Jam Sanjar
| Jam Sanjar ڄام سنجر | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jam (Sindhi: ڄام) Shah (Sindhi: شاهه) Sultan of Sindh (Sindhi: سنڌ جو سُلطان) | |||||||||
| 15th Sultan of Sindh (Jam) | |||||||||
| Reign | 6 May 1454 – 29 December 1461 [1] | ||||||||
| Predecessor | Jam Sikandar II | ||||||||
| Successor | Jam Nizamuddin II | ||||||||
| Born | Sanjar bin Unar | ||||||||
| Died | Gujarat Sultanate | ||||||||
| Issue | Jam Nizamuddin II Malik Rahu [2] (Another Unnamed Son) | ||||||||
| |||||||||
| Branch |  House of Unar | ||||||||
| Dynasty | Samma Dynasty | ||||||||
| Father | Jam Salahuddin I | ||||||||
| Religion | Sunni Islam | ||||||||
Sadruddin Shah III (Sindhi: صدرالدين شاهه ثالث) also known as Jam Sanjar (Sindhi: ڄام سنجر) or Raidhan (Sindhi: راءِ ڌن) was the fifteenth Sultan of Sindh from the Samma dynasty, ruling from 1454 to 1461.[3][4]
Biography
Names
Sanjar was his birth name. After taking power he adopted the regnal name Sadruddin Shah III, following Samma tradition.[5][6] During his years in the Kingdom of Kutch, the Jarejas gave him the alias Malik Raidhan.[1]
Life
He was the son of Jam Salahuddin I and the younger brother of Jam Nizamuddin I. Jam Sanjar was known as a strikingly handsome young man, said to leave people awestruck. After Jam Karan seized the throne by killing Jam Ali Sher, the Unar branch fled to Kutch. Jam Sanjar lived there among the Jarejas after his brother’s death.[1] Among the Jareja Sammas, he earned trust through generosity, gaining the name Raidhan.[7]
Before ascending the throne, Jam Sanjar was on friendly terms with a Fakir of deep counsel. One night he visited him and said, “It is my wish to reign over Samanagar, if only for eight days.” The Fakir replied, “You will be king for eight years.”[7][8]
Reign
He ruled the country very wisely. Under his rule people of Sindh enjoyed much peace.
Accession
When news of Jam Sikandar II’s death reached him, Jam Sanjar came forth on 6 May 1454. With many followers he marched to Samanagar and gathered the Emirs of Sindh, declaring he had come not to seize the country but to safeguard it, and that they should make king whoever they deemed worthy, with him first to give homage. As none was considered fit, all agreed to elect Jam Sanjar as the Sultan.[1] The Emirs invested him with authority over the whole land, and the frontier Hakims and Emirs obeyed without resistance.[9]
Expansion
Within a year and a half he brought all Sindh under his rule, from the Arabian Sea to the limits of Mathelo, Gajrelli, Kandhi, and Ubauro.[2]
Reforms
Jam Sanjar introduced customs previously unknown in the country. In his time the sepoys and ryots lived contentedly and in comfort. Each Friday he gave generous charity to fakirs and the poor and granted proper salaries to those with rightful claims. Before his reign, Hakims paid little to government employees, but Jam Sanjar changed this.[10][11] He showed special care for scholars, the learned, and the pious, ensured their comfort, and granted them liberal stipends.[12][13]
Around 1459, despite good relations and intermarriages between Sindh and the Gujarat, Jam Sanjar settled Soomras, Sodhas, and Baloch groups along the Thar, Kutch, and Jodhpur frontiers.[2]
Jam Sanjar and a Qazi
When Jam Sanjar acceded to the throne, Bukkur had a Qazi named Qazi Munruf, appointed under the former Sultan, who received only a small salary.[10] Because of this, he often extorted money from people through intimidation. The matter reached Jam Sanjar, who summoned him. Jam Sanjar asked, “I hear you take money from those who quarrel.” The Qazi admitted it and added that he also wished to take something from witnesses, but they left before he could ask. Jam Sanjar laughed, and the Qazi continued, “I sit all day in the hall of justice; I have spent my life in this work, and my children are hungry morning and evening.” Jam Sanjar then gave him a valuable gift and raised his salary to match his expenses. He ordered that the pay of all government officials be increased so they could live without worry.[14]
Abdication
On 29 December 1461, Jam Sanjar abdicated in favor of his son Jam Nizamuddin II and moved to Gujarat with his two other sons. There his granddaughter, Bibi Rani was married to Muzaffar Shah II.[7] From this line later emerged Malik Rahu’s son Jam Salahuddin II, who challenged his cousin Jam Feroz II, twice for the throne.[15]
Historiography
Masum Shah treated Sanjar and Raidhan as separate individuals.[2] However, the Ain-i-Akbari, an earlier source than Masum Shah, and modern historians such as Dudpotra, M. H. Panhwar, G. M. Lakho, Suhail Zaheer Lari, and N. A. Baloch, agree that Sanjar and Raidhan were the same person.[16]
References
- ^ a b c d Panhwar 1983, p. 351.
- ^ a b c d Panhwar 1983, p. 352.
- ^ Panhwar 1983, p. 295.
- ^ Lakho 2006, p. 189.
- ^ Pakistan Historical Records and Archives Commission (1954). "Proceedings of the Meetings". Proceedings of the Meetings: 26.
- ^ Lakho 2006, p. 54.
- ^ a b c Lari 1994, p. 78.
- ^ Islam 1990, p. 151.
- ^ Lari 1997, p. 11.
- ^ a b Aitken, Edward Hamilton (1907). "Gazetteer of the Province of Sind". Gazetteer: 98.
- ^ Islam 1990, p. 152.
- ^ Panhwar 1983, p. 171.
- ^ Panhwar 1983, p. 174.
- ^ Aitken, Edward Hamilton (1907). "Gazetteer of the Province of Sind". Gazetteer: 99.
- ^ Lakho 2006, p. 120.
- ^ Panhwar 1983, p. 133.
Bibliography
- Panhwar, M. H. (August 1983), Chronological Dictionary of Sindh (From Geological Times to 1539) (1 ed.), Karachi: Educational Press: Institute of Sindhology, University of Sind, Jamshoro
- Lakho, G. M. (2006), The Samma Kingdom of Sindh, University of Jamshoro, ISBN 9789694050782
- Lari, Suhail Zaheer (1994), A History of Sindh, Oxford University Press, ISBN 9780195775013
- Islam, Arshad (1990), History Of Sind During Pre Mughal Period, Aligarh University
- Lari, Suhail Zaheer (1997), The Jewel of Sindh: Samma Monuments on Makli Hill : with 326 Illustrations, 50 in Colour, Heritage Foundation, ISBN 9780195779011