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LURE - THRU THE AGES
Eternal India
encyclopedia
SHER SHAH SURI 1540-1557A.D.
Overview
Babur's victory at Panipat and Goghra
did not result in the complete elimination of
the Afghan chiefs. They were burning with
discontent against the newly founded
Mughul empire and only needed the guid-
ance of one strong personality to coalesce
their isolated efforts into an organised na-
tional resistance against it. Tftis they got in
Sherkhan Suri, who effected the revival of
the Afghan power and established a glori-
ous, though short, regime in India by ousting
the newly established Mughal authority.
Chronology
* Shershah Suri (1540-45)
* Islam Shah
(son of Shershah Suri)
(1545-54)
* Muhammadsuri Adil (1553-57)
Shershah Suri
(b.l472-d,1545) : reigned 1540-45)
His original name was Farid. Farid's
grandfather and father migrated from Rah
and served several Afghan nobles at the
courts of Bahlul and Sikander Lodi. Farid
was born in Bahlul's reign. Farid acquired
an excellent literary education at Jaunpur
through his own efforts. His career began
with the administration of his father's Jagir
at Sasaram in south Bihar. There he put his
theoretical knowledge to practical use by
establishing a clear understanding between
the peasants and the village chiefs. The
area prospered to the great satisfaction of
Farid and his father, Hassan, but his step-
mother's jealousy forced Farid to seek an-
other avenue of employment.
In 1522 he got into the service of Bahar
Khan Lahani, the independent ruler of Bihar,
whose
favour
he
soon
secured
by
discharging
his
duties
honestly
and
assiduously. His master conferred on him
the title of
Sherkhan
for his having shown
gallantry by killing a tiger single-handed.
He was soon appointed as his master's
deputy and tutor of his minor son, Jalalkhan.
Meanwhile his enemies poisoned his
master's mind against him, and he was once
more deprived of his father's Jagir which he
had acquired on the death of his father. He
now joined Babur's camp, where he • re-
mained from April 1527 to June 1528. In
return for the valuable services he rendered
to Babur in his eastern campaigns, the latter
restored Sasaram to him.
He came back to Bihar to become once
again its deputy governor and guardian of
his former pupil, Jalal Khan. While the minor
king remained as the nominal ruler of Bihar,
Sher became the virtual head of its govern-
ment. His diplomacy and military skill made
him the ruler of the region from Chunar to
Patna. Many Afghan leaders had meanwhile
joined him. In 1536 he invaded Bengal, whose
ruler Mahmud Shah promptly concluded a
peace treaty with him by paying him a huge
sum in indemnity.
In 1539 Sherkhan and his Afghan fol-
lowers defeated the army of Mughal em-
peror Humayun at Chausa, near Buxar.
Most of the Mughal soldiers were drowned
or captured, and the life of Humayun was
saved by a water carrier who carried him on
his water skin across the Ganges, into
which he had recklessly jumped.
In the next year, Humayun suffered an
even greater defeat at Kanauj at the hands
of Sherkhan and he just managed to escape
and later fled to Iran.
By now Sherkhan was the defacto ruler
of the territories extending from Kanauj in
the west to the hills of Assam and Chittag-
ong in the east and from the Himalayas in
the north to the hills of Jharkhand and the
Bay of Bengal in the south. He now as-
sumed the royal title
Sher Shah.
In 1541 the governor of Bengal rebelled
against Sher Shah. The rebellion was put
down and the governor imprisoned to pre-
vent any future rebellion. No governor was
appointed. In 1543 Sher Shah marched
against the Rajput ruler Puran Mai of Raisin
in central India. The Rajputs were defeated.
In 1544 Sher Shah led an expedition
against Maldev, the Rajput ruler of Malwa.
Shershah won a victory.
In 1545 Sher Shah marched to besiege
the fort of Kalingar. He succeeded in cap-
turing the fort but died from an accidental
explosion of gunpowder on 22nd May 1545.
Administration
*
Sher Shah was the architect of a brilliant
administrative system. His government
was a highly centralised system with
real power concentrated in the hands of
the king.
*
For the sake of administration, he di-
vided his empire into 47 units. His land
revenue reforms are unique in the his-
tory of India. He settled the land reve-
nue direct with the cultivators, the state
demand being fixed at one fourth or one
third of the average produce, payable
either in kind or in cash, the latter being
preferred. He instructed the revenue
officials iu show ieniency at the time of
assessment and to be strict at the time
ot collection of revenues.
*
Sher Shah connected the important
places of his kingdom by a chain of well-
built roads. The longest of these, the
Grand Truak road, which still survives,
extended for 1,500 kms from Sonargaon
in eastern Bengal to the Indus. One road
ran from Agra to Burhanpur, another
from Agra to Jodhpur and the fort of
Chittor, and a fourth from Lahore to Mul-
tan.
*
To secure peace and order, the police
system was reorganised and in the dis-
pensation of justice, no distinction was
made between the high and the low.
*
Though a pious Muslim, his treatment
of Hindus was tolerant and just. He em-
ployed Hindus in important offices of
the state, one of his fort generals being
Brahmjit Gaur.
Estimate of Sher Shah
*
By virtue of merit and ability he rose
from a very humble position to be the
leader of the Afghan revival.
*
He was one of the great rulers of India.
He was pious in his life and was re-
sponsible for restoring the wives of Hu-
mayun after their capture at Chausa.
*
His military character was a
"rare com-
bination of caution and enterprise".
*
By dint of indefatigable industry and
personal attention to the smallest de-
tails of administration, he restored law
and order throughout Hindustan in the
short span of 5 years.
*
His excellent taste in architecture is well
attested, even today by his noble mauso-
leum at Sasaram.