The Sultanate period was an age of the development of regional languages and literatures in different parts of the country. In this process Bengali received an impetus for growth by the patronage of the sultans of Bengal.
During the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries a number of poets composed verses eulogizing the local deities of Bengal collectively known as the ‘Manga’-Kavya’. A number of poets are said to have composed the Manasa-mangal such as: Vijaya Gupta,Vipradas, Haridatta, etc.
The rule of Uiyas Shahi Sultans of Bengal is particularly remembered for the development of Bengali language and literature. Under the patronage of Barbak Shah, Maladhar Basu composed the famous book ‘Srikrishna-Vijaya’ in 1473. This is virtually a translation of the Mahabhcirata.
Sultan Barbak Shah conferred the title of ‘Gunraj Khan’ on Maladhar Basu in recognition of his merit. Sultan Hussain Shah’s two generals. Paragal Khan and his son, Chuti Khan, also patronized Bengali literature. They employed one Srikar Nandi to translate the Mahabharata into Bengali. Later on, in the sixteenth century, a host of literature was composed in Bengali on the life and teachings of Sri Chaitanya.