Battle of Mundamala Ghat

HistoryFacts : “The Skull-garland Pass”

The following chapter hasbeen taken from the historical accounts of :
▪︎O’Malley, L.S.S., ICS, Bankura, Bengal District Gazetteers, pp. 21–46(25), 1995 reprint, first published 1908, Government of West Bengal
▪︎Mallik, Abhaya Pada (1921). History of Bishnupur-Raj: An Ancient Kingdom of West Bengal (the University of Michigan ed.). Calcutta. p. 129. Retrieved 11 March 2016.
▪︎”Mallabhum Bishnupur” – Manoranjan Chandra.
▪︎”Immortal story of Bishnupur” – Fakir Narayan Karmakar. p. 26.
▪︎’Travel in Bengal’, p. 204.
▪︎”Bishnupur Sub-division”. bankura.gov.in.
▪︎Dasgupta, Gautam Kumar; Biswas, Samira; Mallik, Rabiranjan (2009), Heritage Tourism: An Anthropological Journey to Bishnupur, A Mittal Publication, p. 22, 36, 55, ISBN 978-8183242943.

● #MallabhumKingdom, also known as Bishnupur Kingdom was an indigenous kingdom located in the north-eastern frontier parts of the Indian Subcontinent, primarily in the present #Bankura district of the Indian state of #WestBengal. The territory of Bishnupur Kingdom included Bankura, a part of Burdwan, Birbhum, Santhal Parganas, Midnapur, a part of Purulia & southeastern Jharkhand. According to O’Malley, the Rajas of Bishnupur were also known as Malla kings. Malla is a Sanskrit word meaning wrestler & they had direct links with the Mal & Bagdi tribes of the area. From around 7th century CE till around the advent of British rule, for around a millennium, history of Bankura district is identical with the rise & fall of the Rajas of Bishnupur. The legends of Bipodtarini Devi are associated with Malla Kings of Bishnupur. The Kingdom was disestablished on 29 December 1947.

• #BirHambir, also known as Rajkumar Hambir Malla Dev or Veera Hambeera was the forty-ninth king of Bishnupur Kingdom. He ruled from 1565 to 1620 CE. During the reign of Rajkumar Hambir Malla Dev, ‘Dal Madal’, one of the largest-bored cannon was made, demonstrating the skill of artisans of that time. Dal Madal was made by Jagannath Karmakar. “Dal Madal” means “destruction of enemy”. The ‘Rashmancha’ is a historical building located at Bishnupur. It was commissioned by Rajkumar Hambir Malla Dev in 1600 CE. During the Vaishnava Ras festival, all the Radha-Krishna idols of Bishnupur town used to be brought here to be worshipped by the citizens.

● #KarraniDynasty, also known as Kerrani Dynasty was an invading Afghan dynasty which was founded by Taj Khan Karrani, an ethnic #Pashtun from the Bangash-Karlani tribe, hailing from the Kurram Valley of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (present day part of Pakistan). Taj Khan Karrani was formerly a soldier of the invading #Afghan Sur Dynasty which captured many north-western parts of the Indian Subcontinent. On 21 April 1526, Turkish invader Zahiruddin Mohammad, later came to be known as Babur founded the Mughal Dynasty after capturing the Delhi Sultanate from the Afghan Sur Dynasty in north-western parts of the Indian Subcontinent. Thus, the war ravaged Afghans started to move towards the eastern & southern parts of the Indian Subcontinent. On 25 September 1574, General Munim Khan of the invading Turkish-Mughal Dynasty captured the Karrani capital Tanda. Hence, the Karrani Dynasty is also known the last Afghan dynasty to rule the Sultanate of Bengal before the Mughal invasion.

• #DaudKhanKarrani, also known as Dawood Khan was the last ruler of the Afghan Karrani dynasty as well as the final Pashtun Sultan of Bengal, reigning from 1572 to 1576. During the reign of his father Sulaiman Khan Karrani, Daud commanded a massive army of 40,000 cavalry, 3,600 elephants, 140,000 infantry & 200 cannons.

■ Battle of #MundamalaGhat :
Major parts of the Bengal province were still devoid of Islamic invasion. During the reign of Afghan invader Soleiman Khan Karrani in Gaur, the kingdom of Bishnupur stood in a unique glory in the Rarh region of Bengal. Soleiman’s reckless son Dawood Khan Karrani dreamt of invading the whole of Bengal. In 1575CE, Dawood Khan attacked Bishnupur with a huge army of 1,00000 Pathan troops. Revered Fakir Narayan Karmakar Mahasaya writes – “Dawood Khan suddenly came & encamped at a village called Ranisagar near Bishnupur with more than one lakh soldiers & similar ammunition.” The Barbaric invaders massacred a huge segment of the native population & many were subjected under forceful conversions. The people of Ranisagar were embarrassed by the sudden attack of Dawood Khan’s army of lakhs. The Bishnupur Army was still not ready for this battle. Rajkumar Hambir Malla Dev started intoxicating the Bishnupur Army with the dream of victory upon invaders, proceeded to subdue the enemy by worshiping Maa Mrinmayee, the kuladevi of Mallabhum. The Kingdom of Bishnupur had total twelve forts, one of which was the Mundmal fort. Near this Mundmal Garh, the Bishnupur army attacked the Pathan forces. After a fierce battle between the two sides, Bir Hambir defeated the Pathan forces in such a tragic manner that the battlefield at the eastern gate of the fort was filled with the corpses of Pathan soldiers. Prince Dawood Khan Karrani was taken as a PoW (prisoner of war). But later the noble Hambir arranged for his release & sent him back. It is said that Hambir Malla cut off the heads of the invading Pathan soldiers, made a garland (mundamala) and offered it as a gift to the demon-destroyer Maa Mrinmayidevi.