Why was the building of Sarak-e-Azam useful for Sher Shah government?
Answers
The Grand Trunk Road formerly known as Uttarapath, Sarak-e-Azam, Badshahi Sarak, Sarak-e-Sher Shah is one of Asia's oldest and longest major roads. For at least 2,500 years,[3] it has linked Central Asia to the Indian subcontinent. It runs roughly, 3,710 km (2,305 mi)[4][failed verification] from Teknaf, Bangladesh[5][6] west to Kabul, Afghanistan, passing through Chittagong and Dhaka in Bangladesh, Kolkata, Allahabad (Prayagraj), Delhi, and Amritsar in India, and Lahore, Rawalpindi, and Peshawar in Pakistan.[7][1]
Grand Trunk Road
Uttarapath, Sarak-e-Azam, Badshahi Sarak[a]
Route information
Length 2,310 mi[2][failed verification] (3,710 km)
Status Currently functional
Existed before 322 BCE–present
History Mahajanapadas, Maurya, Sur, Mughal and British Empires
Time period before c. 322 BCE-present
Cultural
significance History of the Indian subcontinent and South Asian history
Major junctions
East end Teknaf, Bangladesh
West end Kabul, Afghanistan
Location
Major cities Cox's Bazar, Chittagong, Feni,Comilla, Narayanganj, Dhaka, Rajshahi, Howrah, Kolkata,Durgapur, Purnea, Patna, Varanasi, Allahabad, Kanpur,Agra, Mathura, Aligarh, Delhi, Sonipat, Panipat, Karnal, Kurukshetra, Ambala, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Amritsar, Lahore, Gujranwala, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Jalalabad, Kabul
In India, GT Road coincides with NH 19 and NH 44 of National Highways in India.
Chandragupta Maurya of the Mauryan Empire in ancient India, built his highway along this ancient route called Uttarapatha in the 3rd century BC,[8] extending it from the mouth of the Ganges to the north-western frontier of the Empire. Further improvements to this road were made under Ashoka. It was rebuilt many times under Sher Shah Suri, the Mughals and the British along a partly similar route.[9] The old route was re-aligned by Suri to Sonargaon and Rohtas.[8][10] The Afghan end of the road was rebuilt under Mahmud Shah Durrani.[11][8] The road was considerably rebuilt in the British period between 1833 and 1860.[12]
The road coincides with current N1, Feni,(Chittagong to Dhaka), N4 & N405 (Dhaka to Sirajganj), N507 (Sirajganj to Natore) and N6 (Natore to Rajshai towards Purnea in India) in Bangladesh; NH 12 (Purnea to Bakkhali ), NH 27 (Purnea to Patna), NH 19 (Kolkata to Agra), NH 44 (Agra to Jalandhar via New Delhi, Sonipat, Panipat, Ambala and Ludhiana) and NH 3 (Jalandhar to Attari, Amritsar in India towards Lahore in Pakistan) via Wagah; N-5 (Lahore, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Lalamusa, Jhelum, Rawalpindi, Peshawar and Khyber Pass towards Jalalabad in Afghanistan) in Pakistan and AH1 (Torkham-Jalalabad to Kabul) in Afghanistan.
Over the centuries, the road acted as one of the major trade routes in the region and facilitated both travel and postal communication. The Grand Trunk Road is still used for transportation in present-day Indian subcontinent, where parts of the road have been widened and included in the national highway system.[13]
Sur and Mughal Empires
Sher Shah Suri, the medieval ruler of the Sur Empire, took to rebuilding Chandragupta's Royal Road in the 16th century.[15], The old route was further rerouted at Sonargaon and Rohtas and its breadth increased. Fruit trees and shade trees were planted. At every 2 kos, a sarai was built, the number of kos minars and baolis increased. Gardens were also built alongside some sections of the highway. Those who stopped at the sarai were provided food for free. His son Islam Shah Suri constructed an additional sarai in-between every sarai originally built by Sher Shah Suri on the road toward Bengal. More sarais were built under the Mughals. Jahangir under his reign issued a decree that all sarais be built of burnt brick and stone. Broad-leaved trees were planted in the stretch between Lahore and Agra and he built bridges overall water bodies that were situated on the path of the highways.[8][9] The route was referred to as "Sadak-e-Azam" by Suri, and "Badshahi Sadak" during Mughals.[16]