For the recipient of the Victoria Cross see Sher Shah (VC)

Sher Shah Suri (born Fahrid Khan; later renamed Sher Khan after killing a tiger; 1486 - 1545) was the Afghani son of Hasan Khan. According to his teacher, Fahrid Khan was exceptionally bright as a child. Later, he acquired the name Sher Khan for killing a tiger single-handedly. He conquered Bengal (in modern-day India) in 1537. He defeated Humayun in 1539 and established the shortlived Sur dynasty. Sher Khan adopted the self-appointed title of shah during his rivalry with Humayun in anticipation of power, so his name changed to Sher Shah. In his reign, Sher Shah conquered a large portion of India, converting the vast majority of his empire's population to Islam

Sher Shah's administration was efficient, but somewhat tight. The empire was divided into 47 provinces called sarkars, and each was subdivided into several smaller districts called Parganas (capitalised). Each Pargana had its own group of officers called Shiqdar-i-Shiqdaram and a second group called Munsif-i-Munsifan. Sher Shah transferred these officers around every two or three years to prevent any "undue influence" of officers in one place. He was also strict on the subject of crime. He even punished his relatives if they were found guilty by the courts. In order to stay in power, Sher Shah appointed many spies. Sher Shah minted new currency and built several roads while in power.

External link

• Itihaas site on Sher Shah Suri (http://www.itihaas.com/medieval/shershah.html)