1.

Write down two major contributions of Sasanka

Ans: He was the first independent sovereign of Bengal from Bengal, who established the first
independent kingdom of ancient Bengal.

He defended the independence of the Gauda empire againt a very powerful north Indian adversary –
Harsavardhana

He was the first to issue gold and silver coins.

2. Where did the early Palas show their military interest?

Ans: In North India. Dharmapala’s military engagement in the Tripartite Struggle, is also mention worthy.

3. Note down three achievements of Dharmapala.

Ans: He greatly expanded the boundaries of the empire, and made the Palas a dominant power in the
northern and eastern India.

He revived the Nalanda university and founded the Vikramshila university which later evolved into a
great learning center of Buddhism. He built the great Vihara at Somapuri in Verendri and the Vihara in
Paharpur.

He followed a policy of strong religious tolerance and mutual co-existence of different religions, which
was one of the glorious legacies of Pala rule in Bengal under Dharmapala.

4. Name two notable scholars of Pala time

Ans: Notable Buddhist scholars from the Pala period include Atish dipankar shrijnan & Jimutavahana

5. Which region was the last resort of the later Sena rulers?

Ans: The Samata region. Laksmanasena being the last Sena king of Bengal fled to Vikrampur as a last
resort after being defeated by Muhammad Bakhtiyar Khalji is also mention worthy.

6. Who established Muslim rule in Bengal? Whom he had defeated?

Ans: Ikhtiyaruddin Muhammad Bakhtiyar Khalji established Muslim rule in Bengal by defeating
Laksmanasena in 1204.
7. Which Muslim ruler issued coins in Bengal for the first time?

Ans: One of the first Islamic coins in Bengal was struck by the General Muhammad Bakhtiyar Khalji in
the name of his overlord, Muhammad bin Sam, in 1204, soon after his conquest of the province.

**(8). Who first established Muslim dynasty in Bengal? Describe about him. OR Who described about
him.

Ans: Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah established the first Muslim Dynasty - Ilyas Shahi Dynasty. He was the first
ruler who bought the 3 major geographical units of sat gaon, Sonargaon and Lakhnauti under a single
authority and was the self-proclaimed Shah-i-Bangala. He was the real founder of the independent
Bengal, although the process was started by Fakhruddin.

OR

Ibn Battuta, a traveler described about him in the book “Tarikh-E-Firoz shah of Ziauddin Barani.”

9. Who are the Bara Bhuiyas? Name two notable Bhuiyas.

Ans: Were twelve powerful chieftains and landlords of Bengal, most of them were governors of the now
fallen sultanate of Bengal who then put up resistance against the Mughals from completing their
mission of absolute control over Bengal. Two notable Bhuiyans are Isa Khan - who was the leader of the
Baro Bhuiyans and Musa khan - Isa Khan's son.

**(10.) How the Mughals kept balance of power in provincial administration? Point out three
important posts and their duties in Suba Bangla.

Ans: The Mughal empire was divided into a number of Subhahs (Provinces) Mughals divided the
provincial administration in a bureaucratic fashion. They usually shifted employees frequently to keep
balance and to prevent any rebellion. The 3 posts are –

Subahdar – Governor who was the head of administration

Diwan- The tax collector

Bakshi – The military general

OR

The Mughals appointed the emperor's sons and relatives and other very high and trusted civil servants.
The emperors and central government attached much importance to the administration of this province
 and if the post of the governor fell vacant the governor of Bihar was sent to occupy the vacant office.
The 3 posts are – Subahdar – Governor who was the head of administration, Diwan- The tax collector
Bakshi – The military general

11. Name four notable Subadars of Bengal

Ans: Islam Khan, Shah Shuja, Mir Jumla, Shaista Khan and Murshid Kuli Khan

12. Note down names of three famous Subadars in Mughals Bangla. What were the reasons of their
fame?

Ans: Islam Khan Chisty – Broke up the control of Musa Khan – then leader of the baro bhuyians

Shah Shuja – He removed the capital from Dhaka to Rajmahal & rebelled against Aurangazeb. Bengal
enjoyed a long period of peace and prosperity during his viceroyalty of 21 years

Shaista Khan- Under his authority, the city of Dhaka and Mughal power in the province attained its
greatest heights. One of his notable achievement was the Mughal conquest of Chittagong.

13. Who captured the whole of Chittagong during Mughal time? What was the reason for the
Chittagong campaign of the Mughals?

Ans: Shaista Khan. He foresaw a potent threat from the Arakanese which had developed its military and
naval strength. So, he launched a major military campaign against Chittagong, which was the mainstay
of the Arakenese kingdom to put down the hill tribes and extend his territory. Many Bengali Men and
Women, then held prisoner by the Arakanese were set free after his victory.

14. What provoked Iltutmish to wage war against Iwaz Khilji?

Ans: Ghiyasuddin Iwaz Khilji's conquest of Bihar was considered as a threat to the the Sultan of
Delhi- Iltutmish. He disobeyed the allegiance to Iltutmish by issuing coins. This defying of Iwaz
Khilji provoked war.

15. What's the meaning of 'Balgumpur'? In which period this term was used?

Ans: Balgumpur means the city of rebellion. The term was used during the Bengal sultanate of
Giyashuddin Iwaz Khilji

16. Note down names of two independent Muslim dynasties of Bengal.

Ans: Ilyas Shahi Dynasty, Husain Shahi Dynasty

17. Why Raja Ganesh become important in history of Bengal? How his family remained in power?

Ans: When King Raja Ganesh came into power it was a period of critical juncture. Raja Ganesh brought
the Muslim power in Bengal to a halt. Ilyas Shah rule was no longer effective thus allowing him to
establish a Hindu kingdom His family remained in power as Raja Ganesh then appointed many hindus in
high posts. However his son – Jalaluddin Muhammad Shah (Jadu) took up Islam allowing him to rule for
a further 16 years.

18. Why Hussain Shahi Dynasty was unique in history?

Hussain Shahi dynasty was ruled by Alauddin Husain Shah, considered as the greatest of all the
sultans of Bengal for bringing a cultural renaissance during his reign. He conquered Kamarupa,
Kamata, Jajnagar, and Orissa and extended the sultanate all the way to the port of Chittagong,
which witnessed the arrival of the first Portuguese merchants. Nasiruddin Nasrat Shah gave
refuge to the Afghan lords during the invasion of Babur though he remained neutral. However,
Nasrat Shah made a treaty with Babur and saved Bengal from a Mughal invasion which was
different and unique.

19. Who established the first independent Muslim Dynasty in Bengal? What was his title?

Ans: Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah established the first Muslim Dynasty - Ilyas Shahi Dynasty and his title was
self-proclaimed as - Shah-i-Bangala which translates to King Of Bengal.

20. Write two achievements of the Ilias Shahi Dynasty.

Ans: 3 major geographical units of sat gaon, Sonargaon and Lakhnauti were bought under a single
authority during the reign of the Ilias Shahi dynasty.The Iliyas Shahi dynasty successfully resisted
continuous external threats from the sultans of Delhi.

Broad Question
1. Review contribution of the Palas and the Senas in the
education sector.
Ans: Long Buddhist rule of about four hundred years created an
atmosphere of religious toleration and liberalism. Gopala built
the famous monastery at Odantapuri. Dharmapala established
the Vikramashila monastery and the Somapura Mahavihara and
50 religious institutions and patronising the Buddhist author
Hariibhadra. Devapala restored and enlarged the structures at
Somapura Mahavihara. The Palas developed the Buddhist
centres of leamings, such as the Vikramashila and the Nalanda
universities. Nalanda, considered one of the first great
universities in recorded history, reached its height under the
patronage of the Palas. All the Buddhist viharas and
sangharamas in Bengal were centres for the cultivation of
Buddhist learning and for imparting education. They not only
taught and cultivated Buddhist religious knowledge, but the
curriculum for the education of the Buddhist sramanas included
grammar, philology, dialectic, medicine, astronomy, music and
arts, chaturveda, sankhya, mahayana xastras, yoga xastra etc.
Hiuen Tsang have mentioned many Deva temples, where lived
innumerable Brahmanic Acharyas and Upadhyayas and
Devapujakas, who not only cultivated and taught religious
subjects, but also various secular subjects. Atisha dipankar,
Tilopa, Bimalamitra, Dansheel, Dansree, J inamitra,
Jnanasrimitra, Silabhadra, Sugatasree and Virachan are
Notrable Buddhist scholars from the Pala period. The Sena
rulers were also great patrons of literature. During the Pala
dynasty and the Sena dynasty, major growth in Bengali was
witnessed. Some Bengali authors believe that Jayadeva, the
famous Sanskrit poet and author of Gita Govinda, was one of
the Pancharatnas (five gems) in the court of Lakshmana Sena.
Dhoyin himselfan eminent court poet of Sena dynasty mentions
nine gems (ratna) in the court of Lakshmana Sena

2. Discuss contributions of the independent Sultanate in

Bengal.

Ans: Military strength of sultans was the existential basis of

medieval kingdoms in Bengal and other parts of India. The
sultans had a well-organised army, including cavalry, artillery,
infantry and war elephants; and a navy.

Muslim poets were writing in the Bengali language by the 15th

century. By the turn of the 16th century, a vernacular literature
based on concepts of Sufism and Islamic cosmology flourished
in the region. Bengali Muslim mystic literature was one of the
most original in Islamic India

Bengal Sultanate was open to the sea and accumulated profits

from trade with agricultural incomes. Traders from around the
world were present in the Bay of Bengal area. Bengal's position
as a major cotton textile exporter was unique in Islamic India.
A distinct Bengali-Islamic architecture developed during its
reign, which combined traditions with influences from Persia
and Byzantium. It featured multiple and single domed mosques
with complex terracotta and stone ornamentation. The
grandest testament to their imperial ambitions is reflected in
the ruins of the Adina Mosque, the Mosque City of Bagerhat.

3. Give an account of the revenue administration of the

Mughals in Bengal.

Ans. Diwani was the provincial revenue administration system

under the Mughals in Bengal. The Mughal provincial
administration had two main branches - Nizamat and Diwani.
Broadly speaking Nizamat meant civil administration and
Diwani, revenue administration. The Diwan was in charge of
revenue administration. To ensure checks and balances in the
Suba administration, the Mughal emperor used to appoint
these two key officers directly. They were normally appointed
by and responsible to the emperor. The Diwan had the power
and responsibility to send revenue to the central government
without consulting or taking any cognition of the Subhadar. The
outcome of the conflict between Suhahdar azim-us-shan and
Diwan Murshid quli khan over the issue of remitting revenue to
the center directly by the Diwan demonstrates the autonomy of
the institution of Diwani during the times of the great Mughals.

Malzamini revenue settlement of Murshid quli khan. The term

malzamini, a derivation from the Persian mal. meaning
property of any description which to the revenue practice of
Bengal particularly signified rents from land and zamim,
meaning a surety or bondsman for the payment of rent or debt.
This system increased the revenue from Subah bangla.