Qutubuddin Koka
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Shaykh Khubu Qutubuddin Khan Kokah | |
|---|---|
| 10th Subahdar of Bengal | |
| In office 2 September 1606 – 20 May 1607 | |
| Monarch | Jahangir |
| Preceded by | Man Singh I |
| Succeeded by | Jahangir Quli Khan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 13 August 1569 |
| Died | 20 May 1607 (aged 37) |
| Relatives | Salim Chishti (grandfather) Mukarram Khan Chishti (nephew) Islam Khan Chishti (cousin) |
Shaykh Khūbū (Persian: شیخ خوبو), better known as Quṭb ad-Dīn Khān Kokah (Persian: قطب الدین خان کوکه; 13 August 1569 – 20 May 1607) was the Mughal subahdar (provincial governor) of Bengal Subah during the reign of the emperor Jahangir.[1] He was appointed governor of Bengal on 2 September 1606 and died in office on 20 May 1607.[2]
Qutb-ud-Din Khan Kokah's original name was Shaikh Khubu. His father was a Mughal courtier in the court of emperor Akbar. His mother was daughter of Salim Chishti of Fatehpur Sikri and the foster mother of Emperor Jahangir. The emperor was deeply attached to his foster mother, as reflected by the following paragraph in the Jahangir's memoirs:
In the month Ẕi-l-qa‘da the mother of Qutbu-d-dīn Khān Koka, who had given me her milk and was as a mother to me or even kinder than my own kind mother ... was committed to the mercy of God. I placed the feet of her corpse on my shoulders and carried her a part of the way (to her grave). Through extreme grief and sorrow I had no inclination for some days to eat, and I did not change my clothes.
— Jahangir, Emperor of Hindustan, Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri[3]
Thus, Shaykh Khubu was the Kokah (foster brother) of emperor Jahangir. The title of Qutb-ud-Din Khan was conferred upon him by Prince Salim (Jahangir) during his rebellion against his father Akbar. He was also appointed subahdar of Bihar by prince Salim during his rebellion.[4]
Subahdar of Bengal
Qutb-ud-Din Khan Kokah was appointed the governor of Bengal in 1606. Eight months later, he led the Mughal forces in a battle against Sher Afghan Quli Khan, the Faujdar of Bardhaman.[5] Qutb-ud-Din Khan Kokah was defeated and killed in that battle.