| Isa Khan | |
|---|---|
| Leader of Bara-Bhuiyans of Bengal | |
| The ruins of the Isa Khan's ancient capital at Sonargaon, this building in particular was called Bara Sardar Bari | |
| Reign | 1576–1599 |
| Successor | Musa Khan |
| Issue | |
| Musa Khan | |
| Father | Sulaiman Khan |
| Born | c. 1529 |
| Died | 1599 (age 70) |
| Religion | Sunni Islam |
Isa Khan (Bangla: ঈসা খাঁ; 1529 – 1599) is the most famous of the Baro Bhuiyans (twelve landlords) of medieval Bengal. He was the ruler of a region named Bhati. Throughout his reign he put resistance against Mughal invasion. It was only after his death, when the region went totally under Mughals.
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It is estimated that he was born in 1529. His father Sulaiman Khan was a descendant of an Afghan chieftain of the region of the Sulayman ranges in Afghanistan. He settled in Bengal in the reign of Nusrat Shah, the independent Sultan from Hussain Shahi dynasty, and carved out an independent principality in the Bhati region comprising the northeastern portion of greater Dhaka district and the southeastern portion of greater Mymensingh district. Sulaiman, who rebelled against Islam Shah Suri at least twice, was killed in 1548. Isa was then about 19 years old. After his father's death Isa was brought up by his paternal uncle, Qutubuddin. He spent his childhood and youth in Bhati.
It was because of the good grace of Taj Khan Karrani, the Karrani Afghan ruler, that Isa obtained an estate in Sonargaon and Maheswardi Pargana in 1564 at the age of about 35 as a vassal of the Karrani rulers of Bengal. By winning the favour of the Karrani rulers he gradually increased his strength and status and by 1571 became so powerful that a Mughal historian, Abul Fazl, designated him as the ruler of Bhati. In 1573 Isa Khan helped Daud Khan Karrani in his expedition to Chittagong against Udaya Manikya, the king of Tripura. He also helped his mentor in driving out the Mughal flotilla from the vicinity of Sonargaon in 1575. Isa Khan's services to Daud Khan earned him the title of Masnad-i-Ala.
Isa Khan played a leading role in the local resistance that followed the defeat of the Kararani Afghans at the hands of the Mughals in the battle of Rajmahal in 1576. An astute and farsighted politician, Isa Khan realised that he could not face Akbar single-handed with his relatively limited resources. So he established rapport with the neighbouring landlords and the Afghan chieftains and forged an anti-Mughal politico-military alliance with them. He also made friendship with Amar Manikya and Raghu Dev, the neighbouring kings of Tripura and Kamarupa respectively. Above all, Isa ensured proper use of his war-boats, the backbone of his military power.
In 1578 the Mughal Subahdar Khan Jahan invaded the Bhati region, ie, East Bengal and encamped at Bhawal. Ibrahim Naral and Karimdad Musazai, the two Afghan chieftains broke their alliance with Isa and offered allegiance to the Mughals. Isa Khan stood defiant and a large Mughal naval force was sent against him under Shah Bardi and Muhammad Quli. A fierce engagement took place at Kastul (in present-day Kishoreganj district). Despite Isa's initial retreat, the Mughal army took to flight after being severely defeated by Isa's allies, Majlis Dilawar and Maharaja Pratap. Consequently Khan Jahan left Bhati.
The next Subahdar Shahbaz Khan led an expedition against Isa Khan in 1584. Taking advantage of Isa's preoccupations in the Koch Bihar expedition the Mughal army ravaged Katrabo, the home and capital of Isa, as well as Khizirpur, Sonargaon and Egarasindur. At this time Isa returned from Koch Bihar and with his ally, Masum Khan Kabuli, put up a vehement resistance against the Mughals. The Mughals were defeated in the battle of Egarasindur and Bhawal, and were forced to turn back to Tandah, Bengal capital of the Mughals.
Rejuvenated with reinforcements sent by Akbar, Shahbaz Khan again marched towards Bhati in 1586. At this juncture, Isa sent presents and a proposal of peace to the Mughal Subahdar and pretending to be loyal to the emperor he succeeded in forestalling a Mughal invasion of Bhati. Since then Isa remained undisturbed in his own territory for almost a decade. An early English explorer, Ralph Fitch, who visited Sonargaon in 1586, called him "the chief king of all these countries", "the chief of all the other kings" and "a great friend to the Christians".
In September 1597, Mansingh sent two large forces by land and water against Isa Khan. The Mughal army under the command of Durjan Singh, son of Mansingh, initially achieved some success and even attacked Katrabo. But finally on 5 September of the same year a naval engagement took place 12 miles off Bikrampur. This resulted in the death of Durjan and the ruination of the Mughal army. Isa Khan died in September 1599 at the age of about 70.
Isa established his authority over a vast territory by gradually increasing his strength. He successfully transformed his estate in Sonargaon and Maheswardi Pargana into an independent domain which comprised a considerable portion of Dhaka district, almost the whole of Mymensingh district and also a small portion of Tripura district. Katrabo and Sonargaon were his capitals. Apart from these two, Khizirpur in Narayanganj and Jangalbari and Egarasindur in Kishoreganj district were his strong outposts.
Isa Khan's success in the struggle for the preservation of the independence of Bengal against Mughal imperialism and aggression in the last quarter of the 16th century turned him into a pre-eminent personality of Bengal. Isa Khan's remarkable career profoundly stirred the minds of the Bengali people. This has been reflected in different ballads, dramas, novels and patriotic songs composed since his time.