VirgilioBrereton at 04:45, 23 April 2026

2026-04-23T04:45:32Z

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{{Short description|Governor of Mughal Hyderabad}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Use Indian English|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Jan Sipar Khan
| image =
| caption =
| office1 = 5th [[Faujdar]] of [[Bidar]]
| term_start1 = 1681
| term_end1 = {{circa|1687}}
| parents = Sayyid Muhammad Sanzwari (father)
| office2 = [[Subahdar]] of [[Hyderabad Subah|Hyderabad]]
| term_start2 = {{circa|1689}}
| term_end2 = 1700
| birth_name = Mir Bahadur Dil
| birth_date =
| death_date = 1700
| issue =
| children = [[Rustam Dil Khan]]
| monarch = [[Aurangzeb]]
| monarch2 =
| monarch1 =
| office3 =
| monarch3 =
| term_start3 =
| term_end3 =
| honorific_prefix =
| battles = [[Mughal war of succession (1658–1659)]]
| relations = Mukhtar Khan (brother)
| succeeded1 = Rustam Dil Khan
| preceded1 = Qalandar Khan
| resting_place = [[Kali Masjid, Hyderabad|Kali Masjid]], [[Yaqutpura]], [[Hyderabad]]
| preceded2 = [[Ruhullah Khan]]
| succeeded2 = Rustam Dil Khan
| deputy2 = Rustam Dil Khan
| deputy1 = [[Rustam Dil Khan]]
}}
'''Mir Bahadur Dil''' (died 1700), known by the title '''Jan Sipar Khan''' ({{Literal translation|The Life-scattering Khan}}),{{Sfn|Richards|1976|p=244}} was a noble of the [[Mughal Empire]]. He was active during the reign of emperor [[Aurangzeb]], and held offices in the [[Deccan]] region of the empire. His most notable position was in the [[Subah|Mughal province]] of [[Hyderabad Subah]], where he served as its first permanent ''[[subahdar]]'' (governor) for twelve years, dying in office.

== Origins ==
Jan Sipar Khan's original name was Mir Bahadur Dil. He was the third son of Sayyid Muhammad Sanzwari, a native of Iraq who had migrated to Mughal India in the 17th century (following a stint in the region of [[Khurasan]]). The latter joined the service of emperor [[Jahangir]], and later governed [[Delhi]] under the title Mukhtar Khan.{{Sfn|Richards|1975|p=78-79}}<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Bilgrami |first=Syed Ali Asgar |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wgo97XF0XuYC |title=Landmarks of the Deccan |publisher=Asian Educational Services |isbn=8120605438 |pages=96–98}}</ref> Jan Sipar Khan also had a brother named Mukhtar Khan, who served as the third Mughal governor of the city of [[Bidar]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Yazdani |first=Ghulam |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w6xpQpOCtzAC |title=Bidar: its history and monuments |date=1995 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publ |isbn=978-81-208-1071-6 |edition=1. Indian |location=Delhi |pages=16 & 202}}</ref>

== Career ==
Jan Sipar Khan received his title for fighting in the [[Mughal war of succession (1658–1659)|Mughal war of succession]] in support of Aurangzeb.<ref name=":1" />{{Sfn|Richards|1975|p=78-79}} In 1681, he was appointed the ''[[faujdar]]'' (governor) of Bidar under Aurangzeb, replacing a noble named Qalandar Khan. He was the fifth to serve that position since the [[Siege of Bidar|Mughal capture of the city]], and was assisted in governance by his son [[Rustam Dil Khan]]. Aurangzeb arrived in Bidar following the successful [[siege of Golconda]], and in 1687 deputed Jan Sipar Khan to escort the last king of [[Golconda Sultanate|Golconda]], [[Abul Hasan Qutb Shah]], to be imprisoned in [[Daulatabad Fort|Daulatabad]]. Historian [[John F. Richards]] viewed this as indicative of the emperor's trust in Jan Sipar Khan, and theorizes that this may also have been a deliberate move to collect information from the fallen king. Jan Sipar Khan was subsequently promoted to the governorship of [[Hyderabad Subah]], the Mughal province formed from the annexation of the Golconda Sultanate, replacing the temporary governor [[Ruhullah Khan]]. His son Rustam Dil Khan took over his position as governor of Bidar.{{Sfn|Richards|1975|p=78-79}}<ref name=":0" />

=== Governor of Hyderabad ===
Jan Sipar Khan was the first permanent governor of Hyderabad Subah;{{Sfn|Richards|1976|p=250}} the previous occupants of the position, Ruhullah Khan and Muhammad Ibrahim, had been interim governors who served for mere months.{{Sfn|Richards|1975|p=55-57}}{{Sfn|Richards|1975|p=78-79}} Jan Sipar Khan took up residence in the capital city of [[Hyderabad]] around 1689.{{Sfn|Richards|1975|p=78-79}}{{Sfn|Richards|1975|p=81}}{{Sfn|Richards|1976|p=250}} His son Rustam Dil Khan served as his deputy; they split their duties such that Jan Sipar Khan resided in the capital while Rustam Dil Khan campaigned in the surrounding regions.{{Sfn|Richards|1975|p=78-79}} The governor's position in Hyderabad was initially weak, due to a wide series of revolts faced by the Mughal south, which meant that Jan Sipar Khan had limited military resources at this disposal. For example, in 1691 the province faced a [[Maratha Confederacy|Maratha]] raid, during which Jan Sipar Khan barricaded himself in the [[Golconda fort]] while surrounding villages were looted. Following 1692 however, Maratha raids eased as the focus of the [[Mughal-Maratha War|Mughal-Maratha war]] shifted to [[Gingee|Jinji]], which ushured in a period of relative peace. The latter part of his tenure resultantly was more secure.{{Sfn|Richards|1975|p=110-111}} From 1695, Jan Sipar Khan also held a dual position as ''faujdar'' of [[Kaulas Fort|Kaulas]], a district and town in Hyderabad Subah that lay west of the capital; this was one of the largest ''[[pargana]]s'' (district) in the province.{{Sfn|Richards|1975|p=81,95,98}}

== Death ==
Jan Sipar Khan died in 1700, having governed Hyderabad for a period of twelve years.{{Sfn|Richards|1975|p=78-79}} He was succeeded in the governorship by Rustam Dil Khan.{{Sfn|Richards|1976|p=250}} At the time of his death, he held a rank of 3500 ''zat'' and 2700 ''sowar.{{Sfn|Richards|1975|p=81}}'' He is buried in the [[Kali Masjid, Hyderabad|Kali Masjid]], a mosque in [[Yaqutpura]], Hyderabad, alongside his son Rustam Dil Khan.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last=Khalidi |first=Omar |url=https://archnet.org/authorities/2736/publications/12049 |title=A Guide to Architecture in Hyderabad, Deccan, India |publisher=Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture & MIT Libraries |year=2009 |pages=54}}</ref>

== References ==
<references responsive="1"></references>

== Bibliography ==

* {{Citation |last=Richards |first=John F. |title=Mughal Administration in Golconda |year=1975 |place=Oxford [England] |publisher=Clarendon Press |isbn=0-19-821561-4 |oclc=2932290}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Richards |first=J.F |date=1976 |title=The Imperial Crisis in the Deccan |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/2053981 |journal=The Journal of Asian Studies |volume=35 |issue=2 |pages=250 |doi=10.2307/2053981 |jstor=2053981 |issn=0021-9118|url-access=subscription }}

== External links ==
*[[hdl:1721.3/29553|Graves of Jan Sipar Khan, Rustam Dil Khan - MIT Libraries Dome]]

[[Category:Subahdars of Hyderabad]]
[[Category:1700 deaths]]
[[Category:17th-century Mughal Empire people]]
[[Category:Bidar]]
[[Category:Year of birth missing]]

Jan Sipar Khan - Revision history

VirgilioBrereton at 04:45, 23 April 2026