Sher Shah

Sher Shah Suri (born with Fahrid Khan; later called Sher Khan after killing a tiger; 1486 - 1545) was the Afghani son of Hasan Khan[?]. As a child, Fahrid khan was exceptionally bright, according to his teacher. Later, he acquired the name Sher Khan for killing a Tiger single-handedly. He conquered Bengal (in modern-day India) in 1537. He defeated Humayun in 1539 and became ruler of the Mughal Empire. This made him a shah, so his name changed to Sher Shah. In his reign, Sher Shah conquered a large portion of India. In the process, he converted everyone in his empire to Islam or just the vast majority decided to convert (it is still debated), so Sher Shah is often credited with bringing Islam to India.

Sher Shah ran an efficient, but somewhat tight administration. The empire was divided into 47 provinces called sarkars, and then each was subdivided into several smaller districts called Parganas (capitalised). Each Pargana had its own group of officers called Shiqdar-i-Shiqdaram and a second group called Munsif-i-Munsifan. Sher Shah transfered these officers around every two or three years yo prevent any "undue influence" of officers in one place. He also wasn'l leanant when it came to crime. He even punished his relatives (but only if they were found guilty in the courts). In order to stay in power, Sher Shah appointed several spies. Sher Shah minted new currency and built several roads while in power.

External Link

• Itihaas site on Sher Shah Suri (http://www.itihaas.com/medieval/shershah.html)