Indian Antiquary Vol 51

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarkar
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 194

186
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
I OCTOBER, 1922
negoct such a precaution and he set to work to gain possession of the country, building inci. dentally a fortress which he named after his Bihar stronghold of Rohtas. But he could not complete his design, because Khizr Khan, his Governor in Bengal, showed obvious signs of claiming independence, and had married the daughter of the dispossessed Mahmud Shah, whose influence was by no means dead there. So Sher Shâh made one of his rapid surprise journeys in force from the northern Panjab to Gaur, arriving in March after a journey of about two months, and dealt effectively with Khizr Khân.
Bengal, owing to its distance from the Mughal centre, had always been under practically independent Governors, and nothing beyond an occasional gift, extorted or given out of friendship, had ever reached Delhi from the outlying province by way of imperial revenue. But Sher Shâh in his own inimitable manner, in the words of Professor Qanungo, "changed the military character of the provincial administration and substituted a completely new mechanism, at once original in principle and efficient in working." He proceeded to reduce its unwieldy size by splitting it up into several smaller governorships, mutually independent and all appointed directly by him-hence the 19 sarkárs of the Ain-Akbarf. And over them all he put an Amin-i-Bengala, a sort of referee in all local difficulties, but without executive authority. The system stopped rebellion, secured uniformity of administration so far as that was possible, and prevented Bengal from troubling Sher Shâh thereafter.
After settling Bengal, Sher Shâh had, in 1542, to turn his attention to Malwå in Central India, as an independent Malwå meant a serious menace to any power ruling from Delhi or Agra. It had come under Musalman rule in the days of the Mamlak or “Slave" King. Altamish (1234 A.D.), and thence through the Tughlaqs. After the sack of Delhi by Timur (1398 A.D.), it became independent under Turkî rulers of Ghori and Khilji origin until it reverted to Rajput rule under Rånå Sangå of Mêwår for a short time, till Bâbur overthrew him at the great battle of Kanwâ in 1527, only to place it under the dominance of Bahadur Shah of Gujarat. On his death in 1637 most of it passed under the sway of Mallu Khân, a local noble, as Qâdir Shah, one part of it under a Rajpat chief, Paran Mal Chauhan of Raisin, and another portion across the Narmadå under Mu'ayyin Khân of Hindiâ. All these chiefs had been hostile to Sher Shah for a long while. The situation was therefore specially dangerous for him in view of Humayun's presence in their comparative neighbourhood.
Sher Shah no doubt had old scores to settle with all the Malwa chiefs, and probably was not sorry to take action against them. But we need not follow the chroniclers in laying stress on this aspect of the question, as the political conditions were obviously cause enough for go astute a man. This is shown in his despatch of Shuja'at Khân, his Governor in Bihar. immediately after his victory at Bilgram in 1540, to take possession of Gwalior, so as to secure the southern frontiers of Delhi. This serious quest took Shuja'at Khân nearly two years to accomplish, just in time for Sher Shâh to start for Malwa in 1542. Päran Mal of Raisin submitted without trouble and was left in subordinate possession of his territory. Qâdir Shah also came in to submit, was well received and was offered the Sarkar of Gaur in exchange for Malwa, a policy in treating dethroned sovereigns which was copied by Akbar with success. This caused Qadir Shah to fly to Gujarat. Mu'ayyin Khân of Hindia also submitted voluntarily, but was under suspicion nevertheless, and his territory was annexed. Thus Sher Shah came into peaceful possession of Mâlwê and returned to Agra, but his lieutenante had to fight to retain it, before Qadir Shah and his allies were finally defeated under Shuja'at Khân and Haji Khân, Jâgîrdâr of Dhår, the latter being rewarded for his services by the Governorship of Malwâ from Mánda.