fluctuations (1)

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FLUCTUATIONS OF POWER AFFECTED CHITTAGONG

("When Bengal was strong, its rulers received the tribute of Arakan; at other times Arakan

claimed tribute from parts of the Ganges delta. These fluctuations of power affected Chittagong,

which was held alternatively by one side or the other.")1

Chittagong was one of the districts in Bengal lying on the frontier between India and Burmaunder British rule. Now it is in East Pakistan after its separation from India in 1947. The

origin of its name is doubtful. The Buddhist version says that it is corrupted from the wardChaityagram which means the land of Chaityas.

2The Hindu name of Chittagong was

Chattala which was changed to Chatigam by the Muslims referring to the chati (earthen

lamp) which was lit by a Muslim saint, Pir Badar (Badar Shah Aulia) to drive the evilspirits living there. The local history of Chittagong says that Chittagong was at that time the

abode of evil spirits and that no human beings could dwell there before the arrival of PirBadar, the guardian saint of sailors.

3Mr. Bernovilli had derived its name from the Arabic

word 'Shat' (delta) given by the Arabs, while Sir William Jones derived its name from the

chatag the most beautiful little bird he ever saw there. The Sanskrit name of Chittagong was

Chartugram, the four villages.4

In the 9th

century A.D. one of the kings of Sandra dynasty of Vaisali of Arakan conqueredthe country and built a pillar at Chittagong which was named Sit-tagaung from the remark

of the conqueror "It is improper to make war."5

But at a later period it was occupied by theRajas of Tippera prior to its conquest by the Muslims if it may be judged by the evidence of

a copper plate unearthed in a village named Nasirabad near Chittagong.6

The Meghna River was a natural barrier against the Muslim advance to the southern part of

Bengal till the 14th

century A.D. But there was free commercial intercourse of the Arabs

who were the masters of the Western and Eastern Waters.7

This free commercial activity of

1. D.G.E.Hall; Burma, p-57.2. L.S.S.O'Malley; Chittagong Gazetteer, p-1.3. Ibid, p-56.4. Ibid, p- 1& 2.5. Ibid, p-20. Sandra dynasty was a Hindu dynasty in Arakan. Before the 10 th century A. D. thepeople of Arakan were Hindus. In this connection U San Shwe Bu in his "A brief note on the

old capitals of Arakan" reproduced in the Golden Tit-bit of Arakan says; "Both tradition and

recorded history point to the fact that the original inhabitants of Arakan were Hindus (Indians)".

D.G.E.Hall in his Burma writes; "From very early days the older and purer form of Buddhism,

the Hinayana or Lesser Vehicle, was established there. It must date from before the arrival of

the Burmese in the tenth century, when Arakn was an Indian land with a population similar to

that of Bengal. P-57."

6. Ibid, p-207. G.E.Harvey; history of Burma, p-10.


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the Arabs paved the way for the Muslim domination in Chittagong. Fakhruddin Mubarak

Shah (1336-1352), of Thuratan (identified by Sir Arthur Phayre with Sunargaong), whosenaval power was very great, was the first Muslim king to pass the strong barrier of the

Meghna River. He was the founder of a line of independent Muslim kings in Bangal. In

about 1340 he carried the banner of Islam to Chittagong and he built an embankment fromChandpur to Chittagong. During his reign mosques and tombs were built therein, some of

which are in ruin situation.8

When Ibne-Batutah visited Chittagong in about 1350, he

described it as a great place situated on the shore of the Great sea and he mentioned that itwas under the rule of Muslim King.9

This conquest of Chittagong by the Muslim king had taken place during the rule of the

Arakanese king Mingai (Minhti 1279-1374) of Launggyet dynasty, when he courted thealliance of the sultans of Bengal.

10Later on during the first decade of the 15

thcentury A.D.

one of his successors Narameikhla fled to Bengal when he was ousted by the Burmese and

however with the help of Bengal in 1430 he was reinstated as the vassal of the sultans ofGaur. From this time the Arakanese kings used Muslim titles and even their medallions

bore the Kalima, the Muslim confession of faith in Persian character.11

This custom was

compulsory for them as vassals, but they continued it though they regained theirindependence.12

At this time Chittagong was subject to the sultans of Bengal, which is proved by thediscovery of an inscription in a mosque of Hathazari, which shows that a mosque was

constructed in 1473 by Rasti Khan in honour of the saint Shah Ullah during Sultan Barbak

Shah's (1459-74) rule.13

The Bengal coins and Rasti Khans inscription of 878 A.H. (1459

A.D) also indicate that Chittagong was under Bengal kings.14

So it is not true that

Chittagong remained in the Arakanese hands for the next half century from the reign ofBasawpyu as stated by Phayre.

15Then the Tippera Raja Dhannya Manikya (1490-1517)

conquered Chittagong in 1512 by driving away the garrision of Hussain Shah of Gaur.16

But it is doubtful whether the Raja kept it for any time because in 1517 when John de

Silveira, a Phalaung (Feringhi-Portuguese) who eventually became the Portuguese

Governor of Ceylon visited Chittagong to effect a settlement for the Portuguese saw thatChittagong was held by the Arakanese king.

17It was reconquered by Hussain Shah's son

Nasiruddin Nasrat Shah (1518-1532) with the assistance of Alfa Hussaini of Baghdad, amerchant who frequently visited Chittagong. Nasrat Shah built a mosque and dug a tank atFathabad, another mosque at Hathazari, and the fortified town of Bhalua in commemorating

the conquest. The name of Fathabad was derived from the Arabic original word "Fatheh"

(victory). He proudly claimed that Chittagong became a darul-Islam (home of Islam).18

8. Chittagong Gazetteer, p-20&21.9. Ibid, p-2110.Ibid, p-21.11.Harvey; Outline of Burmese History, p-9212.Chittagong Gazetteer, p-21.13.Ibid, p-22.14.R.C. Majumdar; The Delhi Sultanate p.213.15.S.B. Qanungo; A History of Chittagong, vol:1, p.15116.Chittagong Gazetteer, p-22.17.Ibid, p-22.18.Ibid, p-22.


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After this the aggressive Feringhis came to Chittagong. They made their first attempt in

1517 in order to effect a Portuguese settlement in Chittagong. This attempt was fruitlessbecause the people of the country would have nothing to do with John de Silveira who was

denounced by the Bengalis as a pirate and a baffled treaty maker.19

Their 2nd

attempt made, after 10 years, in 1527 to enter the country by a vessel under thecommand of Alfonso de Mello, was equally fruitless for the ship was wrecked on the coast

of Chittagong. Some fishermen carried them off to Chakaria where they were kept asdetenus. They attempted to escape but in vain, and the natives revenged them by murdering

the nephew of Alfonso de Mello before his eyes.20

At last for their release a sum of money

had been paid by Khajah Shihabuddin, a Persian, one of the leading merchants atChittagong to obtain favour of Nuno de Cunha, the Portuguese Viceroy of Goa before

whom a suit about one of his ships captured by the Portuguese was kept pending. TheKhajah also promised to get permission for the Feringhis to build a fort at Chittagong.

21

Accepting this offer of the Khajah, the Viceroy in 1538 sent Alfonso de Mello with 200

Men in five ships to Chittagong with presents of brocades and horses for the king of Gaur,

Sultan Mahmud Shah (1532-1538), son of Nasrat Shah. Reaching Chittagong Alfonso sentan embassy to Gaur. The Sultan had imprisoned the embassy and Alfonso was seized with

30 of his men and sent to Gaur because the king suspected that the Poruguese had come tospy out the country, and he also discovered that the presents had been looted from an Arab

merchant by the Feringhi pirates.22

So to ransom the detenus in Gaur the Viceroy sent a

fleet of nine ships under Antonio de Silva Menzes who burnt Chittagong and other placeson the coast concluding that his messengers had been made captives. He then leftChittagong for Goa before Mahmud Shah's answer arrived. Hearing this unlawful act of

Menzes the king retained his prisoners and treated them with greater harshness than everbefore.23

When in 1538 Sher Khan, the Afghan chief in Bihar made war on him, Mahmud Shah

asked the Portuguese captives to help him in defending Gaur. Meanwhile the Viceroy of

Goa dispatched three ships under the charge of Rabelo to affect the release of the prisoners.The king secured their co-operation and sent them to oppose Sher Khan who had defeated

them though they fought very bravely. On the request made by Mahmud Shah for further

assistance Nuno de Cunha, the Goa Viceroy dispatched nine ships under Perez de Sampayowho, on arrival, found that Gaur was in Sher Khan's possession and Mahmud Shah was

killed24

in the same year (1538) by Sher Khan who became Emperor at Delhi with the title

of Sher Shah25 after driving Humayum, the Moghul Emperor in 1540.

19.Chittagong Gazetteer, p-22.20.Ibid, p-24.21.Ibid, p-24.22.Ibid, p-24.23.Ibid, p-25.24.Ibid, p-25.25.Ibid, p-25.


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After this the Afghan kings of Bengal lost Chittagong and the Arakanese regained it in1546. How they regained it is unknown. But there is no room for doubt that the

administration of Bengal under the Afghan sultans was interrupted by the quarrel of

Moghuls and Afghans, by the Moghul invasion, by the aggression of the Portuguese inBengal, by the Bengal military revolt,

26and by the declaration of Bengali zaminders for

independence in their own villages. During this period Eastern Bengal lay defenceless.

Having the opportunity of these troubles in Bengal the Arakanese king Minbin (Zabak Shahor Sultan) 1531-1553 occupied Chittagong in1546 and he held it in spite of raids made by

the Tippera Rajas while he was fighting against Tabinshweti (1531-1550) of Burma. At

Chittagong he issued coins which bore his name and styled him Sultan.27

The kings of

Recon28

(Arakan) firmly established their authority in Chittagong during the greater part ofthe 16

thcentury

29though they had continual wars with Tippera Rajas and they kept it until it

was finally annexed by the Moghul in 1666.During this period, doubtless, the people of the

two countries migrated from one country to the other, especially the Muslims migratedfrom the occupied territory to Arakan, as they had friendly relations with the Arakanese in

many respect.

Subsequently the Arakanese king granted lands in Chittagong and on the adjacent islands

to the Portuguese.30

Owing to Portuguese trade Chittagong became a commercial centre inthe end of the 16

thcentury and it was the most famous and wealthy city and between

Chittagong and Pegu there was much commerce in silver. Sandwip, one of the adjoining

islands of Chittagong was also a trade centre. It was densely populated and well-cultivated,

and it commanded the mouth of the Ganges delta. It was famous for its salt products and

200 ships were laden annually with salt.31

Its neighbourhood provided materials for

shipbuilding in such abundance that the Sultan of Constantinople found it cheaper to buildhis ships in Sandwip than in Alexandria.

32

26.Ibid, p-23.27.Harvey; Outline of Burmese History, p-92.28.Chittagong Gazetteer, p-23.Recon (Al-Recon) is an Arabic word means foundation of Islam. Arcan (Arakan) which was given

by Ibne-Batutah is a corruption of the word 'Al-Recon'. (M.K.Rahman's Burma Muslims, an article

published in the Rangoon University Muslim Students Association annual magazine 1952-53).

Burma was known to the Arabs as Arakan and Lower Burma. They named Arakan and Lower

Burma as Rahma. (Harvey; History of Burma, p-10). In respect of the word Rahma Sir Arthur Phayre

says, "These instances probably explain the name of Ruhmi, Rahma or Rahmaa given to a kingdom on

the sea coast of the Bay of Bengal by the Arabian voyagers in the 9th

and 10th

centuries of the Christian

era. It has been supposed to refer to Ramri in Arakan -----------------------------." (Phayre: History of

Burma, p-269).29.Phayre: History of Burma, p-172.30.Chittagong Gazetteer, p-26.31.Ibid, p-26.32.Ibid, p-26.


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At that time the Moghuls had established their administration in Upper India, and as theirterritorial expansion was rapid the Arakanese king Minbin who lived in perpetual fear of

the Moghuls employed a number of the Portuguese adventurers and runaways from thePortuguese settlements.

33Some of them were appointed in higher posts in the fleet due to

their superior seamanship and desperate courage to train and equip a mercenary army of

different races, foreign and domestic; and to turn Myauk-U, the then capital of Arakan intothe strongest fortified city of the Bay of Bengal with walls and deep moats filled with tidalwater; and to forge and mount his cannon. With their assistance he built a large fleet

manned with his own men under the guidance of the Portuguese mariners. In this way hebecame master of a powerful modern weapon. They waged war on the Moghul fleet, and

checked the progressive advance of the Moghul navy.34

The Arakanese king Min Pha Laung (Sekander Shah) 1571-1593 conquered the whole of

Chittagong district and several parts of Noakhali and Tippera.35

During his reign whenKhan Jahan, the general of the Moghul Emperor Akbar (1556-1605) had well established in

Western and Central Belgal by decapitating Daud Shah, the last king of Sher Shah's line of

Bengal, on the 10th

July 1576 many Pathans fled to Arakan where they had been

sheltered.35(a)

Though it was necessary for the Arakanese to employ the Portuguese in their fleets and had

given them grants of lands, they were soon angry with their piratical raids, and a breachoccurred between them and their dubious alliances

36because Philip de Brito who, in 1601,

had been appointed as the Governor of Syriam by Minyazagyi (Salim Shah I) 1593-1612

after the invasion of Pegu, betrayed and united with the Portuguese in Syriam; andoverthrowing the Arakanese from Syriam he became the king of Pegu. In1604 theArakanese prince named Minkhamaung attacked Syriam but he was defeated and taken

away as a captive. However he was released after paying a sum of Rs.50,000/-.37

The kingwanted to take revenge on De Brito. So he tied up in friendship with De Brito who in his

turn sent his son as ambassador at Myauk-U where in 1607 his son and his men were put todeath. De Brito could do nothing because he was engaged by Anaukpetlun Min (1605-28)

of Burma who occupied Syriam in 1613 and spiked him, and some of his followers were

killed while others including Muslims were enslaved and taken away to Shwebo where theywere resettled in villages known after them Bayingyi villages,

38but the Muslims were

resettled in Myedu, Pinya and Kanlu.

Minyazagyi also expelled the Portuguese from Chittagong and from the other lands given to

them and many of them were put to sword, but a number of them escaped to the islands at

the mouth of the Ganges. From that time Chittagong and the neighbourhood became the

33.Ibid, p-33 & 34.34.Ibid, p-25.35.J.N.Sarkar: Mugs and Feringhis in Bengal, " Prabashi", Feb: 1923, Part XXII; Vol: II, No.5.35.(a) Burma Muslims, p-113.

36.Chittagong Gazetteer, p-26.37.Prabashi, Part XXII; Vol: II, No.5.38.Harvey: Outline of Burmese History, p-115.


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notorious places of the Portuguese pirates.39

Therefore Fateh Khan, the Lord of Sandwip setto work to destroy the nest of pirates. In1607 he ordered all the Portugrese to evacuate the

islands. They turned a deaf ear. Fateh Khan, with a fleet, them set sail in pursuit of the

Portuguese who were at anchor off Dakhin Shahbazpur, but the superior seamanshipcounter-balanced the advantage of numbers and Fateh Khan was killed after a hard struggle

and his ships were captured.40

After this unexpected victory the Portuguese elected

Sebastian Gonzales Tibao a Portuguese runaway from Chittagong and a common sailor tobe their leader who in 1609 captured Sandwip where the Portuguese made their permanent

settlement. Having seized Shahbazpur and Patelganga Gonzales became undisputed master

of the sea.41

At that time Avaporan (Min Mangyi), younger son of Minyazagyi and the

Governor of Chittagong ran away from Chittagong and took shelter with Gonzales inSandwip when he was attacked by his elder brother Minkhamaung for taking an elephant of

Ceylon by force.42

In Sandwip he persuaded Gonzales to support his cause and help him in

attacking Arakan. They attacked Arakan, but the attack merely ended in a piratical raidbecause they were strongly opposed by the Arakanese. The prince was poisoned by

Gonzales who seized his wealth and married his sister.43

In 1610 Gonzales made a treaty with Minyazagyi giving his nephew as a hostage for

his good faith. He agreed to assist the king in invading Bengal, and to guard the rivers withtheir ships. He also handed over the widow of the prince whom the king married to theGovernor of Chittagong.

44The king encouraged the Portuguese to make raids westwards.

Now the power of Arakan was at its zenith for the Portuguese ceased to be its enemies. The

Portuguese and the Arakanese pirates found profitable employment in plundering the

lowlands of Bengal. The portion of Sundarbans and Saugar islands once densely populated

now had been deserted by the ravages of the Portuguese and the Arakanese pirates.45

Theycarried off the inhabitants, Hindus and Muslims, men and women, boys and girls of the

villages they plundered, on market days, and at times when the people gathered for thecelebration of a marriage or some other festival, with untold tortures as prisoners. And they

carried away their properties and they burnt whatever they could not remove. The

Portuguese sold their captives while the Arakanese employed them, with great disgrace andinsult, in tillage and hard services

46which could not be done by the Arakanese. As they for

a long time continued the practice of piracy their country prospered and their numberincreased while Bengal became more and more desolated, less and less able to resist andfight them. Not a single house was left on both sides of the rivers from Dacca to

Chittagong.47

39.Chittagong Gazetteer, p-26.40.Ibid, p-27.41.Ibid, p-27.42.Prabashi, Part XXII; Vol: II, No.5.43.Chittagong Gazetteer, p-27.44.Ibid, p-27.45.Ibid, p-28.46.Ibid, p-29.47. Ibid, p-30.


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At this juncture the Moghul Emperor Jahangir (1605-1628) found that it was necessary totransfer the capital of Bengal to Decca nearer the military operations. A strong fleet was

maintained in the Padma and Meghna rivers while his chiefs planted their colonies

throughout Eastern Bengal to meet the incursions of the disloyal Afghans and to check theirsecret plans with the Arakanese raiders. Kasim Khan and Azim Khan, the two Governors of

Bengal had been recalled in disgrace because they could not affect these measures and

failed to protect the frontiers of Bengal.

48

Islam Khan Mushadi (1608-1613), a diplomat,the new Governor of Bengal checked the power of the Arakanese chiefs. During his

administration Matak Rai, a rebellious Arakanese chief of Chittagong acknowledged

himself a vassal of the Moghul Emperor and made over his territory nominally at least to

the Governor of Bengal.49

But the Arakanese chief later bent on vigorous reprisals directedhis troops to ravage and to capture the whole coast up to the mouth of the Ganges, and he

appointed a number of Portuguese pirates with whose assistance he built a fleet large

enough to carry cannon. With the help of these Portuguese he then extended his raids up theGanges His general practice was to kill the men and take away the women and children of

the lands he raided.50

After the death of Islam Khan in 1613 his brother Kasim Khan (1613-1618) was appointed

as Governor of Bengal. During his rule there was disarrangement and slackness in thegovernment while the enemies were on the alert. Abdul Wahid, the head of Bhalua fortwent to Dacca to consult the Governor as he failed in obtaining the Governor's wish by

writing letters. In the meantime his son was fighting in Tippera. So there were no soldiers

and generals in Bhalua. Having this opportunity the Arakanese king Minkhamaung

(Hussain Shah) 1612-1622 marched to conquer Bhalua.51

Kasim Khan at once sent Wahid

to Bhalua and hehimself came to Khijipur. He instructed Abu Bakir, the general to sendhim soldiers from the boundaries of Rangamatti and Assam, and ordered him to come to

Dacca with ships. He also called all officers from all military outposts and sent them toBhalua to help Wahid whose heroic son also joined him after coming from Tippera. 52

On hearing the news that the Arakanese king crossed Barra Feni and Chota Feni with alarge number of soldiers consisted of Arakanese, Pegues and Portuguese Wahid, in fright,

left Bhalua which was easily occupied by the Arakanese who followed Wahid up toDakotia Khal. At this moment Kasim Khan sent a letter to Wahid instructing him to checkthe advance of the Arakanese and wait there for the arrival of Sheik Faid and Abdul Nabi

who were coming soon with many soldiers.53

During this time Gonzales betrayed and invited all the Arakanese captains of the fleet onboard his ship and murdered them all, and capturing the Arakanese ships sailed to Sandwipwhere he sold the surviving Arakanese into slavery in the open auction.

54A party of the

Portuguese brought these news to the Moghuls. Then a sudden tide of joy rose up in Wahid

48.Ibid, p-29.49.Ibid, p-29.50.Ibid, p-29.51.Prabashi, Part XXII; Vol: II, No.5.52.Ibid,53.Ibid 54. Ibid


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who settled to fight and in the next morning he mobilized his soldiers and advanced toBhalua where the Arakanese were spending their time in idle pleasures taking the Moghuls

to be coward for an attack. When Wahid and his soldiers rushed the Arakanese king and the

Arakanese armies left Bhalua. Then the Moghul reoccupied Bhalua and defeated theArakanese not once but several times,

55and pursued them up to the walls of Chittagong.

Wahid was honoured with the title of Shahad Khan.

In this expedition innumerale soldiers followed the Arakanese king, but less than 1000

survived who took refuge in the forest of Tippera; and 500 were captured and taken away

as slaves by the Moghuls. Seizing the opportunity of the weakness of the Arakanese the

Tippera Raja refused the suzerainty of the Arakanese king and rose up in arms against himand killed many chiefs and nobles. The king saved himself with great difficulty. Arriving at

Myauk-U, the capital of Arakan the king impaled Gonzales' nephew who was given as

hostage during the reign of Minyazagyi, and killed other Portuguese there.56

Therefore in 1615 Gonzales who never acknowledged the authority of the Portuguese

Viceroy at Goa now invited the Viceroy for the conquest of Arakan, offering his assistanceand an annual tribute. The Viceroy accepted the invitation and sent a fleet under Francis de

Menzes. So Gonzales became so bold that in the next year (1616) he plundered the coast ofArakan and Chittagong which was left unprotected due to the capture of the Arakanesenavy, and he even attacked Myauk-U. This expedition was defeated by the Arakanese king

with the help of the Dutch who hated the Portuguese. Francis was killed and Gonzales took

to his heels to Sandwip.57

This defeat proved the ruin of Gonzales. The Portuguese officers

with a number of pirates returned to Goa. His own followers disliked him because of his

cruel behaviour and abandoned him.58

In 1617 Minkhamaung invaded Sandwip, defeated Gonzales, and occupied other islandswhich became the stronghold of the Arakanese.59 Then the unfortunate Gonzales hid

himself and no further account of his subsequent activities is found anywhere. Meanwhile

the Moghul power of expansion of colonies became stronger and stronger. The Arakaneseking was thinking to pay back the ignominy of his first defeat at the hands of the Moghuls.

So he brought again the surviving Portuguese into his service with their fleet in stead ofdestroying them; and he also mobilized his own army and navy and accumulated warmaterials. The spies brought the news that the Moghul army had been dispatched to Assam

and other military outposts. Making a treaty with the Burmese king Anaukpetlun Min who

was his bitter enemy he advanced to Bhalua with his strongest and largest force. Kasim

Khan, the Governor of Bengal came again to Khijipur leaving a few soldiers in Dacca toprotect it. He sent Abdul Nabi with a force to enforce Wahid. Wahid's son and MirzaNuruddin checked the onrush of the Arakanese and defeated them. The Arakanese then

took shelter in a marsh, and later on they fled away to their country crossing the shallow

55.Ibid56.Ibid57.Chittagong Gazetteer, p-28.58.Ibid, p-28. 59. Ibid, p-28.


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part of the marsh while the king and his nephew (brother's son) Ba Maung (Ali Manik)were stuck in the deep part of the marsh.

60

At nightfall the Moghuls surrounded the marsh. Minkhamaung sent a messenger to Wahidto request him for making a way for him by the side of Wahid's division. The king also

promised to give him all his wealth and elephants. The next morning Wahid entered into

the marsh with a great pomp and he secretly made a way to the Arakanese king and hecaptured Ali Manik and the remaining soldiers.61

"How treacherous was Wahid! He could

easily capture the Arakanese king and conquer Arakan, and bring the white elephant for the

Delhi Emperor," says Sarkar.62

After this victory Kasim Khan sent Abdul Nabi to attack Chittagong but he was defeated. In

1618 Ibrahim Khan (1618-1622), the new Governor of Bengal attacked Chittagong. But on

account of unfavourable weather many soldiers died on the way and the surviving mencame back from their march.

63During the rule of Governor Khamzad Khan the Arakanese

and the Portuguese pirates entered into Dacca and set fire to the city. They plundered and

carried off the inhabitants of the city as prisoners.

64

Khamzad Khan then confined hisenergies to the defence of Dacca and the prevention of the coming of the pirate fleet to the

city. He stretched some iron chains across the river just below the city and set up somebamboo-bridges on the stream of the city.

65After this in 1638 and 1660 the Arakanese

piratical naval force came up to Dacca, but they could neither fight nor plunder as they

were driven back by the Moghuls.

To add to the tale of misdeeds of the Arakanese, Sandathudamma (1652-1684) , the king of

Arakan, in 1661, killed Shah Shujah, the second son of the Emperor Shah Jahan of Delhi,who came to Arakan as a refugee, after he had been defeated by his younger and abler

brother Aurangzeb in 1660, with his family, followers, and six camels loaded with gold andjewels which had never been seen in Arakan before. The king seized his wealth and

executed his family.66

Aurangzeb (1658-1707), the Emperor of Delhi, therefore, made up his mind to bring the

piracy of the Arakanese king to an end, and it was apparent that it would be unwise toneglect taking reprisals for the murder of Shah Shujah and his family because personalequation played an important part during the reign of the Moghuls.

67His maternal uncle

Shaista Khan, the viceroy of Bengal gathered a large and powerful fleet and a strong army.

The fleet was kept under the General Hussaing Beg who had been ordered to clear the

rivers of the pirates and drive them from their nests; and the army was put under thecommand of his son Buzrug Umaid Khan who was instructed to advance by land and to aid

the fleet.68

60.Prabashi, Part XXII, Vol: II, No. 5.61.Ibid62.Ibid63.Ibid64.Ibid65. Chittagong Gazetteer, p-30.66.Outline of Burmese History, p-95.67.Chittagong Gazetteer, p-31. 68. Ibid, p-31.


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After taking the forts of Jagdia and Alamgirnagar at the mouth of the Mghna River,Hussain Beg set sail for Sandwip. Several weeks were required to expel the Arakanese from

Sandwip where, as instructed, he waited for the arrival of the army under Buzrug UmaidKhan.

69At the same time he wrote to the Portuguese that they would be offered better terms

than they had from the Arakanese and a land also be granted to them for their permanent

settlement if they enter the Imperial Service. He also threatened that if they still supportedand assisted the Arakanese he would kill every one of them on the seizure of Chittagong.

70

The Portuguese then promised to desert Chittagong with their ships at the first opportunity.

But one of the Portuguese disclosed the secret negotiations to the Arakanese king whodetermined to put the Portuguese to sword. Fearing this Portuguese abandoned their

property and set sail for Sandwip where they were received by the Imperial General. He

selected the most efficient Portuguese to help him in the expedition against Arakan, and theremainder had been sent to the Viceroy at Dacca, who had given a place, for their

settlement, 12 miles below Dacca, still known as Feringhi Bazaar, where their descendantsare still found.

71

In the meantime the army under Umaid Khan reached the Feni River where the Arakanese

garrison opposed their crossing, but the appearance of the Moghul cavalry made the enemy

flee to Chittagong. At the same time Hussain Beg sailed from Sandwip and oppositeKumiria he was attacked by the Arakanese fleet, but with the aid of the Moghul artillery

under Umaid Khan he compelled the enemy to retreat.72

Then the united forces advanced to Chittagong and seized it in 1666 although it was well-

fortified and defended by a number of cannons. They released a number of war prisonersthere. The Moghul cavalry pursued the retreating Arakanese, 2000 of who were seized andsold into slavery. The escaped Arakanese garrison who tried to proceed home were attacked

by the Muslims of Bengal. The Moghuls found 1233 cannons and a quantity of stores butthey were disappointed because the expected treasure had not been found there.73 After the

occupation of Chittagong an expedition was sent to the fortified town of Ramu which theyreached after 12 days march across the difficult roads, thick forests, and dreadful rivers. By

storm it was quickly taken, and as at Chittagong the Moghuls released the war prisoners;74

and they captured a part of Arakan.75

When Ramu, the last fortification of the Arakanese in Northwest frontier had fallen to the

hand of the Moghuls the Arakanese were running for their lives from north to south for fearof the Moghuls who were coming hot foot on their (Arakanese) trail, and as such Northern

Arakan became a deserted land and there is no room for ambiguity that a large number of

Muslims entered the depopulated land and settled in villages.

69. Ibid, p-31.

70. Ibid, p-32.

71. Ibid, p-32.

72. Ibid, p-32.

73. Ibid, p-32.

74. Ibid, p-33.

75. The Nation Daily dated 27th

October, 1960. Shaukat Ali Fahni: Mukamal Tarikhul Islam, p.965


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Umaid Khan changed the name of Chittagong to Islamabad and annexed it to the provinceof Bengal and a powerful garrison was kept there to defend it from the attacks of the

Arakanese.76

He also built the Jame Masjid (Congregational Mosque), one of the most

interesting buildings, on the hill at Andarkila (within the fort) in Chittagong.77

The conquest of Chittagong by the Moguls was a great pleasure in Bengal; but it was

a terrible and a final blow to the power and prosperity of the Arakanese as the profits ofpiracy had gone. The Arakanese continued their sea raids and a land force was sent to

recover the possession of Chittagong, but it was easily driven back by the Moghuls,78

and

they never regained it even Ramu.79

After the loss of Chittagong the territory of the

Arakanese kingdom was reduced to the present districts of Mayu, Akyab, Kyaukpyu andSandoway. The areas in Lower Burma which had been conquered by Minyazagyi had all

gone to the Burmese. Arakan was now confined to its natural boundaries and was no bigger

than it had been 250 years previously at the time when it was the vassal of the Sultans ofBengal. The stage of development in the Arakanese history which began with Minbin was

now over.

This conquest was also the final blow which broke the power of the Portuguese in

Chittagong, and they became mere dependants of the Moghuls. Shaista Khan did not treatthem well and did not give any pay declaring that they were traitors because they had

basely betrayed the king whose salt they had eaten for many years; and later on they wereexpelled from the Imperial Service. In this manner Shaiata Khan broke the power of the

Portuguese who once made repeated depredations on the Lower Bengal which was

formerly thickly populated, now entirely depopulated and became the desolate lairs oftigers and other wild beasts.

80

Then came the troubles of the British who had long before attempted to get possession of

Chittagong showing the reason that for many years the Moghul Governor of Bengal hadoppressed the servants of the East India Company and their trade was crippled by theGovernor's exactions. At last they determined to retaliate their injuries and reimburse for

their lost privileges.81

So in 1686 an expedition was sent out for its capture. The expedition

was consisting of 10 war ships under the command of Admiral Nicholson who wasinstructed to deliver an ultimatum to the Governor of Bengal at Dacca after arriving at

Balasore; and if no satisfactory reply was received from the Nawab (Governor) he shouldset sail for Chittagong and seize it.

82But this expedition did not bear any fruit because the

fleet scattered on the way and instead of sailing for chittagong Nicholson entered Hughli

where he was defeated by the Moghuls who forced the English to abandon the factory

there.83

76. Chittagong Gazetteer, p-32.

77. Ibid, p-177.

78. Ibid, p-188

79. Outline of Burmese History, p-96.

80. Chittagong Gazetteer, p-34.

81, 82, 83, Ibid , p-37.


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The Company's Court of Directors did not give up the idea of seizing Chittagong and in

1688 they sent Heath with a fleet of 10 ships to capture it. When he arrived in Bengal he

offered to assist Bahadur Shah, the new Nawab of Bengal in an invasion of Arakan84

andthen he set sail to storm Balasore. In January 1689 he arrived at Chittagong with 300 men.

He found that Chittagong was defended by 10,000 Moghul soldiers. His council of war

declined to attack it, but they were in favour of the conquest of Arakan.

85

He wasted amonth in fruitless negotiations with the Court of Directors of the Company. Then he

changed his direction to Arakan where he offered his services to the Arakanese king who

declined to accept his offer, and a large number of his soldiers were destroyed by scurvy.

So he decided to abandon the undertaking and hurriedly sailed for Madras.86

This was the last fruitless English expedition against Chittagong which remained in the

possession of the Moghuls till October 1760 when it was peacefully given up to the EastIndia Company by a sanad (agreement) dated the 15

thOctober, 1760 under the seal of Mir

Kasim Ali Khan87

who was appointed in 1760 as the Nawab of Bengal in place of his

father-in-law Mir Jafar Khan who had been deposed from the governorship of Bengal in thesame year. The sanad stated that the thana of Islamabad (Chittagong) was granted to the

East India Company for the maintenance of an army which the company agreed to keepthere for the protection of the Royal dominions.

88The sanad was renewed by Mir Jafar

Khan in 1763 when he was reinstated on the governorship of Bengal, which was confirmed

in 1765 by a farman (order) from Shah Alam(1759-1806), the Emperor of Delhi.89

Chittagong was held by the British till 14th

August, 1947 when it was handed over to

Pakistan.

84, Chittagong Gazetteer, Ibid, p-36.

85. Ibid, p-36.

86, 87, 88, 89, Ibid , p-37.

THE END

(Akyab, the 13th

September, 1969.)


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