JerilynCropper5 at 17:39, 1 May 2026

2026-05-01T17:39:23Z

New page

{{Short description|War between Bengal Sultanate and Dehli}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=December 2018}}

The '''Ekdala War''' ({{Langx|bn|একডালার যুদ্ধ|Ekḍalar Juddhô}}) was a 14th century conflict between the [[Bengal Sultanate]] and the [[Delhi Sultanate]] which took place in the islets of Ekdala in [[Bengal]]. The war resulted in Delhi eventually recognising the independence of [[Bengal Sultanate]].
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict = First Ekdala War
| image =
| image_size =
| caption =
| date = 1353–1359
| place = Ekdala, [[Bengal]]
| territory =
| result = [[Bengal Sultanate]] victory{{Bulleted list|Withdrawal by the Delhi Sultanate}}{{Bulleted list|Delhi recognises sovereignty of the Sultan of Bengal}}
| combatant1 = [[Bengal Sultanate]]
| combatant2 = [[File:Delhi Sultanate Flag.svg|23x23px]] [[Delhi Sultanate]]
| commander1 = [[Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah]] [[Sikandar Shah]]
| commander2 = [[Firuz Shah Tughluq]] Malik Dīlān Mīrshikār Malik Ḥusām ad-Dīn Nawā Tātār Khān
| strength1 = 200,000 infantry 10,000 horses 51 elephants
| strength2 = 260,000 infantry 30,000 horses Elephants
| casualties1 = 180,000 people
| casualties2 = Heavy
| notes =
| casus =
| mage2 =
}}

==Background==
{{Further|Tughlaq campaign of Bengal}}
In the early 14th century, Delhi's rebel governors in Bengal formed their own sultanates. By 1352, [[Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah]] defeated other rulers in [[Bengal]] and united the region into one sultanate. Ilyas Shah proclaimed himself as the [[Bengal Sultanate|Sultan of Bengal]]. Ilyas Shah's earlier military campaigns also involved the sacking of [[Kathmandu]] and [[Varanasi]]; and an invasion of [[Odisha|Orissa]].{{Citation needed|date=May 2025}}

==Location==
The conflict centered on the mud fort of Ekdala. The fort was located on an island surrounded by a [[moat]] and marshy jungle. The exact location of the area is unclear; with various sources saying it may have been in [[Dinajpur]], [[Dhaka]] or [[Pandua, Malda|Pandua]].<ref>{{cite Banglapedia|article=Ekdala|author=Ahmed, ABM Shamsuddin}}</ref>

==First Ekdala War==
In 1353, the Sultan of Delhi [[Firuz Shah Tughluq]] led 70,000 of his men into Bengal. They rested at the banks of the [[Kosi River]] which was difficult to cross, and they could also see some of Ilyas Shah's forces posted on the other side near the [[Ganges River|Ganges Junction]]. When news of this reached Ilyas Shah, he deserted his capital at [[Hazrat Pandua|Pandua]] and took shelter in the Fort of Ekdala. The Delhi army then besieged the fort, but was deterred by its island's location and the Bengal navy. According to erstwhile Delhi accounts, the two forces engaged in a battle after the Delhi Sultan tricked Ilyas Shah into attacking Delhi forces, who had pretended to withdraw. The Delhi army occupied [[Lakhnauti]] and issued a proclamation asking locals to pledge allegiance to [[Delhi Sultanate|Delhi]]. With the Bengal army scattered across, Ilyas Shah had fled with seven horsemen as three of his elephants were killed and 48 captured. According to erstwhile Delhi accounts, [[Firuz Shah Tughlaq]]'s forces were victorious but did not annex the territory upon the wish of their Sultan, who had learnt from historic incidents with rebellious governors. The Sultan of Delhi also renamed Ekdala to Azadpur (akin to Freetown) and [[Pandua, Hooghly|Pandua]] to [[Firozabad]] (after himself). After the forces had set off for Delhi following the victory, Ilyas Shah entered Ekdala and executed the governor put in charge.{{Sfn|Elliot|1953}} Other sources claim that the conflict was settled after Bengal agreed to pay an annual tribute to Delhi, and that the exchange of gifts between Delhi and Bengal indicated each other's sovereignty.{{Sfn|Sengupta|2011|p=73}}

==Siege of Ekdala (1359)==
Firuz Shah Tughluq again invaded Bengal in 1359 when Ilyas Shah's successor [[Sikandar Shah]] took the throne. Tughluq felt Sikandar Shah had violated the terms of the treaty reached with his father. Tughluq sought to place the son-in-law of one of Ilyas Shah's rivals as the sultan of Bengal. During the invasion, Sikandar Shah based himself in Ekdala fort like his father.

The Delhi army besieged the island fort for months. After growing exhausted of Bengal's climate, the Delhi Sultan reached a peace treaty with Sikandar Shah.{{Sfn|Kunal Chakrabarti|Shubhra Chakrabarti|2013|p=12}} Delhi recognized Sikandar as an independent ruler. The peace treaty ensured Bengal's independence for two centuries.{{Sfn|Sengupta|2011|p=73}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
{{refbegin}}
*{{cite book|title=Tarikh-i Firoz Shahi Of Shams-i Siraj Afif|last=Elliot |first=Henry Miers |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.116023/page/n45/mode/2up?q=shamsu|publisher=Gupta, Susil|year=1953}}
*{{cite book|last= Sengupta|first=Nitish K. |title=Land of Two Rivers: A History of Bengal from the Mahabharata to Mujib|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kVSh_TyJ0YoC&pg=PA71|year=2011|publisher=Penguin Books India|isbn=978-0-14-341678-4}}
*{{cite book|last1= Chakrabarti |first1= Kunal| last2 = Chakrabarti|first2=Shubhra|title=Historical Dictionary of the Bengalis|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QVOFAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA12|year=2013|publisher=Scarecrow Press|isbn=978-0-8108-8024-5 |ref={{harvid|Kunal Chakrabarti|Shubhra Chakrabarti|2013}}}}
{{refend}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bengal Sultanate-Delhi Sultanate War}}
[[Category:Wars involving the Bengal Sultanate]]
[[Category:Wars involving the Delhi Sultanate]]
[[Category:Wars involving medieval India]]

Ekdala Wars - Revision history

JerilynCropper5 at 17:39, 1 May 2026