MUSLIM IMMIGRATION TO ASSAM 69 The district of Sylhet had a settled Muslim population even before its conquest in 1384 by a spiritual-cum-military leader, Shah Jalal. The last Hindu ruler of the Lour Kingdom of Sylhet embraced Islam and this naturally inspired further Muslim settlements there. Sylhet and Gachar formed part of the province of Bengal during Akbar's rule. Till 1765, these territories were ruled by a succession ofAmils subordinate to the Nawab of Dacca.11 In 1874 these were transferred to Assam. Gachar was brought under Ahom control by king Rudra Singha who ruled from 1696 to 1714. Due to heavy pressure of population in Sylhet, Cachar's fertile Barak Valley proved an attraction to the farmer migrants of whom many were Muslims.12 Informally brought under British control by Lieutenant Fisher in 1830, Lord William Bentick annexed it in 1832. For a time, a Superintendent under the supervision of the Agent to the Governor-General administered the area and then it was placed in the Dacca Division. Within a few years of annexation, the upper parts were transferred to the Nowgong district of Assam. The rest of it came under Assam Chief Commissioner in 1874. The district had a numerous Muslim population at the time of British annexation.13 Prejudice against Outsiders These new contacts created an unfavourable reaction towards foreigners. All men from Bengal and other parts of India were looked upon as source of danger and they were given the common appellation ^of "Bangals59, though later on the term came to be applied to the Bengalees only. However, the Ahom rulers encouraged men from other parts of India to contribute to the different trades and professions and settle in Assam. As useful members of the society, they were recognized as citizens but of a lower status, and none of them could aspire to rise high in the Ahom court. They allowed the Muslims to follow their faith. Some of their religious leaders, known as Dcwans, were granted revenue-free lands called pirpal to settle on. Thus, long before the beginning of the modern history of Assam, Muslims had formed part of Assam's society though their number cannot be determined.14 But these early settlers, no doubt, left a permanent mark on the demography of Assam. It is also interesting to observe that those places of the Brahmaputra Valley which were subdued and controlled by the Muslims between 1603 and 1682 ultimately]became the important centres of Muslim population and their preponderance. Till 1874, Assam consisted ofDarrang, Kamrup, Lakhimpur, Nowgong