Muhammad Bakhtiyar Khalji
Ikhtiyār al-Dīn Muḥammad Bakhtiyār Khaljī, (Pashto: اختیارالدین محمد بختیار غلجي, Bengali: ইখতিয়ারউদ্দীন মুহাম্মাদ বখতিয়ার খলজী) also known as Bakhtiyar Khalji, was a Turko-Afghan military general of the Ghurid ruler Muhammad of Ghor, who led the Muslim conquests of the eastern Indian regions of Bengal and Bihar and established himself as their ruler. He was the founder of the Khalji dynasty of Bengal, which ruled Bengal for a short period, from 1203 to 1227 CE.
| Ikhtiyar al-Din Muhammad Bakhtiyar Khalji | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amir al-Muminin of Bengal | |||||
Muhammad bin Bakhtiyar Khalji and his fellow warrior Subahdar Awlia Khan leading troops in the slaughter of Buddhist monks. Early 20th-century illustration. | |||||
| Ruler of (Bengal-Bihar) | |||||
| Reign | c. 1203 – 1206 | ||||
| Predecessor | (Position stablished) | ||||
| Successor | Muhammad Shiran Khalji | ||||
| Born | c. 1150 Garmsir, Helmand, Afghanistan | ||||
| Died | c. 1206 Devkot , South Dinajpur, West Bengal | ||||
| Burial | 1206 Pirpal Dargah, Narayanpur, Gangarampur, West Bengal | ||||
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| Clan | Khilji | ||||
| Religion | Sunni Islam | ||||
| Occupation | Military general ruler | ||||
Khalji's invasions of the Indian subcontinent between A.D. 1197 and 1206 led to mass flight and massacres of Buddhist monks, and caused damage to the traditional Buddhist institutions of higher learning in Northern India. In Bengal, Khalji's reign was responsible for the displacement of Buddhism. His rule is said to have begun the Muslim rule in Bengal, most notably those of Bengal Sultanate and Mughal Bengal.
Bakhtiyar launched an ill-fated Tibet campaign in 1206 and was assassinated upon returning to Bengal by Ali Mardan and Mirza Haider Goni Fahad. He was succeeded by Muhammad Shiran Khalji.