Muhammad Bakhtiyar Khalji
| Ikhtiyar al-Din Muhammad Bin Bakhtiyar Khalji | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Muhammad bin Bakhtiyar Khalji and his fellow warrior Subahdar Auliya Khan leading troops in the slaughter of Buddhist monks at a monastery in Bihar. Early 20th-century illustration. | |||||||||
| 1st Governor of Bengal | |||||||||
| Reign | c. 1203 – 1206 | ||||||||
| Predecessor | Position established | ||||||||
| Successor | Muhammad Shiran Khalji | ||||||||
| Sultan | Muhammad Ghuri | ||||||||
| Born | Ikhtiyaruddin c. 1150 Garmsir Helmand Ghaznavid Empire (Present Day Afghanistan) | ||||||||
| Died | c. 1206 (aged 55–56) Devkot South Dinajpur Ghorid Empire (Present Day West Bengal India) | ||||||||
| Burial | 1206 Pirpal Dargah, Narayanpur, Gangarampur, West Bengal | ||||||||
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| Clan | Khilji | ||||||||
| Father | Bakhtiyar Khilji | ||||||||
| Religion | Sunni Islam | ||||||||
| Occupation | Military General Governor | ||||||||
Ikhtiyār al-Dīn Muḥammad Bin Bakhtiyār Khaljī, also known as Bakhtiyar Khalji, was a Turko-Afghan Military General of the Ghurid ruler Muhammad of Ghor, who led the Muslim conquests of the eastern Indian regions of Bengal and parts of Bihar and established himself as their deputy-ruler/governor, He was the founder of the Khalji dynasty of Bengal, ruling Bengal for a short period, from 1203 to 1227 CE.
Khalji's invasions of the Indian subcontinent between A.D. 1197 and 1206 led to mass flight and massacres of monks, and caused damage to the traditional Buddhist institutions of higher learning in Northern India. In Bengal, Khalji's reign was responsible for the displacement of Buddhism. The leading centre of teaching for Mahayana Buddhism was Nalanda. At the end of the 12th century, Bakhityar Khalji demolished the monastery in a brutal sacking.
His rule is said to have begun the Muslim rule in Bengal, most notably those of Bengal Sultanate and Mughal Bengal.
Bakhtiyar launched an ill-fated Tibet campaign in 1206 and was assassinated upon returning to Bengal. He was succeeded by Muhammad Shiran Khalji.