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Fazl Ghazi said to be one of the chieftains (Barabhuiyas) of pre-Mughal Bengal. Bhawal was his domain. Fazl Ghazi belonged to the Ghazi family which had originally settled at Chaura on the western bank of the Lakhya, about a mile north of present Kaliganj in Gazipur district. He was eighth in descent from Pahlwan Shah who fought for the cause of Islam about the beginning of the fourteenth century. Pahlwan Shah's son Karforma Sahib was a holy man who acquired the pargana of Bhawal as fief through a sanad of the ruler of Dehli. Fazl Ghazi was one of the bara-bhuiyans of Bengal. He maintained a standing land force and a strong fleet of war-boats. In 1542 AD (945 AH) Fazl Ghazi sent gifts to sher shah (1540-1545), which included a cannon now preserved in the
Dhaka Museum. He was in close alliance with isa khan Masnad-i-Ala and is said to have had friendly relations with the Afghans in Bengal. Fazl Ghazi was the Bhuiyan when the armies of Akbar first entered Bengal (1574). It is not known whether Fazl Ghazi was ever in direct conflict with the Mughal army, but his son bahadur ghazi excelled himself in fighting the Mughals with his war-boats as a close associate of musa khan (1599-1611). Fazl Ghazi was the most outstanding figure in the train of zamindars in the family. The principality ruled by him consisted of the parganas Chand Pratap, Talipabad and Bhawal. Under him there were many dependent talukdars paying revenue to his exchequer. Fazl Ghazi seems to have enjoyed a long rule and probably died in 1588 AD. [Muazzam Hussain Khan]
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