Table Of ContentSocial Formation
in
Medieval Bengal
R eena B haduri
Bibhasa
Kolkata
Published by Bibhasa
20/4, New Santoshpur Main Road
Kolkata - 700 075
Printed by Marksman Media Services
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Kolkata - 700 026
Bound by Subhra Pal
35/A/3, Biplabi Barin Ghosh Sarani
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Distributed in Collaboration with
Progressive Publishers
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Kolkata - 700 073
First Published in October 2001
© The Author
Price : Rs. 295/-
ISBN 81-87337-11-7
To the memory of
Dr. Pramatha Nath Baneijee
Prof. Makhan Lai Roychowdhuri
Dr. Muhammad Rafiq Shibli
Contents
Preface 1
Introduction 1
1 : Sociopolitical Organisations 21
in the 13th Century: Background
of Turkish Occupation of Bengal
2 : Turkish Political Authority: 35
Consolidation and Indegenisation
3 : Transforming Social Groups: 61
Towards Acculturation and
Accomodation
4 : The Ruling Class: Development 89
of a Composite Nobility
5 : Land System and Revenue 107
Organisation: Change and
Continuity
6 : The Rural Class: The Peasantry 140
and Agrarian Sector
7 : Technology, Trade And 165
Monetary System
8 : Trends in Urbanisation - 197
Economy, Constituents and
Typology
Conclusion 233
References 254
Appendices 280
Abbreviations 304
Bibliography
305
Index 323
Preface
This work took its initial shape as a Ph. D. dissertation and derives
basically its present form from part of a doctoral thesis submitted to the
University of Calcutta. It was conceived in a very elementary form when
I was a graduate student at the Centre for Middle Eastern Studies, Harvard
University (U.S. A), in mid-sixties. I would not like to call the work just
an exercise in ‘specialization’ in medieval history - in attitude, approach
and training, I have failed to become a professional ‘History person’ in
modem and technical sense. I would like to consider my 'subject’ a part
of Humanities rather than of Social Science.
I was a little girl at the time of Great Calcutta Killings, Partition
and Indian independence. On a late April morning (1947) me and my
brother were standing on the balcony of our house looking out to the
street in front. We eye-witnessed a gruesome killing - an old local tailor
being beaten up, killed and dragged to be drowned in the nearby Ganges
by some neighborhood goons. We dared not divulge the agonizing secret
to the elders, but a domestic attendant later told us that the poorman had
been killed because he was an 'enemy' This traumatic childhood
memory, later with many other factors, drove me to a personal quest to
the roots of the history of interaction betw een the two ma jor communities
(i)
of the sub-continent. At a growing age my world of History7 was
influenced by three people : my late father Dr. Pramatha Nath Banerjee,
Professor of History and Law, Dr. M. L. Roychowdhuri of the
Department of Islamic History' and Culture, both of Calcutta University
and my language teacher Dr. Muhammad Rafiq Shibli of R. K. Mission
Institute of Culture, who gave me lessons in Urdu, Persian and History
of Islam. All three of them, with great intellectual capability* and academic
excellence, never believed that Hindu-Muslim divide was embedded in
the historical logic of India. My personal, familial, social and academic
experience lead me to be convinced that religious loyalties do not take
precedence over common points of association and bonds of relationship
based on tangible intersocial ties. On the other hand, historically cultural
exchanges and shared material interests are far more viable factors in
inter - community relations. But whatever the personal experiences and
influences are. in selection of data and presentation of facts, I hope my
perception has not been clouded by any bias. On the basis of existing
data, I believe, one can safely trace the growth and strength of a composite
society in medieval Bengal which sustained for centuries, may be with
some periods of trials and tribulations, but without marked fanaticism,
based on religion alone. A deeper look into the social-economic condition
in the period of study reveal that a clear-cut dividing line between the
‘Hindus' and the ‘Muslims’ was not present, and there was a large overlap
in their social customs, religious practices and belief. The perception
and the process needed a macro study to place the period in a larger
context, at the same time pointing to its special features and reasons
behind the specialities.
Many vital areas remained uncovered, not because their signifiacnce
was overlooked, but because they are more perceptively and
professionally dealt elsewhere. I am entirely responsible for the content
and perception of the work, any error of fact, style, failure to acknowledge
adequately, are totally unintended.I have not intentionally used diacritical
marks which tend to be incorrect without specialized printing. I have
been moved over and again to rethink, from different angles, by the
works of Prof. Irfan Habib and Prof. Brajadulal Chattopadhyay. Anybody
who works on the history of medieval Bengal is bound to be indebted to
the classical works of late Dr. M. R. Rahman I do not have any thing
(ii)
new to say. if the main arguments of the book lead to some rethinking
and closer scrutiny by students and young scholars of the extant historical
data questioning ruling orthodoxies about historical processes, it will
be enormously gratifying.
First and foremost, I am deeply indebted to my family for much
treasured emotional support in whatever I do. Amar, my husband.is my
severest critic, but it should be gracefully admitted here that with his
exceptionally logical mind and wide range of reading. I have always
benefitted from his criticism. My daughter Tisha and son-in-law
Dipankar Baneijee (Belgium), son Kaushik and daughter-in-law Sakina
Sadat (USA) are not only my friends but guardians too, who always
insist that I pursue academic work seriously. My niece Ishanee
Mukheijee, a scholar and teacher of History, took regular interest in the
work. My eldest brother Dr. Pumendu Kumar Baneijee (Geneva), a
scholar and diplomat, encouraged me and offered assistance to prepare
the text. My third brother, poet and scholar Prof. Ron. D. K. Banerjee
(USA), main witness of the tragedy, has lovingly allowed me to use his
poem ‘Calcutta 1947.' Dr. Aniruddha Ray, Dr. Ratnabali Chatterjee.
Prof. Qamruddin, Dr. Ranjit Sen of the Department of Islamic History
and Culture, Calcutta University, encouraged me to publish the work, I
thank them sincerely. Sri Alok Ghosh of the Department of History,
Kalyani University and Executive Editor, ‘Aitihasik' finally convinced
me to publish the work from ‘Bibhasa’, I am grateful to him and his
team.
Reena Bhaduri
R-8/2, Baishakhi Aptts.
2 Dr. Daudar Rahman Road,
Calcutta 700 033
(iii)
Calcutta 1947
A late April day
and ordinary.
1 was standing
in the third story blacony,
my body bent
over the grip of my hands
on the cool railing
A late April day
and ordinary.
He was walking slowly
past the angle
of my appraisal
slowly,
when a voice from the opposite house
shouted something.
And he ran,
tugging his body in queer jerks,
his doll’s bones
seeming to rattle.
But not far. He fell down
gasping,
even before they had forked out
of the narrow lanes,
with sticks and clubs,
iron rods
tom from the Children's Park.
I seem to remember
That he had crawled a little,
as if towards an invisible
lair.
in the heat's white belly.
Then they had tied
a straw rope round his thin ankles
and dragged him to the Ganges,
to bloat with water.
Later,
having seen other bodies
great with heat,
1 understood that he had belonged
to the enemy -
an offering to the pitiless
April noon.
R.D. K. Banerjee
(excerpts from
A View from the Balcony : Calcutta -1947)
(v)
I
!
i
