Shah Shuja (Mughal)

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Shah Shuja (Mughal) bigraphy, stories - Prince of the Mughal Empire/Governor of Bengal

Shah Shuja (Mughal) : biography

June 23, 1616 – 1660

Shah Shuja (June 23, 1616 – 1660) was the second son of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan and empress Mumtaz Mahal.

Governor of Bengal

Shuja was appointed by Shah Jahan as the Subahdar of Bengal from 1639 until 1660 . During his governorship, he built the official residence Bara Katra in the capital Dhaka. After the illness of Shah Jahan a power crisis occurred among the brothers. Aurangzeb ascended the throne and sent Mir Jumla to subjugate Shuja. Shuja was defeated in the Battle of Khajwa on January 5, 1658. He retreated first to Tandah and then to Dhaka on April 12, 1660. He left Dhaka on May 6 and boarded ships near present day Bhulua on May 12 heading Arakan.

Mir Jumla reached Dhaka on 9 May 1660 and was then appointed by Aurangzeb as the next Subahdar of Bengal.

Construction projects in Dhaka

1870 Photograph of Bara Katra.jpg|Bara Katra 1131.jpg|Dhanmondi Eidgah Old hussaini dalan.jpg|Hussaini Dalan

Fleeing to Manipur

On the breach of trust by Arakan king Sanda Thudhamma, Shuja fled back to Tripura whose king quickly dispatched Shuja to Manipur in 1661 so that it might not antagonize the military force of Aurangzeb led by Mir Jumla II. The Mughals lately came to know of the situation but Shuja was already gone. Shah Shuja reached Manipur in December 1661 according to Cheitharol Kumbaba.Cheitharol Kumbaba, p.45. The Mughals sent a three men embassy to Manipur in late December 1661, this time to retrieve the aggrieved family of Shuja.A. Hakim Shah, 2008, The Manipur Governance. At that time Shuja was taking shelter in at Haignang of Kairang (east of Imphal), now known as Shuja-lok (Shuja cave).

Mughals enthroned Chhatra Manikya (ruling 1661-66) in Tripura while Govinda Manikya too fled to Arakan where he again met Shuja.Roychoudury, p. 29:(According to traditions in Tripura, Govinda Manikya after losing throne to Nakshatra Roy, fled to Arakan where he met Shah Shuja whom he presented a precious sword and a diamond, and thus friendship was established). In the meantime in Tripura, Chhatra Manikya was too dethroned and Govinda Manikya came back from Arakan to claim the throne and ruled Tripura again from 1667 to 1675.N.R. Roychoudhury, Tripura Through The Ages. The Manipur king Khunjaoba sent back a three man embassy to the court of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in 1662.A. Hakim Shah, 2008, The Manipur Governance A Mughal ambassador, Nur Beg, was held back in Manipur by the Qazi of Manipur, Muhammad Sani. It was done so that the retreating two Mughal commanders named Dur Beg and Rustam Beg should tell about Shuja’s existence in Manipur.Names of Mughal ambassadors can be known from P. Gogoi, 1961, The Tai and Tai Kingdoms who gave Dur Beg and Rustam; Kheiruddin Khullakpam, 1997, Turko-Afghangi Chada Naoda, Lilong: Circles, gives the Boggy clan ancestor as Noor Bakhsh that must be Noor Beg. Yet, Shuja was sent up to Ukhrul hill with some Muslims (already settled in Manipur) as precautionary measure from Mughal informers. Thus Tripura and Manipur kings played crucial roles in saving the life of Shah Shuja and his family.

Asylum in Arakan

En route to Arakan

Shuja left Tandah with his family and retinue in the afternoon of 6 April 1660 and reached Dhaka on 12 April. He left Dhaka on 6 May and boarded the Arakanese ships on 12 May at Bhulua (near present-day Noakhali, Bangladesh). He carried two vessels of gold and silver, jewel, treasures and other royal appendages to Arakan. Shuja first arrived at Chittagong and stayed for some time, from where he took the land route to Arakan which is still called Shuja Road. Thousand palanquins (carriers) carried the harem ladies and Shuja prayed Eid prayer at a place Edgoung (Eidgah) in Dulahzara which is still in Chittagong on the way to Arakan. Shuja undertook the land journey for 13 days and 13 nights with a troubled mind on the eastern bank of Naf River, half a mile north of Maungdaw town which is still known as Shuja village. Some of Shuja’s retinues there were later retained by the British army as archers army since 1826.