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{{Short description|First Sultan of Kashmir (r. 1320–1323)}} | |||
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2018}} | {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2018}} | ||
{{Infobox royalty | {{Infobox royalty | ||
| name = Rinchan Shah | | name = Rinchan Shah | ||
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| reign = 1320–1323 CE | | reign = 1320–1323 CE | ||
| coronation = | | coronation = | ||
| predecessor = | | predecessor = Sūhadeva (1301–1302) | ||
| successor = [[Kota Rani]] | | successor = [[Kota Rani]] (1323–1339) | ||
| spouse = [[Kota Rani]] | | spouse = [[Kota Rani]] | ||
| issue = Haidar Khan | | issue = Haidar Khan | ||
| Line 25: | Line 25: | ||
| signature = | | signature = | ||
}} | }} | ||
'''Sadruddin Shah''', also known as '''Rinchan''', was the first Muslim ruler of [[Kashmir]]. He ruled Kashmir from 1320 to 1323 | '''Sadruddin Shah''', also known as '''Rinchan''', was the first Muslim ruler of [[Kashmir]]. He ruled Kashmir from 1320 to 1323. | ||
== Background == | |||
Around 1313, an invader named "Du'l-Qadr"—mentioned by Jonaraja to be the commander of a ''Karmasena''—invaded Kashmir with heavy cavalry.<ref name=":93">{{Cite book|last=Slaje|first=Walter|url=https://www.academia.edu/42710523/Kingship_in_Ka%C5%9Bm%C4%ABr_AD_1148_1459_From_the_Pen_of_Jonar%C4%81ja_Court_Pa%E1%B9%87%E1%B8%8Dit_to_Sul%E1%B9%AD%C4%81n_Zayn_al_%C4%80bid%C4%ABn_Critically_Edited_By_Walter_Slaje_With_an_Annotated_Translation_Indexes_and_Maps|title=Kingship in Kaśmīr (AD 1148‒1459) From the Pen of Jonarāja, Court Paṇḍit to Sulṭān Zayn al-‛Ābidīn|publisher=|year=2014|isbn=3869770880|series=Studia Indologica Universitatis Halensis - 7|location=Germany|pages=77–91, 263–266}}</ref> [[Baharistan-i-shahi]] (''BIS''; anon.) notes him to be a Turko-Mongol raider; the name is given as "Zulchu".<ref name=":15">{{Cite book|last=Pandit|first=Kashinath|url=https://archive.org/details/AChronicleOfMedievalKashmirKashinathPandit|title=Baharistan-i-shahi: A chronicle of mediaeval Kashmir|publisher=Firma KLM Pvt. Ltd.|year=1991|location=Kolkata}}</ref> | |||
Jonaraja notes that Suhadeva, the-then ruler of Kashmir to have had received him with all honors; he sought to pay his way out of a conflict and levied new taxes on all subjects.<ref name=":93" /> This did not go down well with the Brahmins who threatened to fast until death, bringing Suhadeva's plans to an end and spurring the inevitable.<ref name=":93" />{{Efn|In Dharmashastra cannon, Brahmins are exempted from being levied with taxes.}} In contrast, ''BIS'' does not mention any negotiation — the sole aim was said to be to massacre Kashmiris and gain wealth.<ref name=":15" /> | |||
== Biography == | |||
=== Early life === | |||
Little is known about the antecedents of Rinchan.<ref name=":93" /> While {{Wj}}''BIS'' claims him to have arrived from "Tibet",<ref name=":15" /> Jonaraja says that he was a Ladakhi nobleman of Buddhist faith whose father and other relatives were treacherously murdered at the hands of Kalamanya (probably Balti) clan.<ref name=":93" /> Rinchan took his revenge by feigning to make peace with the Kalamanyas, lured them unarmed to drink the chalice at a river-bank and had them murdered with a hidden axe.<ref name=":93" /> Despite this success, there were ample adversaries left in Ladakh, and he chose to ply his trade in North Kashmir.<ref name=":93" /> | |||
=== Ascension to Power === | |||
Rinchan was allowed to reside at Gaganagiri by Ramchandra, Governor of Lahara<ref name=":15" /> and began to ascend the hierarchy of power; Suhadeva allowed this with the aim of keeping Ramchandra in check.<ref name=":93" /> Before long, Rinchan had gained tremendous wealth by selling off Kashmiris as slaves to Ladakh — this trade ran in parallel to Qadr's depredations and did not draw any imperial response.<ref name=":93" /> By the time, Qadr decided to return (Jonaraja blames the impending winters whereas ''BIS'' blames the lack of food), Kashmir was in a state of total ruin with the elites dead or distant; Suhadeva lacked popular legitimacy and Rinchan had his eyes set on the throne.<ref name=":93" /><ref name=":15" /> | |||
That the people were allowed to form armed groups to ward off robbers etc. helped Rinchan; he utilized the loopholes to raise a group of faithful soldiers in Lahar.<ref name=":15" /> However, Ramchandra proved to be a hard obstacle to his machinations and Rinchan had him assassinated by sneaking in fellow Ladakhis into Lahara Fort as cloth-merchants over the course of days.<ref name=":93" /><ref name=":15" /> The fort was seized, his relatives imprisoned, and [[Kota Rani|Kota]]—the daughter of Ramchandra—married to Rinchan himself, by force.<ref name=":93" /> | |||
According to Jonaraja, there was none left to oppose Rinchan's rise to power, Suhadeva fled Kashmir; however, ''BIS'' notes of a battle where Suhadeva was defeated.<ref name=":93" /><ref name=":15" /> | |||
=== Rule and conversion === | |||
Both Jonaraja and ''BIS'' commend Rinchan to be a kind and just ruler.<ref name=":93" /><ref name=":15" /> The rule of law was sacrosanct for everybody irrespective of closeness to the King and his sagacious ways led subjects to believe that the Golden Age of Kashmir had been restored.<ref name=":93" /><ref name=":15" />{{Efn|Both the sources mention the same incident about him resolving an (apparently) intractable dispute in an ingenious way.}} [[Shah Mir]] was appointed as the Prime Minister.<ref name=":93" /> | |||
== | Jonaraja notes that soon after his ascension, Rinchan had sought initiation into [[Shaivism|Saivism]], the predominant religious denomination of Kashmir, but the Devasmamin (the priest) felt him to be unworthy.<ref name=":93" /> He does not discuss the religious aspects of Rinchan any further but given the Islamic names of his son, it is obvious that he had converted to Islam sometime later.<ref name=":93" /> According to ''BIS,'' Rinchan was terribly confused about his religious conversion, with both Hindus and Muslims beseeching him to join their faith to the extent of engaging in theological debates.<ref name=":15" /> Eventually, one morning he saw [[Bulbul Shah]]—a Turkistani Sufi missionary of the Ni'matullah Order—and was taken in by his devotion as well as preaching; thus, he became the first ruler of Kashmir to embrace Islam.<ref name=":15" /> | ||
In the meanwhile, Udayandeva—a member of the erstwhile nobility, who had fled to Gandhara on the heels of a failed negotiation with Qadr—scoped for opportunities to usurp the throne.<ref name=":93" /> He is said to have instigated Takka, whose brother Timi was earlier executed by Rinchan for having drank stolen milk, into a rebellion; Udayandeva particularly emphasized how Rinchan cared about nothing but fame and how Takka was kept in the sidelines of Rinchan's administration unlike Vyala.<ref name=":93" /> | |||
Subsequently, Rinchan was sworded in the royal palace and the conspirators, taking him for dead, planned to seize the city.<ref name=":93" /> In reality, Rinchan was seriously injured but not dead; he stood up once they were at a distance.<ref name=":93" /> Despite spotting this, no one bothered to have him overpowered but fought among themselves about who was to blame for not pulling off the assassination.<ref name=":93" /> Eventually, Rinchan staked the assassins and massacred their families to the extent of disemboweling pregnant women.<ref name=":93" /> The rebellion was suppressed ruthlessly but the injuries inflicted a chronic headache.<ref name=":93" /> | |||
== | ==== Art and Architecture ==== | ||
Rinchan built a [[khanqah]] in Shah's honor near his palace and even commissioned a [[jagir]].<ref name=":15" /> He also constructed the ''Baed Masheed'' (lit. Big Mosque).<ref name=":15" />{{Efn|BIS reports that the original structure caught fire and was replaced with a smaller structure at an unknown date.}} Jonaraja also constructed the fortification of Rinchanpora.<ref name=":93" /> | |||
== | === Death and heir === | ||
The winters of 1323 worsened Rinchan's headache; he never recovered and breathed his last on 25 November.<ref name=":93" /> His remains remain interred near Bud Masheed — the tomb was discovered by archaeologist [[August Hermann Francke (Tibetologist)|A. H. Francke]] in 1909 and reconstructed by Kashmiri Government in 1990.<ref name=":93" /> He had a son, Haidar Khan, by his queen [[Kota Rani|Kota]], whom he entrusted to the care of Shah Mir.<ref name=":93" /> | |||
Mir would later kill Haider along with Rani, establishing the [[Shah Mir dynasty]].<ref name=":93" /> | |||
== | == Notes == | ||
{{Notelist}} | |||
== References == | == References == | ||
{{reflist}} | {{reflist}} | ||
[[Category:1323 deaths]] | [[Category:1323 deaths]] | ||
[[Category:14th-century Indian monarchs]] | |||
[[Category:Ladakhi people]] | |||
[[Category:Medieval India]] | |||
[[Category:People from Ladakh]] | [[Category:People from Ladakh]] | ||
[[Category:Sultans of Kashmir]] | [[Category:Sultans of Kashmir]] | ||
Latest revision as of 15:47, 29 May 2022
| Rinchan Shah | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sultan of Kashmir First Muslim King of Kashmir of Zulchu Dynasty | |||||
| 1st Sultan of the Kashmir of Zulchu Dynasty | |||||
| Reign | 1320–1323 CE | ||||
| Predecessor | Sūhadeva (1301–1302) | ||||
| Successor | Kota Rani (1323–1339) | ||||
| Spouse | Kota Rani | ||||
| Issue | Haidar Khan | ||||
| |||||
| House | Zulchu Dynasty | ||||
| Father | Lha-chen dnos-grub | ||||
| Religion | Sunni Islam | ||||
Sadruddin Shah, also known as Rinchan, was the first Muslim ruler of Kashmir. He ruled Kashmir from 1320 to 1323.
Background[edit | edit source]
Around 1313, an invader named "Du'l-Qadr"—mentioned by Jonaraja to be the commander of a Karmasena—invaded Kashmir with heavy cavalry.[1] Baharistan-i-shahi (BIS; anon.) notes him to be a Turko-Mongol raider; the name is given as "Zulchu".[2]
Jonaraja notes that Suhadeva, the-then ruler of Kashmir to have had received him with all honors; he sought to pay his way out of a conflict and levied new taxes on all subjects.[1] This did not go down well with the Brahmins who threatened to fast until death, bringing Suhadeva's plans to an end and spurring the inevitable.[1][lower-alpha 1] In contrast, BIS does not mention any negotiation — the sole aim was said to be to massacre Kashmiris and gain wealth.[2]
Biography[edit | edit source]
Early life[edit | edit source]
Little is known about the antecedents of Rinchan.[1] While Template:WjBIS claims him to have arrived from "Tibet",[2] Jonaraja says that he was a Ladakhi nobleman of Buddhist faith whose father and other relatives were treacherously murdered at the hands of Kalamanya (probably Balti) clan.[1] Rinchan took his revenge by feigning to make peace with the Kalamanyas, lured them unarmed to drink the chalice at a river-bank and had them murdered with a hidden axe.[1] Despite this success, there were ample adversaries left in Ladakh, and he chose to ply his trade in North Kashmir.[1]
Ascension to Power[edit | edit source]
Rinchan was allowed to reside at Gaganagiri by Ramchandra, Governor of Lahara[2] and began to ascend the hierarchy of power; Suhadeva allowed this with the aim of keeping Ramchandra in check.[1] Before long, Rinchan had gained tremendous wealth by selling off Kashmiris as slaves to Ladakh — this trade ran in parallel to Qadr's depredations and did not draw any imperial response.[1] By the time, Qadr decided to return (Jonaraja blames the impending winters whereas BIS blames the lack of food), Kashmir was in a state of total ruin with the elites dead or distant; Suhadeva lacked popular legitimacy and Rinchan had his eyes set on the throne.[1][2]
That the people were allowed to form armed groups to ward off robbers etc. helped Rinchan; he utilized the loopholes to raise a group of faithful soldiers in Lahar.[2] However, Ramchandra proved to be a hard obstacle to his machinations and Rinchan had him assassinated by sneaking in fellow Ladakhis into Lahara Fort as cloth-merchants over the course of days.[1][2] The fort was seized, his relatives imprisoned, and Kota—the daughter of Ramchandra—married to Rinchan himself, by force.[1]
According to Jonaraja, there was none left to oppose Rinchan's rise to power, Suhadeva fled Kashmir; however, BIS notes of a battle where Suhadeva was defeated.[1][2]
Rule and conversion[edit | edit source]
Both Jonaraja and BIS commend Rinchan to be a kind and just ruler.[1][2] The rule of law was sacrosanct for everybody irrespective of closeness to the King and his sagacious ways led subjects to believe that the Golden Age of Kashmir had been restored.[1][2][lower-alpha 2] Shah Mir was appointed as the Prime Minister.[1]
Jonaraja notes that soon after his ascension, Rinchan had sought initiation into Saivism, the predominant religious denomination of Kashmir, but the Devasmamin (the priest) felt him to be unworthy.[1] He does not discuss the religious aspects of Rinchan any further but given the Islamic names of his son, it is obvious that he had converted to Islam sometime later.[1] According to BIS, Rinchan was terribly confused about his religious conversion, with both Hindus and Muslims beseeching him to join their faith to the extent of engaging in theological debates.[2] Eventually, one morning he saw Bulbul Shah—a Turkistani Sufi missionary of the Ni'matullah Order—and was taken in by his devotion as well as preaching; thus, he became the first ruler of Kashmir to embrace Islam.[2]
In the meanwhile, Udayandeva—a member of the erstwhile nobility, who had fled to Gandhara on the heels of a failed negotiation with Qadr—scoped for opportunities to usurp the throne.[1] He is said to have instigated Takka, whose brother Timi was earlier executed by Rinchan for having drank stolen milk, into a rebellion; Udayandeva particularly emphasized how Rinchan cared about nothing but fame and how Takka was kept in the sidelines of Rinchan's administration unlike Vyala.[1]
Subsequently, Rinchan was sworded in the royal palace and the conspirators, taking him for dead, planned to seize the city.[1] In reality, Rinchan was seriously injured but not dead; he stood up once they were at a distance.[1] Despite spotting this, no one bothered to have him overpowered but fought among themselves about who was to blame for not pulling off the assassination.[1] Eventually, Rinchan staked the assassins and massacred their families to the extent of disemboweling pregnant women.[1] The rebellion was suppressed ruthlessly but the injuries inflicted a chronic headache.[1]
Art and Architecture[edit | edit source]
Rinchan built a khanqah in Shah's honor near his palace and even commissioned a jagir.[2] He also constructed the Baed Masheed (lit. Big Mosque).[2][lower-alpha 3] Jonaraja also constructed the fortification of Rinchanpora.[1]
Death and heir[edit | edit source]
The winters of 1323 worsened Rinchan's headache; he never recovered and breathed his last on 25 November.[1] His remains remain interred near Bud Masheed — the tomb was discovered by archaeologist A. H. Francke in 1909 and reconstructed by Kashmiri Government in 1990.[1] He had a son, Haidar Khan, by his queen Kota, whom he entrusted to the care of Shah Mir.[1]
Mir would later kill Haider along with Rani, establishing the Shah Mir dynasty.[1]
Notes[edit | edit source]
- ↑ In Dharmashastra cannon, Brahmins are exempted from being levied with taxes.
- ↑ Both the sources mention the same incident about him resolving an (apparently) intractable dispute in an ingenious way.
- ↑ BIS reports that the original structure caught fire and was replaced with a smaller structure at an unknown date.
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.22 1.23 1.24 1.25 1.26 1.27 1.28 1.29 Slaje, Walter (2014). Kingship in Kaśmīr (AD 1148‒1459) From the Pen of Jonarāja, Court Paṇḍit to Sulṭān Zayn al-‛Ābidīn. Studia Indologica Universitatis Halensis - 7. Germany. pp. 77–91, 263–266. ISBN 3869770880.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 Pandit, Kashinath (1991). Baharistan-i-shahi: A chronicle of mediaeval Kashmir. Kolkata: Firma KLM Pvt. Ltd.