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MURSHID QULI KHAN: OR THE STORY OF SURYANARAYANA MISHRA WHO BECAME THE FIRST NAWAB OF BENGAL
This work is the outcome of an accidental detour that I took while researching for something else. The detour led me to Bengal and kept me there for weeks because I found the mention of Vaikunth (the Celestial Abode of Bhagavan Vishnu) referred to in a narrative about a bigoted 18th century Muslim revenue official.
This Vaikunth was a hellish system of torture that he had invented from the depths of his fanaticism. This Vaikunth was the name he had given to a large pit of human faeces.
This unsettling discovery led me to Murshid Quli Khan to whom this official reported. That in turn led to the discovery that Murshid Quli was born a Brahmana who eventually became the first Nawab of Bengal. I decided to investigate him, and the more I read, the more questions propped up.
How does a Suryanarayana Mishra — born distinctly in a Vedic lineage — become a Muhammad Hādi? How does he further become one of the most trustworthy confidants of an absolute bigot like Aurangzeb? What impels him to convert and persecute the Hindu population of Bengal, fleece them to the bone and destroy their sacred spaces – for example, to build his own tomb?
And how does he set in motion a chain of events that culminate in the British East India Company's victory in the Battle of Plassey in 1757.
The answers revealed themselves as I read.
Murshid Quli Khan or Nawab Jaafar Khan Bahadur Nasiri lived during a decisive period of late medieval Indian history. He rose to great power at a time when Aurangzeb’s reign was about to be extinguished. Murshid Quli Khan’s story is also a significant page of history that demonstrates the truth that the Mughal kings gifted large parts of India away to a mere trading outfit named the East India Company and paved their way for the takeover of India.
From a historical standpoint, an understanding of Murshid Quli Khan’s tumultuous career and short-lived regime as the first Nawab of Bengal opens valuable vistas to understand the situation in18th century India. The decisions he took as the Nawab have left their imprint on the society and culture of Bengal to this day.
As with my all my books, this one too, is written as a popular narrative history meant for a general audience.
A new feature of this work is the inclusion of creative illustrations at various points which I hope makes the work more engaging.
As always, I hope you find the book interesting and useful.
Happy Reading!
This Vaikunth was a hellish system of torture that he had invented from the depths of his fanaticism. This Vaikunth was the name he had given to a large pit of human faeces.
This unsettling discovery led me to Murshid Quli Khan to whom this official reported. That in turn led to the discovery that Murshid Quli was born a Brahmana who eventually became the first Nawab of Bengal. I decided to investigate him, and the more I read, the more questions propped up.
How does a Suryanarayana Mishra — born distinctly in a Vedic lineage — become a Muhammad Hādi? How does he further become one of the most trustworthy confidants of an absolute bigot like Aurangzeb? What impels him to convert and persecute the Hindu population of Bengal, fleece them to the bone and destroy their sacred spaces – for example, to build his own tomb?
And how does he set in motion a chain of events that culminate in the British East India Company's victory in the Battle of Plassey in 1757.
The answers revealed themselves as I read.
Murshid Quli Khan or Nawab Jaafar Khan Bahadur Nasiri lived during a decisive period of late medieval Indian history. He rose to great power at a time when Aurangzeb’s reign was about to be extinguished. Murshid Quli Khan’s story is also a significant page of history that demonstrates the truth that the Mughal kings gifted large parts of India away to a mere trading outfit named the East India Company and paved their way for the takeover of India.
From a historical standpoint, an understanding of Murshid Quli Khan’s tumultuous career and short-lived regime as the first Nawab of Bengal opens valuable vistas to understand the situation in18th century India. The decisions he took as the Nawab have left their imprint on the society and culture of Bengal to this day.
As with my all my books, this one too, is written as a popular narrative history meant for a general audience.
A new feature of this work is the inclusion of creative illustrations at various points which I hope makes the work more engaging.
As always, I hope you find the book interesting and useful.
Happy Reading!
73 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 5, 2025
1 person is currently reading
8 people want to read
About the author
Sandeep Balakrishna
20 books82 followersSandeep Balakrishna is a veteran writer, author, editor, speaker and independent researcher with about 20 years of writing on Indian history, culture, literature and temples. During this period, he has authored over 900 articles, essays, critiques, academic papers and delivered lectures on numerous topics related to these themes at institutions like the Indian Council of Philosophical Research, IIM Bangalore, Sri Aurobindo Society, Shree Somanath Sanskrit University, Bangalore University and Amrita University, to name a few. He writes in both English and Kannada. His articles, columns and research papers have appeared in prestigious journals, newspapers and magazines in both print and digital format. Sandeep is the author of the bestselling books Tipu Sultan: The Tyrant of Mysore, which has been widely referenced and quoted in mainstream publications and television programmes, and Madurai Sultanate: A Concise History. He is also the author of the critically acclaimed work, 70 Years of Secularism: Unpopular Essays on the Unofficial Political Religion of India. He has also translated the legendary Kannada novelist Dr S.L. Bhyrappa’s critically acclaimed work Aavarana into English, as Aavarana: The Veil, which is now in its twelfth reprint. Sandeep is the founder and editor of The Dharma Dispatch, an online journal dedicated to Indian civilisation, culture and history, and a contributing editor at Prekshaa Journal.
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March 14, 2025
A very short book on one of the dreadful people who took over as (I wouldn’t call them rulers) but perverts who sucked out one of most richest and beautiful places in ancient Bharat.
It’s no wonder the modern Vangadesha(Bengal) is such a shit hole ruled by despots starting from 13th century and still going strong.
Like Swami Vivekananda says:
“Every man going out of the Hindu pale is not only a man less, but an enemy more.. the vast majority of Hindu perverts to Islam.. are perverts by the sword or the descendants of these.” How true these words holds up to this very day.
The title itself has revealed what’s the book is about to know more and how he did what he did you need to read.
Author mentions about Last Hindu King of Bengal Sitaram Roy how he was betrayed or how he was abused by fellow Dhimmi hindus. Wish to know more about him and hope Sandeep Balakrishna writes a detailed account on him.
Highly recommend this.
It’s no wonder the modern Vangadesha(Bengal) is such a shit hole ruled by despots starting from 13th century and still going strong.
Like Swami Vivekananda says:
“Every man going out of the Hindu pale is not only a man less, but an enemy more.. the vast majority of Hindu perverts to Islam.. are perverts by the sword or the descendants of these.” How true these words holds up to this very day.
The title itself has revealed what’s the book is about to know more and how he did what he did you need to read.
Author mentions about Last Hindu King of Bengal Sitaram Roy how he was betrayed or how he was abused by fellow Dhimmi hindus. Wish to know more about him and hope Sandeep Balakrishna writes a detailed account on him.
Highly recommend this.
Displaying 1 of 1 review