The Cambridge History of India, Vol. III: Turks and Afghans v3.c24.25

v3.c24.25

Little more is known of A'zam except that he died in 1396, and even the manner of his death is uncertain. Most historians mention it casually, as though it were due to natural causes, but one author asserts that it was brought about by Raja Ganesh of Dinājpur, a Hindu chieftain who is styled Raja Kāns by most Muslim historians and ultimately ruled Bengal for several years. A'zam was, however, peaceably succeeded by his son, Saif-ud-dīn Hamza Shāh, the obscurity of whose reign ill accords with the grandiose title of *Sultān-us-Salātīn*, or king of kings, bestowed upon him by some chroniclers, though it does not appear on his known coins. He was defeated in 1404 by Ganesh, but continued to reign until his death in 1406, though it appears that the influence of Ganesh was dominant in Bengal from the time of his victory. Shams-ud-dīn, a son or adopted son of Hamza, was permitted to ascend the throne, but exercised no power, and died after a reign of little more than three years. Muslim historians describe Ganesh as a sovereign ruling Bengal in his own name, but he has left neither coins nor inscriptions, and it would seem that he was content with the power of royalty without aspiring to its outward tokens, for coins prove that the puppet Shams-ud-dīn was succeeded by another puppet, Shihāb-ud-dīn Bāyazīd, whose parentage is doubtful. There is no less difference of opinion regarding the character than regarding the status of Ganesh. According to some accounts he secretly accepted Islam, and according to one tolerated it and remained on the best of terms with its professors, while remaining a Hindu, but the most detailed record which has been preserved represents him as a Hindu bigot whose persecution of Muslims caused Qutb-ul-'Ālam, a well-known Muslim saint of Bengal, to invoke the aid of Ibrāhīm Shāh of Jaunpur. Ibrāhīm invaded Bengal, and Ganesh is said to have sought, in his terror, the intercession of Qutb-ul-'Ālam, who refused to intercede for a misbeliever. Ganesh considered conversion as a means of escape from his difficulties, but eventually compounded with Qutb-ul-'Ālam by surrendering to him his son, Jadu or Jatmall, in order that he might be converted to Islam and proclaimed king, by which means the country might escape the horrors of a religious war. Qutb-ul-'Ālam accepted the charge, but discovered, after he had, with great difficulty, prevailed upon Ibrāhīm Sharqī to retire, that he had been the dupe of Ganesh, who treated the proclamation of his son as a farce, persecuted Muslims more zealously than ever, and attempted to reclaim the renegade. The ceremonial purification of the lad was accomplished by the costly rite of passing him through golden images of cows, which were afterwards broken up and distributed in charity to Brāhmans, but the young convert obstinately refused to return to the faith of his fathers, and was imprisoned. The discredited saint suffered for his folly by being compelled to witness the persecution of his nearest and dearest, but in 1414 death came to the relief of the Muslims of Bengal and the convert was raised to the throne under the title of Jalāl-ud-dīn Muhammad, and persecuted the Hindus as his father had persecuted the Muslims. The Brāhmans who had arranged or profited by the ineffectual purification of the new king were permanently defiled by being obliged to swallow the flesh of the animal which they adored, and hosts of Hindus are said to have been forcibly converted to Islam.