নপল বঙল মসলমনদর বসত: একট ঐতহসক পরযলচন (Settlement of Bengali Muslims in Nepal: A Historical Perspective)

The history of Muslim settlement in Nepal is a well-known fact. In 712 AD, the wave of Muhammad bin Qasim's conquest of Indus swept the entire subcontinent. Since then, Sufi saints have arrived in Himalayan Nepal to spread Islam. For business reasons later, many Muslims traveled to Tibet through Nepal to preach Islam. Muslims also infiltrated Nepal through Tibet, south of China. However, the migration of Bengalis to Nepal is a surprising phenomenon. Bengali immigration may have been a factor in the invasion of Nepal by Sultan Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah of undivided Bengal in 1342 AD. Another reason is the good governance of Bengal during the reign of Hossain Shahi Sultans (1492-1538). During the Mughal period, regional migration of subjects was a common phenomenon. Hence, as the religion of Islam expanded during that time, the area of residence of Bengalis also expanded. But what can be determined is that their oppression during the British rule, especially in indigo farming forced the Bengalis to leave the land. The promulgation of the Fifth Act of 1830 left the subjects helpless. In the endless persecution of the Nilkuthials especially: the people of the greater Rajshahi region gradually infiltrated into Nepal. Kashmiris, Newaris, Gorkhas, Pashtuns as well as Bengali Muslims living simultaneously in present day Nepal amazes us. Living in Nepal with special status and rights is a matter of pride for Bengalis. In this research paper, some undisputed issues of immigration and social culture will be presented in the light of history.