17171 A.D.