Iwaz Khalji

Ḥusām ud-Dīn ʿIwaz bin Ḥusayn Khaljī (, ), later known by his regnal title as Ghiyās ud-Dīn ʿIwaz Shāh (, ), was a two-time governor of Bengal under the Delhi Sultanate and a member of the Khalji dynasty of Bengal. During his second term, lasting from 1212 to 1227, Khalji declared himself as an independent ruler of Bengal.

His regime has been described as "constructive" as Khalji made major developments to Bengal by innovating flood defence systems and interlinking major cities by means of constructing South Asia's earliest-recorded embankments and extending the Grand Trunk Road. Khalji was also responsible for establishing Bengal's first naval force, the complete fortification of Lakhnauti (Gaur), and the founding of the fort-town of Basankot.

Early life and background He was a member of the Khalaj tribe, a tribe of Turkic origin that settled in Afghanistan. He was born into a Muslim family in Garmsir, and his father's name was Husayn Khalji. During his early life, Iwaz Khalji transported goods with his donkey. On one occasion, he provided food and drink to a group of dervishes who later prayed for him and instructed him to enter South Asia.

First term Iwaz Khalji became a deputy during Bakhtiyar Khalji's advances towards Bihar and Bengal, and in recognition of his contribution, he was made the Jagirdar of Kangori in North Bengal.

During the infighting of Bengal's Khaljis, the Delhi sultan Qutb al-Din Aibak sent an army led by Qaimaz Rumi, the governor of Awadh, to dethrone Muhammad Shiran Khalji, the governor of Bengal. The army passed through Kangori, where they were welcomed by Iwaz. Upon the army's victory, Rumi appointed Iwaz as the next governor of Bengal in 1208. Iwaz governed Bengal for two years until Ali Mardan Khalji returned to Bengal in 1210, at which point he freely gave up his governorship of Bengal to the latter.

Second term Ali Mardan proved to be an unpopular governor among the population, however. In response, the nobles of Bengal led a conspiracy against Ali Mardan and executed him, thus reinstating Iwaz as the governor of Bengal in 1212. During this second term, Iwaz made major developments to Bengal and later established himself as independent of the Delhi Sultanate. He undid Ali Mardan's exiles of nobles by inviting them back to Bengal. He transferred the capital from Devkot to Lakhnauti (Gaur), which he newly rebuilt and completely fortified in all four directions (with three lofty ramparts and making use of the river to the west of the city). Opposite his new capital, Iwaz established a fort-town named Basankot. Not disregarding the former major cities like Devkot, he constructed embankments interlinking these areas together. He also became the first to develop a powerful navy and flotilla for Bengal and built several dykes with arched bridges after analysing the vastness of the Bengal Delta and its vulnerability to floods. In 1221, a khanqah was constructed by Ibn Muhammad of Maragheh for the Muslim preacher Makhdum Shah in Birbhum, during the governorship of Ali Sher. This contains the earliest known stone inscription mentioning a Muslim ruler in Bengal. Thus, Khalji became an early patron of Islamic education in Bengal by establishing mosques and giving pensions to the ulama (Islamic scholars and teachers). He arranged for the arrival of Muslim preachers from Central Asia, such as Jalaluddin bin Jamaluddin Ghaznavi, to come to Bengal and give lectures in his court.

Military campaigns After establishing peace in Bengal and developing the region, Iwaz Khalji turned his attention towards the expansion of his kingdom towards the south and the east. 13th-century Persian historian Minhaj-i Siraj Juzjani has asserted that Iwaz conquered Lakhnur, a conquest that enabled Iwaz to gain treasures and capture many elephants. After taking control of the region, he appointed his own amirs to govern there.

Khalji carried out invasions into Vanga, Tirhut and Utkala; making them his tributary states. Jajnagar, Kamarupa, Tirhut and Vanga all sent tributes to him.

During 1214–15, he was able to repel an invasion by the Chhatesvera of Orissa.