Bihar: Medieval history: dynasties, rulers and forts

The medieval history of Bihar is marked by foreign invasions and dynasties that transformed the region. The Sur Dynasty was the most significant dynasty in Bihar in medieval times; the Mughals and then the Nawabs of Bengal followed. Bihar has deep religious importance in Sikh history, and European traders, from the Portuguese to the Danes, came to Bihar.

The Sur Dynasty and Sher Shah Suri

• Sher Shah Suri (1486–1545) was the founder of the Suri Empire in India.
• The capital of the Suri Empire was located in Sasaram, in modern-day Bihar.
• Sher Shah introduced the currency of the rupee.
• He built the historic Grand Trunk Road.
• The remains of his grand mausoleum, known as Sher Shah’s Maqbara, can still be seen in Sasaram.

Mughal Rule in Bihar

• The Mughal emperor Akbar expanded his empire by annexing Bengal and Bihar.
• Farrukhsiyar was the first Mughal emperor sworn in at Patna.
• As the Mughal Empire declined, the Nawabs of Bengal came to rule over Bihar.
• Prince Azim-us-Shan, the grandson of Aurangzeb, was appointed as the governor of Pataliputra in 1703.
• In 1704, he renamed Pataliputra as Azimabad.

Religious Significance and Visits

• Bihar holds deep religious importance in Sikh history.
• Guru Nanak Dev Ji Maharaj visited Patna and stayed at Bhagat Jaitamal's house near Gaighat in 1509 CE.
• Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji Maharaj came to Patna with his family in 1666.
• Guru Gobind Singh Ji Maharaj, the 10th and last Guru of Sikhism, was born at Patna Sahib in 1666.
• Bihar was a hub for the development of Sufism, with several saints settling in the region during the Islamic period.
• Sufi saints mentioned in the source include Imam Taj Faqih from Maner, Shihabuddin Pir, and Jagiot.
• The Qadri order, now believed to be one of the chief Sufi orders in the state, had a prominent representative, Syed Muhammad of Amjhar sharif, based in the Aurangabad district of Bihar.

Afghan Invasion and Early European Presence

• During the 12th century CE, Bihar suffered aggressive attacks from the Afghan ruler Bakhtiar Khilji, who plundered historical places.
• The Portuguese were the first Europeans to arrive in Bihar.
• The British were the second Europeans to enter Bihar. British traders opened a saltpetre plant at Alamganj in Patna in 1620, which was shut down in 1621.
• The British East India Company revived the factory in 1651; the site is now a governing printing press at Gulzar Bagh.
• The Dutch East India Company built a factory in Patna in 1632, which is today the site of the Patna Collectorate. The Dutch were interested in cereal grains, saltpetre, and cotton fabrics.
• The Danes East India Company built a factory in Patna’s Nepali Kothi in 1774.

Battle of Buxar and British Administration

• The Battle of Buxar was fought on 21 October 1764.
• The battle was fought between the forces of the British East India Company, led by Hector Munro, and the combined armies of Mir Qasim (Nawab of Bengal till 1764), Shuja-ud-Daula (Nawab of Awadh), and Shah Alam II (Mughal Emperor).
• Following the battle, the British effectively took over control of Bihar.
• Bihar was ruled from Calcutta as part of the Bengal Presidency.
• The East India Company established the position of Deputy Governor to administer Bihar.
• Raja Ram Narayan and Shitab Roy played significant roles as Deputy Governors after the Battle of Buxar.
• A position known as “Revenue Chief of Bihar” was created in 1781 to replace the “Revenue Council of Patna,” which had been established in 1770.

Key Structures and Administrative Changes

• During the famine of 1783, Governor-General Warren Hastings ordered the dome-shaped granary of Golghar to combat the famine.
• The huge dome-shaped granary of Golghar was built by Captain John Garstin in 1786 A.D.
• Permanent Settlement was introduced by Lord Cornwallis in Bengal, Orissa, Benaras, and northern districts of Madras.
• John Shore served as the architect of this system.
• Under the zamindari system, zamindars were declared proprietors of the land. They could keep 1/11th of the revenue collected and give 10/11th to the British.
• The Bengal Tenancy Act was introduced in 1885 to define the rights of tenants due to dissatisfaction with zamindars.
• Bihar remained part of the Bengal Presidency until the provinces of Bihar and Orissa were divided in 1912.
• After the Delhi Durbar of 1911, Bihar was constituted as a separate province on 22 March 1912, with Patna as the capital.
• Orissa became a separate province under the Government of India Act of 1935.