Baharistan-i-Ghaibi
Encyclopedia
The Baharistan-i-Ghaibi, written by Mirza Nathan, is a 17th century chronicle
on the history of Bengal
, Cooch Behar
, Assam
and Bihar
under the reign of Mughal emperor Jahangir
(1605-1627).
Unlike other histories of the Mughal Empire
, written by court historians by order of the emperor and covering the history of the whole empire, the Baharistan-i-Ghaibi deals only with the affairs of Bengal and the adjoining area.
of the Mughal fleet in 1608 along with Islam Khan Chisti. Serving in the Mughal army in Bengal, he witnessed most of the region's political events and common life, and wrote from personal observation. He took part in battles against Khwaja Usman and Pratapaditya during the viceroyalty of Islam Khan, but during the later period he was engaged in the warfare in Kamarupa.
When the prince Shahjahan revolted against his father Jahangir and came to Bengal, Mirza Nathan joined him and helped in his war operations, but when the prince left Bengal for the Deccan, Mirza Nathan went into hiding and was not heard of anymore. Believed to be living a retired life, he dopted the pseudonym of Ghaibi (Invisible). Mirza Nathan's eye-witness accounts have provided detailed and lucid accounts of the Mughal conquest of Kamarupa, Kachhar and Assam. The accounts of the several Magh invasions of the Mughal territory of Bhulua and the several Mughal invasions to Chittagong
are found in greater details in the Bharistan; the Arakan
ese and the Portuguese
sources give only a short account.
, France
. Sir Jadunath wrote several articles in English
and Bengali
journals, bringing the manuscript to scholarly attention. The University of Dhaka
procured a photograph copy of the book and M. I. Borah, the then professor of Persian
, translated it into English. The Government of Assam published it in 1936; the book consists of two large volumes of about a thousand printed pages. The English translation of Borah is very scholarly with copious notes of technical terms and geographical places. The book is divided into sub-sections called daftars. The first daftar is the Islamnama account of the generalship of Islam Khan, while the second daftari documents the generalship of Qasim Khan Chisti; the Ibrahimnama documents the generalship of Ibrahim Khan Fath-i-Jang, and the last daftar deals with the rebellion of Shahjahan that usurped control of the Bengal region, and is called the Waqiat-i-Jahanshahi. Mirza Nathan gives only four complete dates in the whole book, three of which are negated by his own narrative. However, references to the Muslim months of Ramadan
, Id
, Muharram
and other festivals help ascertain the chronology of events accurately. Scholars have ascertained that the first two daftars were completed before 1632 and the last two were completed before 1641.
, the official memoirs of the emperor only briefly mention a few events in Bengal. Mirza Nathan's account follows the campaigns of Islam Khan, as well as the conquest of Kamarupa, Tippera, Kachhar, Assam and Chittagong in lucid and copious details, including full accounts of the battles, the political situation and socio-economic life and conditions of the region during Jahangir's time. The book names and describes the regional political and military leaders and warriors who played instrumental roles in the events of the era.
Chronicle
Generally a chronicle is a historical account of facts and events ranged in chronological order, as in a time line. Typically, equal weight is given for historically important events and local events, the purpose being the recording of events that occurred, seen from the perspective of the...
on the history of Bengal
History of Bengal
The history of Bengal includes modern day Bangladesh and West Bengal, dates back four millennia. To some extent, the Ganges and the Brahmaputra rivers separated it from the mainland of India, though at times, Bengal has played an important role in the history of India.- Etymology :The exact origin...
, Cooch Behar
Cooch Behar
Cooch Behar is the district headquarters and the largest city of Cooch Behar District in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is situated in the foothills of the Eastern Himalayas and located at . Cooch Behar is the only planned town in North Bengal region with remnants of royal heritage...
, Assam
Assam
Assam , also, rarely, Assam Valley and formerly the Assam Province , is a northeastern state of India and is one of the most culturally and geographically distinct regions of the country...
and Bihar
Bihar
Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....
under the reign of Mughal emperor Jahangir
Jahangir
Jahangir was the ruler of the Mughal Empire from 1605 until his death. The name Jahangir is from Persian جهانگیر,meaning "Conqueror of the World"...
(1605-1627).
Unlike other histories of the Mughal Empire
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
, written by court historians by order of the emperor and covering the history of the whole empire, the Baharistan-i-Ghaibi deals only with the affairs of Bengal and the adjoining area.
Mirza Nathan
Alauddin Isfahan, alias Mirza Nathan, was awarded the title of Shitab Khan by Jahangir. His father Malik Ali, later entitled Ihtimam Khan, came to Bengal as Mir Bahr, serving as admiralAdmiral
Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
of the Mughal fleet in 1608 along with Islam Khan Chisti. Serving in the Mughal army in Bengal, he witnessed most of the region's political events and common life, and wrote from personal observation. He took part in battles against Khwaja Usman and Pratapaditya during the viceroyalty of Islam Khan, but during the later period he was engaged in the warfare in Kamarupa.
When the prince Shahjahan revolted against his father Jahangir and came to Bengal, Mirza Nathan joined him and helped in his war operations, but when the prince left Bengal for the Deccan, Mirza Nathan went into hiding and was not heard of anymore. Believed to be living a retired life, he dopted the pseudonym of Ghaibi (Invisible). Mirza Nathan's eye-witness accounts have provided detailed and lucid accounts of the Mughal conquest of Kamarupa, Kachhar and Assam. The accounts of the several Magh invasions of the Mughal territory of Bhulua and the several Mughal invasions to Chittagong
Chittagong
Chittagong ) is a city in southeastern Bangladesh and the capital of an eponymous district and division. Built on the banks of the Karnaphuli River, the city is home to Bangladesh's busiest seaport and has a population of over 4.5 million, making it the second largest city in the country.A trading...
are found in greater details in the Bharistan; the Arakan
Rakhine State
Rakhine State is a Burmese state. Situated on the western coast, it is bordered by Chin State in the north, Magway Region, Bago Region and Ayeyarwady Region in the east, the Bay of Bengal to the west, and the Chittagong Division of Bangladesh to the northwest. It is located approximately between...
ese and the Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
sources give only a short account.
Organisation
The Baharistan-i-Ghaibi was lost for a long time until its discovery by Sir Jadunath Sarkar in the national library in ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Sir Jadunath wrote several articles in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and Bengali
Bengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
journals, bringing the manuscript to scholarly attention. The University of Dhaka
University of Dhaka
The University of Dhaka is the oldest university in Bangladesh. It is a multi-disciplinary research university and is among the top universities in the region. Established on July 21, 1921, as per the Government of India Act, 1920, it was modelled on the Universities in England and soon gained...
procured a photograph copy of the book and M. I. Borah, the then professor of Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
, translated it into English. The Government of Assam published it in 1936; the book consists of two large volumes of about a thousand printed pages. The English translation of Borah is very scholarly with copious notes of technical terms and geographical places. The book is divided into sub-sections called daftars. The first daftar is the Islamnama account of the generalship of Islam Khan, while the second daftari documents the generalship of Qasim Khan Chisti; the Ibrahimnama documents the generalship of Ibrahim Khan Fath-i-Jang, and the last daftar deals with the rebellion of Shahjahan that usurped control of the Bengal region, and is called the Waqiat-i-Jahanshahi. Mirza Nathan gives only four complete dates in the whole book, three of which are negated by his own narrative. However, references to the Muslim months of Ramadan
Ramadan
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, which lasts 29 or 30 days. It is the Islamic month of fasting, in which participating Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, smoking and sex during daylight hours and is intended to teach Muslims about patience, spirituality, humility and...
, Id
Eid ul-Fitr
Eid ul-Fitr, Eid al-Fitr, Id-ul-Fitr, or Id al-Fitr , often abbreviated to Eid, is a Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting . Eid is an Arabic word meaning "festivity," while Fiṭr means "breaking the fast"...
, Muharram
Muharram
Muharram is the first month of the Islamic calendar. It is one of the four sacred months of the year in which fighting is prohibited...
and other festivals help ascertain the chronology of events accurately. Scholars have ascertained that the first two daftars were completed before 1632 and the last two were completed before 1641.
Accounts
The Baharistan-i-Ghaibi is a unique and extensively documented source of the history of contemporary Bengal, Bihar and Assam and the Mughal subjugation of the region. The only other source of the time Tuzk-e-JahangiriTuzk-e-Jahangiri
Tuzk-e-Jahangiri or Tuzk-i-Jahangiri is the autobiography of Mughal Emperor Nor-u-Din Muhammad Jahangir . Also referred to as Jahangirnama , Tuzk-e-Jahangiri is written in Persian, and follows the tradition of his great-grandfather, Babur , who had written the Baburnama; though Jahangir went a...
, the official memoirs of the emperor only briefly mention a few events in Bengal. Mirza Nathan's account follows the campaigns of Islam Khan, as well as the conquest of Kamarupa, Tippera, Kachhar, Assam and Chittagong in lucid and copious details, including full accounts of the battles, the political situation and socio-economic life and conditions of the region during Jahangir's time. The book names and describes the regional political and military leaders and warriors who played instrumental roles in the events of the era.
See also
- History of BengalHistory of BengalThe history of Bengal includes modern day Bangladesh and West Bengal, dates back four millennia. To some extent, the Ganges and the Brahmaputra rivers separated it from the mainland of India, though at times, Bengal has played an important role in the history of India.- Etymology :The exact origin...
- Mughal EmpireMughal EmpireThe Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
- History of BangladeshHistory of BangladeshThe history of Bangladesh as a nation state began in 1971, when it seceded from Pakistan. Prior to the creation of Pakistan in 1947, modern-day Bangladesh was part of ancient, classical, medieval and colonial India....
- JahangirJahangirJahangir was the ruler of the Mughal Empire from 1605 until his death. The name Jahangir is from Persian جهانگیر,meaning "Conqueror of the World"...
- Islam in BangladeshIslam in BangladeshIslam is the largest religion of Bangladesh, the Muslim population is approximately 148.6 million, which is the third largest Muslim population in the world, constituting 90.4% of the total population as of 2010. Religion has always been a strong part of identity, but this has varied at different...
- Islam in IndiaIslam in IndiaIslam is the second-most practiced religion in the Republic of India after Hinduism, with more than 13.4% of the country's population ....