Mughal Penetration into Bengal: Insights from Contemporary Evidence

The establishment of Mughal rule in India ushered in a new epoch in Indian history.The Mughals not only expanded their suzerainty over India but also cast some important landmarks in the years to come in many aspects, such as the economic, geo-political, as well as cultural fields.However, this expansion was not smooth at all.Starting from the time of Babur to Jahangir and more specifically up to the time of Aurangzeb, the Mughal expansion over various parts of the Indian subcontinent witnessed a series of battles with the native rulers, especially the Afghans, the Rajputs, and the Marathas.Each and every skirmish of the Mughals with the native rulers has its own importance while discussing the Mughal conquest over each and every part of India.In this paper, the present researcher will try to uphold the expansion of Mughal rule over Bengal during its very early stage and more particularly during the time of Akbar, on the basis of archaeological evidence such as numismatic evidence and the evidence of the construction of bridges, culverts, and mosques over various parts of Bengal.