FARID AL-DIN SHER SHAH

Sher Shah of Sur or Farid al-Din Sher Shah, an Afghani Pashtun was one of the most prominent medieval rulers who defeated Mughal emperor Humayun in the Battle of Chausa and established the Sur dynasty (1540-1557) in North India. Through his innovative revenue policies and measures against corruption, Sher Shah left a lasting impression on some of the greatest Mughal Emperors namely Akbar. Todarmal’s Bandōbast, the Daag and Huliya system, “blood and iron policy” that rooted out corruption by taking stern measures against offenders, the majestic Grand Trunk Road—one of Asia’s oldest and longest major roads running from Calcutta to Kabul in Afghanistan,are some of the hallmarks of his rule. He renovated this road in the 16^th century which was renamed as Shah Rah- e-Azam and set up sārais or inns, planted trees on the roadside for caravans and journeymen. Later during the Mughals, the road was further extended, stretching from Chittagong (in modern Bangladesh) to Kabul in Afghanistan.His tomb lies in Sasaram, Bihar which was the capital of the Suri Empire.