Shaikh Jalaluddin Tabrizi

Sanskrit and Persian literature provide insight into Sheikh Jalaluddin's life. Sheikh Shuvodaya (Advent of Sheikh) of Halayudha Mishra, a courtier of King Lakshmana Sen, tells that Sheikh Jalaluddin Tabrizi came to Bengal during the reign of Lakshman Sen. It is said that through his miracles he attracted many local Hindus to him. He also predicted an impending Turkish attack. Persian sources suggest that Sheikh Jalaluddin Tabrizi came to Delhi during the reign of Sultan Shamsuddin Iltutmish (1210-1236 AD). The Sultan gave him a warm welcome and showed respect. Later he set out for Bengal and lived there for the rest of his life. He built a Khankah and imparted mystical knowledge to his disciples. There is no significant difference between Sanskrit and Persian sources regarding the date of his arrival in Bengal. According to Sheikh Shuvodaya, he came to Bengal between 1204-1205 AD. This date is the date of Bakhtiyar Khalji's conquest of Gaur. According to Persian sources, he did not come to Bengal before Iltutmish's accession to the throne in 1210 AD. However, modern scholars have questioned the authenticity of Sheikh Shuvodaya’s claim. It is stated in this text that Sheikh Jalaluddin Tabrizi was born in Etawah (present day Uttar Pradesh, India). He was the son of Malik Kafur and was educated with the help of a businessman named Ramzan Khan and he had to leave his birthplace because of the misdeeds of that businessman. However, he is referred to as Tabrizi in all Persian sources. All the inscriptions found in the buildings built for the purpose of preserving his memory in Bengal have referred to him as Tabrizi which might sugeest that he came from Tabriz in Persia. Persian sources also show that Sheikh Jalaluddin Tabrizi was a contemporary of Sheikh Bahauddin Zakaria of Multan and Sheikh Qutbuddin Bakhtiyar of Delhi. So it is assumed that Sheikh Jalaluddin Tabrizi came to Delhi during the reign of Iltutmish and later moved to Bengal.[1]

Four Arabic inscriptions have been found in the shrine of the saint in Deotala. They were carved by the Sultans of Bengal between 1484 and 1581 AD. All the inscriptions mention the construction of a mosque. These inscriptions inform that Deotala was renamed Tabrizabad in memory of the saint. In an inscription, the city of Deotala is called the city of Sheikh Jalaluddin Tabrizi. All these inscriptions were engraved during the Sultanate period. The relics found at Deotala indicate that the saint spent a large part of his life at Deotala in Bengal.[1]

The date of death of Sheikh Jalaluddin Tabrizi is also a controversial issue. Two dates are mentioned: 623 AH / 1228 AD, and 642 AH / 1244 AD. Considering the names of his contemporaries, Sultan Shamsuddin Iltutmish of Delhi (d. 1236) and Sheikh Bahauddin Zakaria of Multan (d. 1262), both dates seem probable. Ain-i-Akbari states that the Sheikh died in Devmahal. However, there is no place called Devmahal in Bengal. On the other hand, there is no evidence that Sheikh left Bengal in his later life. Modern scholars have now come to the conclusion that Sheikh Jalaluddin Tabrizi died in Deotola.[1]

Deotala (one of his abodes in Bengal) was named after him as Tabrizabad. Pandua has long been the capital of the Muslim sultans and this is where the shrine of this famous saint is located. It is called Bari Dargah and many buildings exist here. These are: a Jame Mosque, two chillakhana (secluded shelter for forty days), a tanurkhana (kitchen), a warehouse, and a Salami door or entrance. Different devotees built these buildings at different times, none of which is as ancient as the time of Sheikh Jalaluddin Tabrizi. The dargah is known as “Baish Hazari” (twenty-two thousand), meaning that the income of the donated land was twenty-two thousand rupees. It is called Bari Dargah to distinguish it from Chhoti Dargah (it is the dargah of Sheikh Noor Qutb Alam, who became famous in Pandua a century later).[1]

There was another famous saint in Bengal named Jalal, i.e. Shah Jalal of Sylhet. Sometimes the two are considered identical. All the testimonies, inscriptions and literary records related to the saints of Sylhet have referred to him as Shah Jalal. On the other hand, all the inscriptions and other written evidence related to the saints of Pandua and Deotala have referred to him as Sheikh Jalaluddin Tabrizi. As a result, there is a consensus among modern scholars that these two are not the same person.[1]

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