Mona Rai

His office began in 1260 with ascension of Raja Gour Govinda to the throne. Govinda appointed Rai as his chief minister, replacing the previous King Govardhan's former chief minister Madan Rai. The palace which was used by the past ministers of Gour was gifted by Govinda to Mona Rai, and renamed Mona Rai Palace.{{cite news|url=https://www.jugantor.com/todays-paper/editorial/50831/%E0%A6%AF%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%A8-%E0%A6%8F%E0%A6%95-%E0%A6%85%E0%A6%AE%E0%A6%B0%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%AC%E0%A6%A4%E0%A7%80|website=Jugantor|title=যেন এক অমরাবতী!|language=bn|last=Bhattacharya|first=Shubhrendu Shekhar|date=21 May 2018}} It was situated in a hillock near the port for ease in tax collection and civil duties. Govinda built a brick tower in Penchagor named Gorduar, which would serve as his palace and central administration. Gorduar, which remains as ruins today, had seven floors; the second floor was also given to Mona Rai.{{cite book|first=Rajmohan|last=Nath|title=The back-ground of Assamese culture|pages=114 & 120|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.126984/page/n167|year=1948|publisher=A. K. Nath}}

{{Main|Conquest of Sylhet}}

With the arrival of Shah Jalal and the Conquest of Sylhet in 1303, Mona Rai was appointed by Govinda as one of the commanders.{{cite web|url=https://sohojat.com/%E0%A6%86%E0%A6%AC%E0%A6%A6%E0%A7%81%E0%A6%B2-%E0%A6%B9%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B2%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%AE-%E0%A6%96%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%81-%E0%A6%B0%E0%A6%9A%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%A4-%E0%A6%B6%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B9%E0%A6%9C/|title=আবদুল হালিম খাঁ রচিত শাহজালালের জায়নামায উপন্যাসের শৈল্পিক নির্মিতি|language=bn|first1=Dr Yahya|last1=Mannan|first2=Abdul|last2=Halim Khan|website=Sohojat|date=20 Jul 2019}} As Rai was based near the port, he decided to stop river transport and ferries making it difficult for the opponents as the only other option was through the hills.{{cite book|last=Ahmed|first=Jalal|title=Śoṇita dhārā: etihāsika nāṭeka|language=bn|year=1969|publisher=Sāhitya Kuṭir}} Rai was subsequently killed in the final battle of Gour.{{cite web|url=https://www.ajkerdiganta.com/archives/1080|title=ধার্মিক হিন্দু রাজা গৌড় গোবিন্দ সিলেটে তার ইতিহাস|date=25 Mar 2019|publisher=Ajker Diganta|language=bn}} Govinda was shocked after hearing of this news and fled with his family and the area came under the rule of Wazir Sikandar Khan Ghazi.{{cite book|title=Land of Two Rivers: A History of Bengal from the Mahabharata to Mujib|last=Sengupta|first=Nitish|year=2011|publisher=Penguin Books}}

{{quote|হইল সর্বনাশ একি দায়, না দেখি উপায়,

Hoilo shorbonash eki day, na dekhi upay

হেনকালে শুনল রাজা মৈল মনা রায়।

Henkale shunlo Raja moilo Mona Ray

তখন কোমর কাছিয়া রাজা

Tokhon komor kachhiya Raja

খাড়া হইল আগে

Khara hoilo aage

কিন্তু এবার হৈল লেঠা গড়ুল রাজা

Kintu ebar hoilo letha Gorul Raja|author=Chowdhury Ghulam Akbar|source={{cite book|title=Hazrat Shah Jalal (R)|author=Dewan Nurul Anwar Husayn Chowdhury}}}}

The hillock which housed Mona Rai's palace is known even today as the hill of Mona Rai ({{langx|bn|মনারায়ের টিলা|Monarayer Tila}}) in Chowhatta.{{cite news|url=http://www.alokitobangladesh.com/todays/news_print/313051/2019/09/27|title=সিলেটে পর্যটন শিল্প বিকাশে সমস্যা ও সম্ভাবনা|website=Alokito Bangladesh|last=Chowdhury|first=Aftab|language=bn|date=27 Sep 2019}} It is located next to the dargah of Shah Jalal.{{cite book|language=bn|title=Amar Kal Amar Bhuban|last=Dash|first=Purnendukanti|publisher=Parul Prakashani Private Limited}}{{cite news|url=http://www.dailysangram.com/post/175077-%E0%A6%87%E0%A6%A4%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%B9%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B8%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%B0-%E0%A6%A8%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%AE%E0%A7%87-%E0%A6%95%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%9A%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%9B%E0%A6%BE-%E0%A6%95%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%82%E0%A6%AC%E0%A6%A6%E0%A6%A8%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%A4%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%93-%E0%A6%AC%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%B0%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%87%E0%A6%A8-%E0%A6%AE%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%87%E0%A6%A1-%E0%A6%B8%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%9F%E0%A7%8B%E0%A6%B0%E0%A6%BF|title=ইতিহাসের নামে কিচ্ছা-কিংবদন্তিও ব্রেইন মেইড স্টোরি|language=bn|last=Kamal|first=Syed Mustafa|date=7 Feb 2015|website=The Daily Sangram}} Bipin Chandra Pal mentions in his book, "Memories Of My Life And Times", mentions that during his childhood he studied in a government school which was a large brick building standing on top of Mona Rai's Tila.{{cite book|title=Memories Of My Life And Times|author=Bipin Chandra Pal|year=1932|pages=33 & 149}} This is backed up by Pandita Ramabai's biography which mentions that she was invited to Sylhet District School, on top of Mona Ray Hill, by a reception committee.{{cite book|title=Pandita Ramabai Saraswati: her life and work|last=Sengupta|first=Padmini Sathianadhan|publisher=Asia Pub. House|year=1970|page=71}} During the British Raj, a 0.9 mile by-road was used connecting Sylhet with the hill. This road was named Monarai Tillah Approach Road and housed the Executive Officer's Bungalow in 1948. In 1975, it also housed the buildings for the Roads and Highways Division, Buildings Division and District Judges. The ruins of Rai's fort in Tilagarh is also present.{{cite book|title=Bangladesh District Gazetteers: Sylhet|year=1975|pages=184 & 409|publisher=Bangladesh Government Press}}

{{S-start}}

{{Succession box

|before=Madan Rai

|title=Minister of Gour

|years=1260-1303

|after=Sikandar Khan Ghazi (under Shamsuddin Firoz Shah)}}

{{S-end}}

{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rai, Mona}}

Category:Rulers of Sylhet

Category:14th-century Indian people

Category:14th-century politicians

Category:Indian Hindus