Murshid Quli Khan  founder of the nawabi regime in Bengal. Murshid Quli Khan began his career in Bengal as the provincial diwan and ended as the nazim or governor of Bengal and Orissa, diwan of Bihar and faujdar of several districts, occupying all posts at the same time in the early 18th century.

About his family and parenthood nothing is known for certain. Haji Shafi of Ispahan, formerly a high-ranking Mughal officer, brought him up in Iran with paternal affection and gave him useful education. After Haji Shafi's death, he came back to India, entered the Mughal service as diwan and faujdar of Golkonda and received a mansab or rank. When aurangzeb was looking for an honest and efficient diwan for Bengal, his choice fell on this young man. He was transferred in 1701 to Bengal as diwan and was honoured with the title of Kartalab Khan.

Kartalab Khan came to Dhaka with the new assignment. He proved to be very efficient in matters of revenue and financial administration. He was honest and extremely faithful to the emperor. But while safeguarding imperial interests, the diwan came into conflict with Azimuddin (later azim-us-shan), the nazim who was a grandson of the emperor. Kartalab Khan was about to lose his life, but he faced the problem with courage and somehow escaped. The emperor intervened and allowed him to shift his office to Makhsusabad on the Ganges (Bhagirathi branch) in 1702. The emperor also ordered his grandson to shift to Patna and govern the province through deputies. By honest endeavor Kartalab Khan increased the imperial revenues. In 1703 he visited the emperor in the Deccan where he got the little of Murshid Quli Khan and an elevation in rank. While returning from the Deccan with the new title and other honours, he was met by the wakils (agents) of the European companies and the faujdar of Hughli at Cuttack, Midnapur and Burdwan in the early part of 1704. The emperor also allowed him to rename Makhsusabad as murshidabad after his new title.

After Aurangzeb's death in 1707, the Mughal empire was in turmoil and within short time faced dismemberment. Bengal was at that time being governed by absentee governors through their deputies. During the reign of Bahadur Shah, Murshid Quli Khan was transferred to the Deccan, but was recalled within a couple of years in 1710. In 1713, he became the deputy subahdar, first on behalf of Farkhunda Siyar, the infant son of farrukh siyar, and then, after his death, of the absentee subahdar who was entitled mir jumla. But he continued to stay at Murshidabad. Murshid Quli Khan being the highest officer present in the station, the control of affairs in the province was in his hands. It was a good fortune for Bengal that Murshid Quli Khan kept the province free from all kinds of disorder. By another turn of events, Murshid Quli Khan was raised to the post of nazim of Bengal in 1716. He was loaded with titles, first Jafar Khan and later Mutamin-ul-Mulk Ala-ud-daula Jafar Khan Nasiri Nasir Jang Bahadur, and his rank was also raised to 7000. He transferred the capital of the province from Dhaka to Murshidabad in 1717. After a successful tenure of office, he died on 30 June 1727.

As ruler of three provinces, Murshid Quli Khan was in a position to appoint his relations and friends in all key positions. They assisted him in both general and revenue administration. In 1722 he made a fresh revenue settlement that improved upon the settlements made earlier by Todar Mal and shah shuja. Through revenue officers he ascertained the production capability of land and thus increased the imperial revenues. His revenue system is known as malzamini, ie he made zamindars responsible for paying revenue for land under their control. He created some new and big zamindaries. In his times, generally the Hindus were preferred as zamindars, because he thought that it was easy to collect revenue from them. Murshid Quli Khan was extremely harsh in collecting revenue and punished defaulters with torture and coercion.

In Murshid Quli Khan's time Bengal's internal and international trade grew enormously. Arab, Persian and Armenian merchants were very active in Bengal. From the 17th century European companies were prepared with ready money to buy any amount of Bengal goods, particularly cotton and silk and their by-products. They imported gold and silver bullion and thus the country earned good profits. Along with the traders of goods, the traders in coins, the Sahus or moneychangers and moneylenders, banians or brokers, also did brisk business. There were many such moneylenders, but among them jagat sheth became very prominent. Murshid Quli Khan was aware of the importance of trade and encouraged traders and companies in fair trade but punished unfair traders very severely.

Murshid Quli Khan was so true to his salt that he did not allow the east india company to purchase more villages around calcutta even after the company's receipt of the imperial farman. Murshid Quli Khan was also a good builder. Kartalab Khan's Mosque (Begam Bazar Mosque) at Dhaka and the Murshidabad mosque built by him bear his name. In private life he was extremely religious and never deviated from the path of shariat. Faithful to his wife, he used to copy the Holy Quran for distribution to the holy places. In religious belief he was a Shia. [Abdul Karim]

Bibliography  Ghulam Husain Salim, The Riaz-us-Salatin, (Eng. translation of Abdus Salam), Calcutta, 1904; JN Sarkar (ed.), The History of Bengal, vol. II, Dhaka, 1948; Abdul Karim, Murshid Quli Khan and His Times, Dhaka, 1963.