In news– Recently, the Indian Prime Minister, while inaugurating Kashi Vishwanath Dham Corridor in Varanasi, referred to several historical episodes including the battle between Salar Masud and Raja Suhaldev.
About Salar Masud-
- He was known as Ghazi Mian and believed to have acquired popularity as a warrior in the 12th century.
- He was the nephew of the 11th century Turkik invader, Mahmud of Ghazni, whose invasion of India is known as the moment when Islam entered large parts of the subcontinent.
- His tomb at Bahraich in Uttar Pradesh stands as a place of pilgrimage (mainly during the Urs festival ) for a large number of Muslims as well as Hindus.
- The most comprehensive source of information about Ghazi Mian is the Mirat-e-Masaud (Mirror of Masaud), a 17th century Persian hagiography written by Abdur Rahman Chisti, a Sufi saint of the Chisti order.
- It was at Bahraich, where in the course of a battle in 1034 CE between Masud and a local king by the name Suheldev that the former was wounded by an arrow and succumbed.
- The 13th century Sufi poet and scholar Amir Khusrao is known to have mentioned him in his writings.
- The 14th century Moroccan traveller Ibn Batuta had supposedly visited his shrine at Bahraich along with Sultan Mohammad Bin Tughlaq.
- Mughal emperor Akbar is known to have made a land grant in 1571 CE for the sake of maintaining Ghazi Miyan’s shrine.
About Raja Suhaldev-
- He was the king of Shravasti during the 11th century.
- According to Mirat-e-Masudi, Suhaldev belonged to the “Bhar Tharu” community.
- He is believed to have been the eldest son of the king of the Bhar community, from which emerged the Pasi community, a Dalit caste group of the region.
- Popular history of the region identifies him by several names including Suhaldev, Sakardev, Sahardev, and Suhildev.
- In 2016 Amit Shah hailed Suheldev as a national hero and unveiled his statue at Bahraich.
Salar Masud-Raja Suhaldev battle-
- There are different opinions among historians regarding this battle and it is a mix of history and myth.
- As per the Mirat-e-Masaud, Masud accompanied Mahmud Ghazni in all his campaigns, including the celebrated expedition to Somnath in Kathiawar.
- King Suheldev was deeply moved by the loot and destruction of the magnificent Somnath temple by invader Ghazni that he decided to give up the comfort of royal life as a prince.
- King Suheldev waged guerrilla warfare against Mahmud Ghazni’s army.
- It is believed that in this battle, Suheldev’s army completely destroyed Salar Masud’s army.
Source: The Indian Express