Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v2.c14.s4.t28: Ibrahim Sharqi
Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v2.c14.s4.t28
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Ibrahim Sharqi
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Ibrahim Sharqi was ruler of the state of Jaunpur (in present-day eastern Uttar Pradesh) from 1402 - 1436 CE. The Sharqi dynasty had ruled Jaunpur as an independent kingdom from 1394 - 1479 CE. Under Ibrahim Shah, its most powerful ruler, Jaunpur expanded its territory and even threatened Bengal. There are several references to Jaunpur and Ibrahim Sharqi in Chinese sources of the 15th century. The *Xingcha shenglan* by Fei Xin refers to Jaunpur as the country of ‘Zhao-na-fu-er’, which it identified as being to the west of Bengal, and as including the ‘Vajrasana’ (i.e., the place where the Buddha attained enlightenment). Chinese sources mention that the Yongle emperor of the Ming dynasty took the initiative to send a mission to Jaunpur in 1412 CE, evidently to establish commercial and diplomatic relations with it. The Official History of the Ming Dynasty (*Ming Shi*) further contains references to hostilities between Bengal and Jaunpur under Ibrahim Sharqi. Even more significantly, it testifies to an episode in which China apparently intervened in the troubled relations between two states in India and managed to bring about a truce between them.
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The *Ming Shi* records: “To the west of Bengal there is a kingdom called Zhao-na-pu-er which is situated in the middle of the Five Indies. This is the ancient country of the Buddha. The king of the country had invaded Bengal. [The king of Bengal] Sai-fo-ding informed the Chinese court. In the ninth month of the 30^th year, Yong le [1420] the Emperor ordered Hou Xian to go and pacify them. Gold and money were then presented to the king of Zhao-na-pu-
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The History of Ming
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er and the war was stopped.” According to this account, Ibrahim Sharqi was persuaded to desist from attacking Bengal in return for gifts bestowed upon him by the Emperor of China. Another notice in *Ming Shi* contains this further elaboration of the mediatory role played by the envoy of the Emperor of China between Jaunpur and Bengal: “Hou Xian was then sent with the orders of the emperor to tell him [Ibrahim Sharqi] that by doing good to his neighbour, he could do good to his own.” The *Ming Shi* mentions that Jaunpur did not send any presents to the Chinese emperor in return, because it was very far from China.
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(*Madhavi Thampi*)