Kedar Ray
| Kedar Ray | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1561 Bikrampur, Bengal Sultanate (now Dhaka, Bangladesh) |
| Died | 1616 |
| Issue |
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| Father | Jadob Deb Ray |
Kedarnath Dev Ray (1561–1616 CE) was the Maharaja of Bikrampur, and among the most prominent of the Baro-Bhuyan in the Bengal region of the Indian subcontinent,
Military Career[edit]
- Arakanese-Magh-Bikrampur Naval Battle
Arakanese Magh king Selim Shah sent 5,000 naval war ships to attack the coast of Bay of Bengal but Kedar Ray having only 1,000 war ships, still gained a decisive victory in this battle in which more than 3,000 Arakani ships were destroyed and driven out of the Bay of Bengal. The mighty Bikrampur Kingdom was established.[1][2][3]
After a few years, The Mughal Akbar sent Manda Ray, a general of the Mughal Empire, to destroy the Bikrampur Kingdom and absorb it into the Mughal Empire Manda Ray attacked on the banks of Kalindi River. General Cavaldro defeated the Mughal Empire in this battle. Many historians bielieve that the Kalindi River turned red with the blood of the Mughal army.[4][2][3]
The Mughals were extremely vengeful after their defeat, so the Mughal ally, Maharaja Man Singh of Jaipur sent Kirmak Khan into combat with Kedar Ray. Kirmak Khan, a clever general of the Mughal Empire, knew of Kedar Ray's expertise and his military techniques so instead of staging a direct attack on the Bikrampur Capital he attacked at the small city of Srinagar. A massive battle started between the Bikrampur forces and the Mughal army at Srinagar. General Francisco, General Philip, and General Cavaldro fought bravely for Bikrampur on the battlefield, which resulted in the huge defeat of Mughal army at Srinagar, where Kirmak Khan was taken prisoner and half of the Mughal army fled the battlefield. Bikrampur army laid siege to the Mughal Camps and Cannons, and the Bikrampur Kingdom advanced towards north West Bengal and captured many territories.[2]
- Kalinga-Bikrampur War
When the Kalinga kingIsa Khan broke off his friendship with Kedar Ray, he sent a 20,000 strong Bikrampur army to attack Isha Khan, and the battle turned to victory for Bikrampur, and the Kalinga army retreated.[1]
- Bikrampur-Mughal War
Emperor Jahangir sent a letter to Kedar Ray, in which he wrote, "Raja of Bikrampur Kedar Ray I'm sending a warning to you if you didn't surrender we will have to march towards Bengal. I'm sending a chain and a sword. If you choose the chain you will work under Mughal Empire peacefully if you choose the sword you declare you are ready to fight with us. Think very many times before choosing the sword. I suggest you choose the chain." ~Emperor Jahangir's letter to Kedar Ray. After reading the message, Maharaja Kedar Ray was furious with Jahangir and chose the Sword Kedar Ray wrote, "I'm not a coward that I will choose the chain and I'm choosing the sword. Send your entire strength. I'm ready to fight." Kedar Ray's letter to Jahangir Upon reading the letter, Jahangir became extremely angry with Kedar Ray, and sent the Maharaja of Jaipur Man Singh himself, with 300,000 troops of the Mughal Army,20,000 War Elephants,90,000 Cavalry and 15,000 gunners to march towards Bengal. Kedar Ray was ready with his entire army 100,000 Troops, 60,000 Cavalry, 9,000 War Elephants and 7,000 gunners. At the start of the battle, Kedar Ray and his great generals, including Philip, Cavaldro, and Francisco, fought bravely for nine days, but unfortunately, due to a sudden cannon shot that hit Kedar Ray's body directly, he died on the battlefield. After this the army of the Bikrampur Kingdom sustained heavy casualties and the capital was besieged by the Mughal Army. The mighty Bikrampur Kingdom fell and declined, but still its descendants live in India .[2][1][3]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c Sen, Dineshchandra (1988). The Ballads of Bengal. Mittal Publications.
- ^ a b c d Ray, Aniruddha (1998). Adventurers, Landowners, and Rebels: Bengal C. 1575-c. 1715. Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers. ISBN 978-81-215-0743-1.
- ^ a b c Rahim, Muhammad Abdur (1963). Social and Cultural History of Bengal: 1576-1757. Pakistan Historical Society.
- ^ Sen, Dineshchandra (1988). The Ballads of Bengal. Mittal Publications.