HistoryFacts : “The Tiger of Sundarban”

The following chapter hasbeen taken from the historical accounts of :
▪︎Eaton, Richard. 2009. Forest clearing and the growth of Islam in Bengal. 375-389 Islam in South Asia in Practice edited by Barbara D. Metcalf, Princeton. Princeton University Press.
▪︎Ali, Momammad. 1979. Pun̐thi Sāhitye Baṅga Jayer Itihās o Gājī-Kālu-Campābatī [History of the Conquest of Bengal in Chapbook Literature and Gaji-Kalu-Champabati].. Bāgurā. Bāgurā Jelā Pariṣad
▪︎Anooshahr, Ali. 2008. The Ghazi Sultans and the Frontiers of Islam: A Comparative Study of the Late Medieval and Early Modern Periods. New York. Routledge 10.4324/9780203886656
▪︎Chattopadhyaya, Brajadulal. 2003. Studying Early India: Archeology, Texts and Historical Issues. New Delhi. Permanent Black.
▪︎”Dakshin-Ray”. nationalmuseumindia.gov.in. Retrieved December 25, 2017.
▪︎Eaton, Richard. 1993. The Rise of Islam and the Bengal Frontier, 1204–1760. Berkeley. University of California Press.

● In 1294 CE, the Nawab of #DelhiSultanate Jalal-ud-din-Firuz Khilji of the invading Turkic #KhiljiDynasty ordered his commander Zafar Khan Ghazi to capture Sundarban. Zafar Khan Ghazi along with his son Bara Khan Ghazi invaded Bengal, captured some territory neighbouring #Sundarban & started mass killings & forced conversions of the native population. When the invading Turk forces reached Shaktigarh, Maharaja Dakshin Ray of Bhati Bengal Kingdom defeated them in the Battle of Khaniya. In the ensuing battle, Zafar Khan Ghazi was beheaded by the Bengal-Chakma Army & Bara Khan Ghazi was made a prisoner.
Now, Zafar Khan Ghazi & his son Bara Khan Ghazi are referred to as Martyrs of Islam. Bara Khan Ghazi got the title ‘Shaheed Barkhan Gaji Shaheb’ & Zafar Khan Ghazi’s tomb still exist on the ruins of a Vishnu Temple in Tribeni, #WestBengal, India. Whereas, Maharaja Dakshin Ray’s legacy hasbeen erased from the history books of the Indian Subcontinent. However, still few small temples of Sundarban in India & Bangladesh have preserved Dakshin Ray’s statue as a sacred deity.