Sultanate of Bengal: Map & History
The Bengal Sultanate was a late medieval sultanate based in the Bengal region in eastern South Asia between the 14th and 16th centuries.
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The Bengal Sultanate was a late medieval sultanate based in the Bengal region in eastern South Asia between the 14th and 16th centuries. It was the dominant power of the Ganges-Brahmaputra Delta, with a network of mint towns spread across the region. The Bengal Sultanate had a circle of vassal states in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, including parts of Odisha in the southwest, parts of Bihar in the northwest, parts of Assam in the northeast, Arakan in the southeast, and Tripura in the east.
Modern Countries Once Part of Sultanate of Bengal
At its mapped extent, Sultanate of Bengal covered territory in 2 present-day countries. The period shown is when the mapped borders include that country, and the note says how much of it.
States and Provinces
Largest Present-Day Cities in Its Territory
Each opens on the live map inside Sultanate of Bengal's borders of that time.
Derived by testing mapped cities against this polity's dated territorial polygons, so the list is indicative and follows the borders in the source dataset.
Sultanate of Bengal in Depth
History
Bengal was gradually absorbed into the Delhi Sultanate during the 1200s. It began with Bakhtiyar's 1202–1204 conquest of Gauda during the reign of Muhammad of Ghor. This saw the beginning of the rise of Turko-Afghans in the Indian subcontinent. Bakhityar Khalji served as a military general of the Ghurid ruler Muhammad of Ghor. He formed the Khalji dynasty of Bengal. After the assassination of Bakhtiar Khalji by his own officer Ali Mardan in 1206, Bengal was administered by various Maliks belonging to the Khalji tribe (except a brief interregnum by Ali Mardan himself) until Delhi Sultan Iltutmish sent forces under his son, Nasir-ud-Din Mahmud, to bring Bengal under the direct control of the Delhi Sultans. Iltutmish declared Bengal as a province of Delhi in 1225.
Military
The sultans had a well-organised army, including cavalry, artillery, infantry, and war elephants; and a navy. Due to the riverine geography and climate, it was not feasible to use cavalry throughout the year in Bengal. The cavalry was probably the weakest component of the Bengal Sultanate's army, as the horses had to be imported from foreign countries. The artillery was an important section. Portuguese historian João de Barros opined that the military supremacy of Bengal over Arakan and Tripura was due to its efficient artillery. The artillery used cannons and guns of various sizes. The paiks formed the vital part of the Bengal infantry during this period. There were occasions when the paiks also tackled political situations.
Economy
The economy of the Bengal Sultanate inherited earlier aspects of the Delhi Sultanate, including mint towns, a salaried bureaucracy, and the jagirdar system of land ownership. The production of silver coins inscribed with the name of the Sultan of Bengal was a mark of Bengali sovereignty. Bengal was more successful in perpetuating purely silver coinage than Delhi and other contemporary Asian and European governments. There were three sources of silver. The first source was the leftover silver reserve of previous kingdoms. The second source was the tribute payments of subordinate kingdoms, which were paid in silver bullion. The third source was during military campaigns when Bengali forces sacked neighbouring states.
Culture and society
The Bengali language was the most spoken language, while Persian was an administrative and commercial language. Men wore white shirts, cotton fabrics of various colors, turbans, sarongs, lungis, dhutis, leather shoes, and belts to wrap their robes on the waist. Women wore cotton saris. Upper-class women wore gold jewelry. There were various classes of artisans, as well as physicians and fortune tellers.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Bengal Sultanate (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Sultanate of Bengal: Key Facts
| Religions | Sunni Islam, Hinduism |
|---|---|
| Form of government | monarchy |
| Founded | 1352 |
| Dissolved | 1576 |
Facts from Wikidata Q4083686 (CC0).
Sultanate of Bengal Map Over Time
Dated world maps on which Sultanate of Bengal appears, with the other states of the time.
Sultanate of Bengal Timeline
Key historical inflections from foundation to peak territorial expansion
Expansion to peak recorded area of 361,167 km² in 1506 CE.
Sultanate of Bengal: Frequently Asked Questions
When did the Sultanate of Bengal exist?
The Sultanate of Bengal is dated to 1344 CE – 1533 CE, in the High & Late Middle Ages era.
What was the capital of the Sultanate of Bengal?
The capital of the Sultanate of Bengal was Pandua, (1352–1390, 1410-1433), Sonargaon, (1390–1410), Gaur the Restored Ilyas Shahi dynasty, the Habshi dynasty, and the Hussain Shahi dynasty., (1433–1565), Tanda, (1565–1576).
How large was the Sultanate of Bengal at its peak?
At its peak in 1506 the Sultanate of Bengal covered about 361,167 km².
How did the map of the Sultanate of Bengal change over time?
The Sultanate of Bengal appears on 2 dated world maps in the atlas, from 1400 CE to 1500 CE. Each shows its borders in that year next to the other states of the time.
Other Sovereign Realms
High & Late Middle Ages • Capital: Avarga
Early Modern & Age of Discovery • Capital: Söğüt, Bursa, Edirne, Constantinople
High & Late Middle Ages • Capital: Thanjavur, Gangaikonda Cholapuram
Early Modern & Age of Discovery • Capital: Agra, Fatehpur Sikri, Lahore, Delhi