Eastern Indian Provincial Kingdoms In Jaunpur - Medieval India

34 kilometers north of Banaras, on the Gaumti River, is the city of Jaunpur. Malik Sarwar (Sultanu Sharq), the governor of Jaunpur, declared independence in 1394 CE as a result of the Delhi Sultanate's growing weakness and Timur's conquest of Delhi. In addition to Awadh, he was in charge of a sizable chunk of the Ganga Yamuna doab, which included the states of Tirhut, Bihar, Kannauj, Dalmau, Kara, and Sandeela. He laid the foundation for the Sharqi dynasty. This is the period when the Sharqi architectural style first became recognised. The Atala Masjid, Jama Masjid, and Lal Darwaja Masjid all display Sharqi architectural elements. 

 

•    The Jaunpur Dynasty was founded by Malik Sarwar.

 

•    In 1389 CE, Firuz Shah Tughluq bestowed him the title "Khajah-i-Jahan" and assigned him as the keeper of the royal jewellery.

 

•    Sultan Nasiruddin Mahmud Shah II Tughluq (1394–1413 CE) appointed him as the administrator of Jaunpur and gave him the title "Malik-us-Sharq".

 

•    He immediately proclaimed himself to be a sovereign and assumed the name "Atabak-i-Azam."

 

•    Jaunpur was embroiled in a century-long conflict with the Ujjainiyas of Bhojpur in present-day Bihar during Malik Sarwar's rule.

 

•    The Ujjainiya commander Raja Harraj initially defeated Malik Sarwar's soldiers, but the Ujjainiyas were defeated in subsequent battles and turned to guerilla warfare as they withdrew into the woods.

 

•    On the ruins of Yagi Mandal, one of Raja Vijaya Chandra's structures, he erected a royal house that he called Badi Manzil (The Wonderful House).

 

•    In addition, he changed Jaunpur's name to Dar-us Surr (The Abode of Bliss) and completed the fort that Firuz Shah Tuqhluq had started.

 

•    Malik Sarwar passed away in November 1399. For over four years and six months, he was in power.

 

•    After his death, Malik Qaranfal, his adopted son, took his position and was granted the title "Mubarak Shah".

 

•    We don't know Mubarak Shah's family history or origins.

 

•    His true title, according to some Persian chronicles like Nizam-ud Din, was "Qaranful," which translates to "dark-colored clove."

 

•    Due to his pallor, his adoptive father Malik Sarwar may have referred to him as "Qaranful."

 

•    During his lifetime, Malik Sarwar gave Mubarak Shah the title of Malik-ush Sharq and appointed him to oversee the operations of the central administration.

 

•    As soon as Mallu Iqbal was informed of Malik Sarwar's passing and Mubarak Shah's ascension to power, he swarmed Jaunpur.

 

•    After marching to Qannauj, Mallu Iqbal set up camp along the banks of the Ganges.

 

•    On the other hand, Sultan Mubarak Sharqi marched to the other side of Mallu Iqbal's camp with a sizable force of Rajputs, Afghans, Mughals, and Tajiks.

 

•    They eventually retreated without using any force to their own capital cities. This was the first time the Delhi Sultan had entered Jaunpur.

 

•    He held the position for around three years.

 

•    Although none have been located so far, he is supposed to have produced coins in his name.

 

•    Shams-ud-din He was followed by Mubarak Shah's younger brother, Ibrahim Shah.

 

•    He was the greatest emperor of the Sharqi dynasty, and it was under his leadership that Jaunpur developed into a significant academic hub.

 

•    His realm extended from Kanauj in the west to Bihar in the east.

 

•    He promoted Islamic education, and it was under his rule that Jaunpur's renowned Atala Masjid was constructed.

 

•    When he succeeded to the throne in 1402, he faced enemies on all sides.

 

•    Even though he started wars and engaged in combat with nearly all of his neighbors, he took cautious not to declare any of them to be his sworn adversaries for life.

 

•    His interactions with regional chiefs like the Rajputs of Tirhut and Ujjainia demonstrate his statesmanship.

 

•    Sultan Ibrahim was able to boost the economic and tax resources available to his kingdom by consolidating and expanding its borders.

 

•    At Kara, a sizable music and dance library was built.

 

•    At Kara, Sultan Ibrahim Shah himself presided over a conference on music.

 

•    Artists and musicians gathered from all over India.

 

•    They worked together to create the massive musical work Sangitasiromani.

 

•    This exemplifies how Ibrahim Shah displayed rich cultural traits and supported cultured topics like music that drew in both the elite and the average populace.

 

•    In 1440, Mahmud Shah, Ibrahim Shah's son, ascended to the throne.

 

•    He was Ibrahim's eldest son, who overcame Kalpi but fell short of capturing Chunar's fort.

 

•    In 1452 CE, he attempted to take over Delhi, but Bahlol Lodhi beat him. Later, he marched towards Etawah and made another effort to capture Delhi.

 

•    Finally, he acknowledged Bahlul Lodi's control over Shamsabad by signing a peace pact. This peace accord, however, did not last very long.

 

•    The dispute between the two kings in 1456–1457 was rekindled over the issue of Shamsabad, which was supposed to be ceded to Bahlol Lodi.

 

•    When Bahlol was denied the land, he marched to Shamsabad with his army. The Jaunpuri warriors blocked Bahlul when he tried to take Shamsabad.

 

•    During this time, Mahmud Shah's illness caused him to pass away, and his son Bhikhan succeeded him as ruler.

 

•    As much as his father, Sultan Mahmud shah was a fan of both.

 

•    To prove this, magnificent structures like palaces and enormous mosques have been built throughout his reign.

 

•    His hometown, Jaunpur, was also endowed with magnificent mosques during this time, the most noteworthy of which was the Lal Darwazah Masjid (Ruby Gate Mosque), built in 1450 CE.

 

•    At the same time, his favorite queen, Bibi Raji, had her opulent home constructed next to it.

 

•    Muhammad Shah Sharqi, the eldest son of Sultan Mahmud Sharqi, was sometimes referred to as Bhikan Khan.

 

•    The Sharqi amirs and queen Bibi Raji anointed Muhammad Shah Sultan when Mahmud died.

 

•    As his top goal, Sultan Muhammad Shah chose to reach an agreement with Delhi Sultan Bahlol Lodi.

 

•    Muhammad's succession was unquestionable, but Hasan Khan, Jalal Khan, and Qutb Khan, as well as a number of his nobles, were turned off by his autocratic nature.

 

•    Muhammad Sharqi in Qannauj will be overthrown by Hussain Khan, a few Sharqi amirs, and Bibi Raji.

 

•    Husain Khan proclaimed himself king in 1457 and struck coins with his name as Husain Shah.

 

•    Sultan Muhammad was killed by an arrow shot by Mubarak Gung, a devoted noble of Hussain Khan, during a battle with Hussain Khan.

 

•    In Dalmau, he was interred close to Rae Bareli.

 

•    Sultan Mahmud Shah Sharqi's son Hussain Shah Sharqi inherited a sizable domain.

 

•    From the foothills of the Himalayas in the north to the kingdom of Malwa, including Baghelkhand in the south, the kingdom spanned from Bengal in the east to virtually the gates of Agra in the west.

 

•    Since Bahlul Lodhi, the ruler of Delhi, owned properties that should have belonged to his wife, he viewed him as a competition.

 

•    In addition to subduing the king of Orissa, he also took control of Gwalior's fortified stronghold.

 

•    Etawah, a key town on the Yamuna River and a source of friction between the Sharqis and the Lodhis, was subdued by him.

 

•    Bahlul Lodhi, who assaulted the Sharqi army following a truce, defeated him in his desperate bid to conquer Delhi.

 

•    Both as a musician and a music innovator, Hussain Shah excelled.

 

•    He created the raga Zunglah, which combines native and Perso-Arab scales and looks to be a hybrid raga.

 

•    Due to the growth of music, Jaunpur acquired the distinction of being the Shiraz of India.

 

•    The Sharqi kings of Jaunpur were renowned for their encouragement of education and construction.

 

•    The Atala Masjid, Lal Darwaza Masjid, and Jama Masjid are the three most notable examples of Sharqi architecture in Jaunpur.

 

•    The Atala Masjid was started in 1376 by Firuz Shah Tughluq, but Ibrahim Shah finished it in 1408.

 

•    Ibrahim Shah built the Jhanjhari Masjid, another mosque, around 1430.

 

•    Mahmud Shah, the next king, oversaw the construction of the Lal Darwaja Masjid (1450).

 

•    In 1470, Hussain Shah oversaw the construction of the Jama Masjid.

 

Between 1394 until 1479, the Islamic Jaunpur Sultanate ruled throughout northern India. Malik Sarwar, the dynasty's first king, served as Sultan Muhammad Shah Tughluq's wazir from 1390 to 1394 before seizing control of Jaunpur on his own. The most significant leader of this dynasty was Ibrahim Shah. Due to the growth of music, they were patrons of both the arts and were referred to as Shiraz of India. The kingdom of Jaunpur, which had emerged from the ruins of the Delhi Sultanate as a separate entity after seventy-five years, was reincorporated into the Sultanate.