Growth of Muslim Population in Medieval India, A.D. 1000–1800 c21.18

c21.18

The methods of conversion employed in Bengal were the same as seen elsewhere in medieval India. But what made Bengal different from many other parts of India as nonresistant and vulnerable to conversions was its peculiar political, religious, and social condition. Politically, Bengal could not withstand Muslim attacks from the very beginning as is clear from the shocking nonresistance of Lakshman Sen to Bakhtiyar Khalji's invasion. But its governors and rulers, due to its geographical location and the unsatisfactory medieval means of communication, mostly remained independent of Delhi, provoking, nevertheless, occasional attacks from the Delhi Sultans. Such emergencies brought the rulers and the people closer to each other. Besides, “throughout the period from the 13th to the 18th century, the northern, eastern and south-eastern frontiers of the Muslim ruled area of East Bengal remained in the fluid condition and the boundaries swung to and fro with tides of fresh conquests ...”¹² In such a situation the people looked to the rulers for security; in return giving them their loyalty and some even adopting their faith.