Pir

Published on 24th January, 2021, in Mid-day. Islam reached Bengal somewhere in the 13th century. Mongol raids forced migration of Sufi Pirs, also known as Ghazi, from Iran via Delhi. They spread their faith, in regions that were far away from mainstream, where Hindu as well as Sultanate influence was sparse. These were lands recently exposed and populated, following the shifting of the Padma River. The holy men brought not just faith but also technology such as the water wheel and legal expertise, which enabled communities to be built around them. Hagiographies of these saints reveal much about their influence on local people. Dhaka’s International ..