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{{short description|1st Nawab of Bengal}}
{{Use Indian English|date=June 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2017}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name = Murshid Quli Khan (Zamin Ali Quli) মুর্শিদকুলি খান
| title = Nasir Jung Ala ud-Daulah Mutam ul-Mulk Nawab Nazim Ja'far Khan Bahadur Nasiri
| more =
| image = File:Murshid Quli Jafar Khan.jpg
| image_size =
| alt =
| caption =
| succession = [[Nawabs of Bengal|Nawab Nazim of Bengal, Bihar, and Orissa]]
| moretext =
| reign = 1717 – 30 June 1727
| reign-type =
| coronation = 1717
| cor-type =
| investiture =
| predecessor = [[Mughal Empire]]
| pre-type =
| successor = [[Shuja-ud-Din Muhammad Khan]]
| suc-type =
| regent =
| reg-type =
| birth_name = Surya Narayan Mishra
| birth_date = {{circa}} 1660
| birth_place = [[Deccan Plateau]]
| death_date = {{death date and age|1727|6|30|1660|df=y}}
| death_place = [[Murshidabad]] (present day in [[West Bengal]], India)
| burial_date =
| burial_place = [[Katra Masjid]], [[Murshidabad]], India
| spouse = Nasiri Banu Begum
| issue = {{plainlist|
* Nawabzada Yahya Khan
* Azmat un-Nisa Begum
* Zaynab un-Nisa Begum
}}
| issue-link =
| issue-pipe =
| issue-type =
| full name = Murshid Qulī Jaʿfar Khān Bahādur Nāṣirī {{lang-fa|{{Nq|مرشد قلی جعفر خان بهادر ناصری}}}}
| era name =
| era dates =
| regnal name =
| posthumous name =
| temple name =
| native_lang1 = {{lang|bn|মুর্শিদকুলি খান}} {{lang|fa|{{Nastaliq|مرشد قلی خان}}}}
| native_lang1_name1 =
| house = [[Nawabs of Bengal]]
| dynasty = Nāṣirī
| father = Haji Shafi Isfahani (foster father)
| mother =
| religion = [[Shia Islam]]<ref name="Rizvi1986">{{cite book|last=Rizvi|first=Saiyid Athar Abbas|authorlink=Saiyid Athar Abbas Rizvi|title=A Socio-intellectual History of the Isnā ʼAsharī Shīʼīs in India: 16th to 19th century A.D|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0Z0OAAAAIAAJ|volume=2|year=1986|publisher=Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers|pages=45–47}}</ref><ref name="Rieck2016">{{cite book|last=Rieck|first=Andreas|title=The Shias of Pakistan: An Assertive and Beleaguered Minority|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=t6aKCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA3|date=15 January 2016|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-061320-4|page=3}}</ref><ref>K. K. Datta, ''Ali Vardi and His Times'', ch. 4, University of Calcutta Press, (1939)</ref>
| occupation =
| signature_type =
| signature =
| signature_alt =
| module = {{Infobox person
| embed = yes
| other_names = Mohammad Hadi Mirza Hadi Ja'far Khan
| resting_place = [[Katra Masjid]], [[Murshidabad]], India
| resting_place_coordinates = {{coord|24.184722|88.288056|display=inline,title}}
}}
{{Infobox military person|embed=yes
| allegiance = [[File:Alam of the Mughal Empire.svg|23px]] [[Mughal Empire]]<ref>{{cite book |title=History |author=Rai, R. |publisher=FK Publications |page=44 |isbn=9788187139690}}</ref>
| branch = [[Nawab of Bengal]]
| rank = [[Nawab]]
| battles =
}}
}}
{{History of Bangladesh}}

'''Murshid Quli Khan''' ({{lang-fa|{{Nastaliq|مرشد قلی خان}}}}, {{lang-bn|মুর্শিদকুলি খান}}; {{circa}} 1660 – 30 June 1727), also known as '''Zamin Ali Quli''' and born as '''Surya Narayan Mishra''', was the first [[Nawab of Bengal]], serving from 1717 to 1727.

Born a [[Hindu]] in the [[Deccan Plateau]] {{circa}} 1670, Murshid Quli Khan was bought by Mughal noble Haji Shafi. After Shafi's death, he worked under the [[Divan|Diwan]] of [[Vidarbha]], during which time he piqued the attention of the then-emperor [[Aurangzeb]], who sent him to [[Bengal Subah|Bengal]] as the divan {{circa}} 1700. However, he entered into a bloody conflict with the province's ''[[subahdar]]'', [[Azim-us-Shan]]. After Aurangzeb's death in 1707, he was transferred to the Deccan Plateau by Azim-us-Shan's father the Mughal Emperor [[Bahadur Shah I]]. However, he was brought back as deputy ''subahdar'' in 1710. In 1717, he was appointed as the ''Nawab Nazim'' of Murshidabad by [[Farrukhsiyar]]. During his reign, he changed the ''[[jagirdari]]'' system (land management) to the ''mal jasmani,'' which would later transform into the ''[[zamindari]]'' system. He also continued sending revenues from the state to the [[Mughal Empire]]. He built the [[Katra Masjid]] mosque at [[Murshidabad]] where he was buried under the steps of the staircase after his death on 30 June 1727. He was succeeded by his son-in-law Shuja ud Din Muhammad Khan.

==Early life==
Murshid Quli Khan was a [[Deccanis|Deccani Muslim]].<ref>{{cite book |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=mplcEAAAQBAJ&dq=Mirza+Deccani+shuja+ud+din&pg=PA125 |title= Merchant Cultures:A Global Approach to Spaces, Representations and Worlds of Trade, 1500–1800 |page=124 |date=2022 |author= Cátia A.P. Antunes, Francisco Bethencour |isbn= 9789004506572 |quote=Another Deccani, Shuja succeeded Murshid Quli from 1727.}}</ref> According to [[Sir Jadunath Sarkar]], Murshid Quli Khan was originally a [[Hindu]] and named as Surya Narayan Mishra, born in [[Deccan Plateau|Deccan]] {{circa}} 1670.<ref>Sarkar, p.400</ref> The book ''[[Ma'asir al-umara]]'' supports this statement.<ref name="MQK">Chowdhury, p.16</ref> At the age of around ten years, he was sold to a Persian named Haji Shafi who converted him to Islam, circumcised him,{{refn|group=note|Shafi worked in various posts in the [[Mughal Empire]] which included Diwan-i-Tan and Dewan of Bengal.<ref name="MQK"/>}} and raised him with the name Mohammad Hadi.<ref name="MQK"/> In {{circa}} 1690, Shafi left his position in the Mughal court and returned to Persia accompanied by Murshid Quli Khan. About five years after Shafi's death, Murshid returned to India and worked under Abdullah Khurasani, the Diwan of [[Vidarbha]] in the Mughal Empire. Due to his expertise in revenue matters, he was noticed by Mughal Emperor [[Aurangzeb]] and played an important role when applying the [[sharia]] based Fatwa Alamgiri's financial strategies.<ref name="MQK"/> Most of Murshid Quli Khan's associates, such as [[Alivardi Khan]] and [[Shuja-ud-Din Muhammad Khan]], who gained power in Bengal were fellow [[Deccanis]].<ref>{{cite book |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=mplcEAAAQBAJ&dq=Mirza+Deccani+shuja+ud+din&pg=PA125 |title= Merchant Cultures:A Global Approach to Spaces, Representations and Worlds of Trade, 1500–1800 |page=124 |date=2022 |author= Cátia A.P. Antunes, Francisco Bethencour |isbn= 9789004506572 |quote=Another Deccani, Shuja succeeded Murshid Quli from 1727.}}</ref>

Unlike other Islamic rulers, Murshid Quli Khan had only one wife, Nasiri Banu Begum, and no concubines. He had three children, two daughters and one son. One of his daughters became the wife of [[Nawab]] [[Shuja-ud-Din Muhammad Khan]] and mother of [[Sarfaraz Khan]].<ref>Chowdhury, p.87</ref>

==First appointment in Bengal==

===Conflict with Azim-us-Shan===
Aurangzeb appointed Quli Khan the Diwan of Bengal {{circa}} 1700. At that time, [[Azim-us-Shan]], a grandson of the Mughal emperor, was the ''subahdar'' of the province. He was not pleased at this appointment as he intend to use the revenue collected from the state to fund his campaign to occupy the Mughal throne after Aurangzeb's death.<ref name="MQ">Chowdhury, p.17</ref> Immediately after being appointed to the post, Quli Khan went to Jahangirnagar (present day [[Dhaka]]) and transferred officials from the service of Azim-us-Shan to himself, enraging Azim-us-Shan.<ref name="MQ"/>

===Assassination attempt===
Azim-us-Shan planned to assassinate Quli Khan. Taking advantage of the fact the soldiers had yet to be paid, he convinced them that Quli Khan was responsible for the situation. He planned to have them surround Quli Khan on the pretext of confronting him over non-payment of their wages, and he would then be stabbed.<ref name="MQ"/>

One morning when Quli Khan was going to meet Azim-us-Shan, soldiers, under the leadership of Abdul Wahid, surrounded him and asked him for their wages. But, according to Historian Chowdhury, Quli Khan knew that us-Shan was responsible for inciting the soldiers,<ref name="MQ"/> so he said to them: "You have conspired to assassinate me. Remember that the ''Alamgir'' (Aurangzeb) will come to know everything. Abstain from doing such things, as it is a way of showing disrespect to the emperor. Be careful! If you kill me, then you will face dire consequences."<ref name="Sarkar, p.404">Sarkar, p.404</ref>

Azim-us-Shan was extremely worried Quli Khan knew of his assassination plans and was fearful of Aurangzeb's reaction. Quli Khan behaved as if he knew nothing of the plan assuring us-Shan they would remain friends in the future. However, he wrote about the matter to Aurangzeb, who in turn sent a letter to us-Shan warning him that if Quli Khan was "harmed, then he would take revenge on him".<ref name="ME">Chowdhury, p.18</ref>

==Foundation of Murshidabad==
Quli Khan felt unsafe in Dhaka, so he moved the ''diwani'' office to Mukshudabad.{{refn|group=note|According to [[Ain-i-Akbari]], Mukshudabad was founded by a trader named Mukshud Khan in the sixteenth century who also built a ''sarai'' here. On Dutch traveller Valentijn's map, the city was shown as an island in the [[Ganges]] River. According to historian Nikhilnath Roy, during the reign of Sultan Hussain Shah, he was cured of fever by sage, so the city was named after it in 1702.<ref name="MQKTT">Chowdhury, p.20</ref>}} He said that he relocated the office since Mukshudabad was situated in the central part of Bengal, making it easy to communicate throughout the province. As the city was on the banks of the Ganges, European trading companies had also set up their bases there. Quli Khan thought that it would be easy for him to keep a vigil over their actions. He also relocated the bankers to the new city. Azim-us-Shan felt betrayed as this was done without his permission. Historian Chowdhury says that Quli Khan was able to do this because he had the "support" of Aurangzeb.<ref name="MQN">Choudhury, p.19</ref> A year later, in 1703, Aurangzeb transferred us-Shan from Bengal to [[Bihar]] and [[Farrukhsiyar]] was made the titular ''subahdar'' of the province. The ''[[subah]]'' office was then relocated to Mukshudabad. The city became a centre for all activities of the region.<ref name="MQN"/>

Quli Khan went to [[Bijapur]] to meet Aurangzeb, and to give him the revenue which was generated from the province. The emperor was happy with his work and gifted him clothes, flags, ''nagra,'' and a sword. He also gave him the title of Murshid Quli and gave him permission to rename the city [[Murshidabad]] (the city of Murshid Quli Khan), which he did when he returned to it.<ref name="Sarkar, p.404"/>

When the city was renamed is disputed by historians. [[Sir Jadunath Sarkar]] says that he was given the title on 23 December 1702, and his return to the city would have taken at least three months; so Mukshudabad was renamed in 1703.<ref>Sarkar, p.399</ref> But according to the newspaper ''Tarikh-i-Bangla,'' and Persian historian Riwaz-us-Salatin, the city was renamed in {{circa}} 1704. Chowdhury opines that this "might be the correct date" as the representative of the [[British East Indian Company]] in [[Orissa, India|Orissa]] province met Quli Khan in early 1704. The fact that the first coins issued in Murshidabad are dated 1704 is strong evidence of the year of the name change.<ref>Chowdhury, p.21</ref>

==Reign==

===Death of Aurangzeb===
Until the death of Aurangzeb in 1707, all the powers of the ''subahdar'' were vested in the hands of Quli Khan. He was succeeded by Azim-us-Shan's father [[Bahadur Shah I]]. He reappointed his son as the ''subahdar'' of the province and made Quli Khan his deputy. Azim-us-Shan influenced his father to throw Quli Khan out of the province. As a result, he was appointed the Diwan of Deccan in 1708, and served in the post until 1709.<ref name="MQKTF">Chowdhury, p.24</ref>

But, in 1710, Quli Khan was brought back as the ''[[Dewan|diwan]]'' (revenue officer) of the province on the advice of us-Shan. According to Sarkar, he did so to form an allegiance with him, as he thought that it would be impossible to occupy the Delhi throne without the support of local nobility. Though he was brought back, his relationship with the Mughal prince remained strained.<ref>Sarkar, p.405</ref>

Shah was succeeded by [[Jahandar Shah]] in 1712, (27 February 1712 – 11 February 1713) and he was followed by Farrukhsiyar in 1713. In 1717,{{refn|group=note|Historian Abdul Karim disputes the date and claims it to be 1716, but all other sources use 1717.<ref name="MQKTF"/>}} he gave Quli Khan the title of Zafar Khan and made him the Subahdar of Bengal, thus holding both the post of ''subahdar'' and ''diwan'' at the same time. He declared himself the Nawab of Bengal and became the first independent ''nawab'' of the province.<ref>Sarkar, p.407</ref> The capital was shifted from Dhaka to Murshidabad.<ref name="MQKTFive"/>

===Revenue===
Quli Khan replaced the Mughal ''[[jagirdari]]'' system with the ''mal jasmani'' system, which was similar to France's ''[[Ferme générale|fermiers generals]]''. He took security bonds from the contractors or ''ijardaars'' who later collected the land revenue. Though at first there remained many ''jagirdars'', they were shortly squeezed out by the contractors, who later came to be known as ''zamindars''.<ref>{{cite book |author1=U. A. B. Razia Akter Banu |year=1992 |title=Islam in Bangladesh |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XyzqATEDPSgC&pg=PA21 |publisher=E. J. Brill |page=21 |isbn=978-90-04-09497-0}}</ref>

Quli Khan continued his policy of sending part of the revenue collected to the Mughal Empire. He did so even when the empire was in decline with the emperor vesting no power, as the power became concentrated in the hands of kingmakers. He justified his action by saying that it would be impossible to run the Mughal Empire without the revenue he sent. Historian Chowdhury says that his real reason was to show his loyalty to the Mughal Emperor so that he could run the state according to his own wishes.<ref name="MQKTFive">Chowdhury, p.25</ref>

Records show that every year 1 crore 30 lakh rupees was sent as the revenue to the Mughal emperor. Besides money revenue was also paid in kind.{{clarify|date=July 2017}} Quli Khan himself used to carry the money and other forms of revenue with the [[infantry]] and the [[cavalry]] to [[Bihar]] where they were given to the Mughal collector.<ref name="MQKTS"/>

===Structures built===
With Murshidabad evolving as the capital of [[Bengal]], it became necessary for Quli Khan to build buildings and offices for work to be carried out from that city. In the Dugharia region of the city he built a palace, a ''diwankhana'' ("office of revenue collection", a court of exchequer). He also built an inn and a mosque for foreign travellers. He constructed a mint in the city in 1720.<ref name="MQKTS">Chowdhury, p.26</ref> In the eastern end of the city he built the [[Katra Masjid]] mosque in 1724 where he was buried after his death.<ref>{{cite book |last=Begum |first=Ayesha |year=2012 |chapter=Katra Mosque, Murshidabad |chapter-url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Katra_Mosque,_Murshidabad |editor1-last=Islam |editor1-first=Sirajul |editor1-link=Sirajul Islam |editor2-last=Jamal |editor2-first=Ahmed A. |title=Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh |edition=Second |publisher=[[Asiatic Society of Bangladesh]]}}</ref>

===Conditions in Murshidabad===
During Quli Khan's reign the people of the Murshidabad used to participate in many festivals. One of them was the ''Punyah'' which occurred in the last week of the Bengali month of ''Chaitra''. The ''[[zamindar]]s,'' or their representatives, took part in it. However, the festival which was celebrated with the greatest pomp and grandeur was [[Mawlid]] the festival to celebrate the birth of the Islamic prophet [[Muhammad]]. During Mawlid people from neighbouring provinces came to the city to celebrate. On Quli Khan's order ''chirag'' or lamps were lit in all religious places such as mosques, and ''imambararas.''<ref name="MQKTSE">Chowdhury, p.27</ref>

Quli Khan also imitated the Mughal tradition of holding a ''durbar'' in the city which was attended by the city's bankers, foreign tourists, and European companies' representatives. Because of the increase in trade, a new class of businessmen arose who also attended his ''durbar''. Due to his pious nature, Quli Khan followed [[Islam]] strictly and, according to Islamic rules, visitors were fed twice a day.<ref name="MQKTSE"/>

The city used to be a major exporter of [[rice]] across India but {{Circa|1720}}, Quli Khan prohibited all export of rice.<ref name="MQKTSE"/> Chowdhury says that the condition of Hindus during his reign was "also good" as "they became more rich". Though Quli Khan was a Muslim, Hindus were employed in the tax department primarily because he thought they were experts in the field; they could also speak fluent [[Persian language|Persian]].<ref>Chowdhury, p.28</ref>

==Death and succession==
[[File:TombofMurshidQuliKhan.jpg|thumb|Khan's tomb under the stairs of [[Katra Masjid]]]]
Quli Khan died on 30 June 1727.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Mohammed Yamin |title=Impact of Islam on Orissan Culture |publisher=Readworthy |isbn=9789350181027 |page=46}}</ref> He was succeeded initially by his grandson [[Sarfaraz Khan]]. But his son-in-law [[Shuja-ud-Din Muhammad Khan]] did not accept the succession, and planned to fight a war against him. Khan gave up without a fight and Shuja-ud-Din became the nawab in 1727.<ref>Chowdhury, p.29</ref> Sarfaraz would ascend the throne after his father's death in 1739 only to be defeated and replaced by [[Alivardi Khan]] in 1740.<ref>Chowdhury, p.30</ref>

Quli Khan remains buried under the stairs to the main-floor of [[Katra Masjid]]{{refn|group=note|An inscription on the east façade of the mosque reads, "The triumph of Muhammad of Arabia is the glory of heaven and earth. One who be not the dust of his doorstep, dust be upon his head."<ref>{{Cite book|last=Asher|first=Catherine B.|title=The Islamic Heritage of Bengal|publisher=UNESCO|year=1984|isbn=9231021745|editor-last=Michell|editor-first=George|pages=206–207|language=en|chapter=Inventory of key monuments}}</ref>}}—a five-bayed rectangular mosque constructed by himself—pursuant to his wishes.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Kabir|first1=Nurul|last2=Ahmed|first2=Maliha Nargis|date=June 2013|title=Exploring Khan Mohammad Mirdha Mosque: an Attempt to Construe the Socio-religious Fabric of Mughal Dhaka|journal=Pratnatattva|publisher=Jahangirnagar University|volume=19}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Sen|first=Samhita|date=2014|title=Forgotten Nobles of Murshidabad: A Study through Its Architectural Heritage|journal=Pratna Samiksha|publisher=Centre for Archaeological Studies & Training, Eastern India|volume=New Series 5}}</ref> Popular belief holds the mosque to have been constructed of material obtained upon destruction of several Hindu temples and residences;{{refn|group=note|This finds a mention in [[Tarikh-i-Bangala]] (Munshi Salimullah; 1763-64) but not in the [[Riyaz-us-Salatin]] (Ghulam Husain Salīm Zaidpuri; 1787). Both the works were commissioned by officers of the East India Company; Zaidpuri had cited Salimullah among his sources.}} however, it is unlikely since the mosque shows an uniformity of material and Khan used to be an active patron of local temples.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Chaudhury|first=Sushil|title=Profile of a Forgotten Capital: Murshidabad in the Eighteenth Century|publisher=Manohar|year=2018|isbn=9789350981948|location=Delhi|page=164|language=en|chapter=Art and Architecture}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[List of rulers of Bengal]]
*[[History of Bengal]]
*[[History of Bangladesh]]
*[[History of India]]
* [[Shia Islam in India]]

== Footnotes ==
{{reflist|group=note|2}}

== Notes and references ==
===Notes===
{{reflist|2}}

===References===
* {{cite book |script-title=bn:নবাবি আমলে মুর্শিদাবাদ (Nababi Amole Murshidabad) |author=Sushil Chowdhury |year=2004 |isbn=9788177564358}}
* {{cite book |editor-last=Sarkar |editor-first=Jadunath |editor-link=Jadunath Sarkar |year=1973 |orig-year=First published 1948 |title=The History of Bengal |volume=II: Muslim Period, 1200-1757 |location=Patna |publisher=Academica Asiatica |oclc=924890}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-hou|||1665|30 June|1727}}
{{s-bef
| before = [[Mughal Empire]]
}}
{{s-ttl
|title=[[Nawab of Bengal]]
| years = 1717 – 30 June 1727
}}
{{s-aft
| after = [[Shuja-ud-Din Muhammad Khan]]
}}
{{s-end}}

{{Bengal Zamindars}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Khan, Murshid Quli}}
[[Category:Nawabs of Bengal]]
[[Category:1727 deaths]]
[[Category:Converts to Islam]]
[[Category:Year of birth unknown]]
[[Category:1660 births]]
[[Category:Indian Muslims]]

Murshid Quli Khan - Revision history

KathrinChick016 at 12:27, 12 January 2026

Ajay Kumar: Created a new article