Bengal Sultanate

For other uses, see Bengal (disambiguation).

Sultanate of Bengal
Baṅgala Saltanat (Bengali)
Saltanat-i-Bangala (Persian)
1352–1539
1554–1576
Extent of the Sultanate of Bengal under the Hussain Shahi dynasty.
Extent of the Sultanate of Bengal under the Hussain Shahi dynasty.
StatusSultanate
CapitalPandua
(1352–1390)
Sonargaon[note 1][1]
(1390–1466)
Gaur
(1466–1565)
Tanda
(1565–1576)
Official languagesBengali
Persian
Religion
Sunni Islam (official)
Hinduism
Buddhism
GovernmentAbsolute monarchy
Sultan 
• 1342–1358 (first)
Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah
• 1572–1576 (last)
Daud Khan Karrani
History 
• Unification
1352
1353–1359
• Raja Ganesha's rebellion
1414
1415–1420
1429–1430
1512–1516
• Suri invasion
1539
• Restoration
1554
1572–1576
12 July 1576
CurrencyTaka
Preceded by		 Succeeded by
Sonargaon Sultanate
Satgaon Sultanate
Delhi Sultanate
Bhoi dynasty
Oiniwar dynasty
Sur Empire
Bengal Subah
Today part ofBangladesh
India
Myanmar
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The Bengal Sultanate and contemporary South Asian polities in 1400 CE.[2]

The Bengal Sultanate (Middle Bengali: বাঙ্গালা সালতানাত, Classical Persian: سلطنت بنگاله[3] was a late medieval sultanate based in the Bengal region in the eastern South Asia between the 14th and 16th century. It was the dominant power of the Ganges-Brahmaputra Delta, with a network of mint towns spread across the region. The Bengal Sultanate had a circle of vassal states in the Indian subcontinent, including parts of Odisha in the southwest, Arakan in the southeast,[4] and Tripura in the east.[5]

The Bengal Sultanate controlled large parts of the eastern South Asia during its five dynastic periods, reaching its peak under Hussain Shahi dynasty. Its raids and conquests reached Nepal in the north, Brahmaputra valley (modern-day Assam) in the east, and Jaunpur and Varanasi in the west. It was reputed as a thriving trading nation and one of Asia's strongest states. Its decline began with an interregnum by the Suri Empire, followed by Mughal conquest and disintegration into petty kingdoms. The Bengal Sultanate was a Sunni Muslim monarchy[6][7][8] with Bengali Muslim, Turco-Persian, Afghan and Abyssinian elites.[9] The most prominent dynasties were the Ilyas Shahi, House of Ganesha and Hussain Shahi. The empire was known for its religious pluralism where non-Muslim communities co-existed peacefully. While Persian was used as the primary official, diplomatic and commercial language, it was under the Sultans that Bengali first received court recognition as an official language.[10][11] The cities of the Bengal Sultanate are termed as Mint Towns where the historical taka was minted. These cities were adorned with stately medieval buildings.[12] In 1500, the royal capital of Gaur was the fifth-most populous city in the world.[13][14] Other notable cities included the initial royal capital of Pandua, the economic hub of Sonargaon, the Mosque City of Bagerhat, and the seaport and trading hub of Chittagong. The Bengal Sultanate was connected to states in Asia, Africa, the Indian Ocean, and Europe through maritime links and overland trade routes. The Bengal Sultanate was a major trading center on the coast of the Bay of Bengal. It attracted immigrants and traders from different parts of the world. Bengali ships and merchants traded across the region, including in Malacca, China, and the Maldives.

The Bengal Sultanate was described by contemporary European and Chinese visitors as a prosperous kingdom. Due to the abundance of goods in Bengal, the region was described as the "richest country to trade with". The Bengal Sultanate left a strong architectural legacy. Buildings from the period show foreign influences merged into a distinct Bengali style.[9] The Bengal Sultanate was also the largest and most prestigious authority among the independent medieval Muslim-ruled states in the history of Bengal.[15]


Cite error: There are <ref group=note> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=note}} template (see the help page).

  1. ^ "Sonargaon". Banglapedia. Archived from the original on 18 December 2017. Retrieved 7 June 2019.
  2. ^ Schwartzberg, Joseph E. (1978). A Historical atlas of South Asia. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. p. 147, map XIV.3 (c). ISBN 0226742210. Archived from the original on 5 June 2021. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  3. ^ "History". Banglapedia. Archived from the original on 29 September 2017. Retrieved 23 September 2017. Shah-i-Bangalah, Shah-i-Bangaliyan and Sultan-i-Bangalah
  4. ^ Keat Gin Ooi (2004). Southeast Asia: A Historical Encyclopedia, from Angkor Wat to East Timor. ABC-CLIO. p. 171. ISBN 978-1-57607-770-2. Archived from the original on 22 October 2023. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  5. ^ Richard M. Eaton (1996). The Rise of Islam and the Bengal Frontier, 1204–1760. University of California Press. pp. 64–. ISBN 978-0-520-20507-9. Archived from the original on 22 October 2023. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  6. ^ Wink, André (2003). Indo-Islamic society: 14th – 15th centuries. Brill. ISBN 978-9004135611.
  7. ^ Uhlig, Siegbert (2003). Encyclopaedia Aethiopica. p. 151.
  8. ^ Embree, Ainslie (1988). Encyclopedia of Asian history. Asia Society. p. 149.
  9. ^ a b "Gaur and Pandua Architecture". Sahapedia. Archived from the original on 13 November 2020. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference stars was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Saikia, Mohini Kumar (1978). Assam-Muslim Relation and Its Cultural Significance. Luit Printers. p. 20.
  12. ^ Safvi, Rana (2 March 2019). "Once upon a fort: Gaur's Firoz Minar is still an imposing sight". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 31 October 2019. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference ft was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ Kapadia, Aparna (30 March 2019). "Gujarat's medieval cities were once the biggest in the world – as a viral video reminds us". Scroll.in. Archived from the original on 8 November 2020. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
  15. ^ Barbara Watson Andaya; Leonard Y. Andaya (2015). A History of Early Modern Southeast Asia, 1400–1830. Cambridge University Press. p. 114. ISBN 978-0-521-88992-6. Archived from the original on 22 October 2023. Retrieved 29 May 2019.