The House of Ganesha (, ) was the second royal house of the late medieval Sultanate of Bengal. It is named after its founder Raja Ganesha, a wealthy Hindu nobleman, who succeeded the former Ilyas Shahi dynasty. His son embraced Islam and ruled as Jalaluddin Muhammad Shah, and was succeeded by his son Shamsuddin Ahmad Shah.
History The Ganesha dynasty began with Raja Ganesha in 1414, from the Bengal region of the Indian subcontinent. After Raja Ganesha seized control over Bengal, he faced an imminent threat of invasion. Ganesha appealed to a powerful Muslim holy man named Qutb al Alam to stop the threat. The saint agreed on the condition that Raja Ganesha's son, Jadu, would convert to Islam and rule in his place. Raja Ganesha agreed and Jadu started ruling Bengal as Jalaluddin Muhammad Shah in 1415.
Qutb al Alam died in 1416 and Raja Ganesha was emboldened to depose his son and return to the throne as Danujamarddana Deva. Jalaluddin was reconverted to Hinduism by the Golden Cow ritual. After the death of his father, Jalaluddin once again converted to Islam and started ruling again.Biographical encyclopedia of Sufis By N. Hanif, pg.320 Jalaluddin's son, Shamsuddin Ahmad Shah ruled for only 3 years due to chaos and anarchy. Two ephemeral rulers: Qutbuddin Azam Shah and Ghiyasuddin Nusrat Shah ruled Eastern Bengal for a brief period and struck coins in AH 837 (1434 CE). Another ruler, Siraj-al Din Sikandar Shah is only known from his undated coins. It is not known if any of them were related to Shamsuddin Ahmad Shah.Nasir N, Islam MS (2014) Siraj al-Din ‘Sikandar’ (?) Shah – a new ruler of the Bengal Sultanate. J Orient Numismat Soc 220:39–40 The dynasty is known for its liberal policies as well as its focus on justice and charity.
List of rulers Titular Name(s) Personal Name ReignRaja Fandu Ganesha1414-1415, 1416-1418Sultan Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Shah1415-1416, 1418-1433Sultan Shams ad-Din Ahmad Shah1433-1436
Family tree
References