Name Raja Sukhdeo | ||
Raja Suheldev (Born 995 AD - Died 1050 AD) was ruler of Sravasti (Sahet-Mahet) a small northern kingdom of India in the early 11th century. He is known by many names like Sukhdeo, Sakardev, Suhirdadhwaj, etc.
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He was the son of Mangal Dhwaj and disciple of Balak Rishi whose Ashram was located in Bahraich. In the popular culture and memory, he is known as one among the Pasi or Rajbhar kings but is claimed by several other castes as well like Bhars. He is also claimed to be a Kshatriya of the Nagvanshi lineage or a Bais/Vais Rajput by some. It is due to the obvious difficulty of projecting the modern day caste identities in the history and also due to the division & assimilation of castes and formation of new castes over the period.
Battle of Bahraich
After a triumphant march though Meerut, Kannuaj & Malihabad, Masud arrived in Satrikh, a town in the Barabanki district. Starikh was an important Hindu place for pilgrimage where Guru Vashisht taught the young Ram and Lakshman. Using Satrikh as his base, Masud sent his armies to conquer the neighboring areas. Miyya Rajab and Salar Saifuddin took Bahraich. Amir Hasan Arab took Mahona, Malik Fazal took Varanasi. Sayad Sahu took Karra and Manikpur. Syad Aziz-ud-din was sent against Hardoi, but fell in the battle at Gopamau. While at Satrikh, Masud got the distress call from Dost Mohammed at the fort of Dhundgarh near Rewari. Masud was forced to send his religious teacher, Saiyad Ibrahim Mashhadi Barah Hazari to relieve the siege. As per Ain-e-Masudi, on whichever route Saiyad Ibrahim Mashhadi Barah Hazari traversed, no non-Muslim could escape his sword unless he converted to Islam. But he was slain at the battle of the Dhundgarh along with several other commanders. His tomb is located at Kot Qasim, 20 km away from Tijara, a town in Alwar district near Rewari.
Meanwhile, Salar Saifuddin was besieged at Bahraich and Salar Masud had to halt his march towards Ayodhya at the outskirts of the Saket near a town known as Salarpur. He had to turn north to re-enforce Salar Saifuddin at Bahraich and thus setting the stage for the final showdown. The chieftains of Bahraich had assembled near the river Bhakla, a tributary to river Rapti. The real battle ensued on 13 June 1033 near Chittaura Lake near the present day Bahraich city.
Right wing of the Islamic army collapsed with the death of its commander Mir Nasrullah. The tomb of Mir Nasrullah is located at the village of Dikoli Khurd, 12 km north of Bahraich. Soon Salar Miyya Rajab was slain. He was a close relative of Salar Masud and was known for his temperament and adamant nature. His tomb is located at Shahpur Jot Yusuf village, 3 km east of Bahraich and he is known as ‘Hathila Pir’. Salar Masud was either beheaded by the Raja Suheldev or died due to an arrow piercing his throat. According to one version, a loyalist Salar Ibrahim organised a counterattack and killed Raja Suheldev in the next day of battle. However, it also seems that Suheldev survived the battle and constructed several water tanks in and around the Shravasti to commemorate his victory.
Aftermath
Ghaznavid army was completely destroyed which halted the Islamic conquest of India for about a century. The entire invading army was simply annihilated as no quarter was given. The Islamic invasions resumed with the Muhammad of Ghor and establishment of Delhi sultanate and the various Pasi, Rajput, Bhar rulers and chieftains of the region were gradually replaced by the new Turkic warlords. The field of battle of Bahraich had already acquired a religious hallow for Muslims who had begun to venerate the ‘Ghazi Baba’ and countless ‘Shaheeds’ of Islam. The place has become the place of pilgrimage during the Urs of ‘Bale Miyan’ or ‘Ghazi Miyan’ towards the end of May in Jyeshtha month.
Family genealogy
As per the Local tradition the family genealogy (incomplete) of Raja Sukhdev is as following: (1) Mayura Dhwaja ; (2) Hansa Dhwaja ; (3) Makara Dhwaja; (4) Sudhanya Dhwaja; (5) Suhirdal dhwaja (Raja Sukhdev).