Kedar Rai

Zamindar of vikramapura and one of the bara-bhuiyans of Bengal. Kedar Rai was, according to a tradition, a descendant of one Nim Rai who came from Karnatak and settled at Ara Phulbaria in Vikrampur probably in the beginning of the fifteenth century. Nim Rai was a Kayastha and is believed to have been the first Bhuiyan, and to have obtained a sanction of the ruling monarch to his retaining the title as a hereditary one for his family. Kedar Rai's capital was at Shripur on the bank of the Kaliganga. He possessed a large number of war-boats and a well-trained naval force. He employed a few portuguese adventurers as captains of his war-boats, of whom Carvallo figured prominently.

Kedar Rai maintained friendly relations with isa khan and fought against the Mughals in alliance with him. ralph fitch mentions that when he visited the city of Sripur (1586) the king was in rebellion against akbar. Kedar Rai allied himself with the Afghan chiefs of the family of Qutu Lohani who had carved out a state in Orissa. He in cooperation with Khwaja Sulaiman Lohani captured the fort of bhusana (1593) from its imperial commandant and kept it under his control till at least 1596 when an imperial force under durjansingh invaded the fort. A gunshot burst inside the fort during the siege killing Sulaiman and wounding Kedar Rai, who fled and took shelter with Isa Khan (June 1596).

In 1602 mansingh sent a detachment against Kedar Rai who was, however, induced to promise loyalty to Akbar. In 1603 a large fleet of the maghs invaded the Dhaka waters, but was chased by a Mughal force with heavy casualties. Kedar now joined the Maghs with his own fleet and attacked the Mughal outpost of Srinagar. A great battle was fought near Vikrampur in which Kedar Rai was wounded and captured. He died in March 1603.

:: Added 28-07-2005 @ 1305 GMT