1.
History of Bengal
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The history of Bengal includes modern-day Bangladesh and West Bengal in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent, at the apex of the Bay of Bengal and dominated by the fertile Ganges delta. The advancement of civilization in Bengal dates back four millennia, the region was known to the ancient Greeks and Romans as Gangaridai. The Ganges and the Brahmaputra rivers act as a marker of the region. Bengal, at times, has played an important role in the history of the Indian subcontinent, the areas early history featured a succession of Indian empires, internal squabbling, and a tussle between Hinduism and Buddhism for dominance. Ancient Bengal was the site of several major Janapadas, while the earliest cities date back to the Vedic period, the region was part of several ancient pan-Indian empires, including the Mauryans and Guptas. It was also a bastion of regional kingdoms, the citadel of Gauda served as capital of the Gauda Kingdom, the Buddhist Pala Empire and Hindu Sena Empire. This era saw the development of Bengali language, script, literature, music, art, from the 13th century onward, the region was controlled by the Bengal Sultanate, Hindu Rajas, and Baro-Bhuyan landlords. In the late 16th and early 17th centuries, Isa Khan, a Muslim Rajput chief, afterwards, the region came under the suzerainty of the Mughal Empire. Under the Mughals, Bengal Subah generated 50% of the empires GDP, the gradual decline of the Mughals led to quasi-independent state under the Nawabs of Bengal, subsequent Maratha expeditions in Bengal, and finally the conquest by the British East India Company. The British took control of the region from the late 18th century, the company consolidated their hold on the region following the Battle of Plassey in 1757 and Battle of Buxar in 1764 and by 1793 took complete control of the region. Kolkata served for years as the capital of British controlled territories in India. The exact origin of the word Bangla is unknown, though it is believed to be derived from the Dravidian-speaking tribe Bang/Banga that settled in the area around the year 1000 BCE. Other accounts speculate that the name is derived from Venga, which came from the Austric word Bonga meaning the Sun-god, according to the Mahabharata, a number of Puranas and the Harivamsha Vanga was one of the adopted sons of King Vali who founded the Vanga Kingdom. It was either under Magadh or under Kalinga Rules except few years under Pals. The Muslim accounts refer that Bong, the earliest reference to Vangala has been traced in the Nesari plates of Rashtrakuta Govinda III which speak of Dharmapala as the king of Vangala. The records of Rajendra Chola I of the Chola dynasty, who invaded Bengal in the 11th century, shams-ud-din Ilyas Shah took the title Shah-e-Bangla and united the whole region under one government. An interesting theory of the origin of the name is provided by Abul-Fazl in his Ain-i-Akbari, from this suffix added to the Bung, the name Bengal arose and gained currency Stone Age tools dating back 20,000 years have been excavated in the state. Remnants of Copper Age settlements in the Bengal region date back 4,000 years, the original settlers spoke non-Aryan languages— they may have spoken Austric or Austro-Asiatic languages like the languages of the present-day Kola, Bhil, Santhal, Shabara, and Pulinda people. At a subsequent age, peoples speaking languages from two other language families— Dravidian and Tibeto-Burman—seem to have settled in Bengal, archaeological discoveries during the 1960s furnished evidence of a degree of civilisation in certain parts of Bengal as far back as the first millennium BC
2.
Pundravardhana
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There are several theories regarding the word ‘Pundra’. According to one theory the word ‘Pundra’ owes its origin to a disease called ‘Pandu’, the land where most of the people were suffering from that disease was called Pundrakshetra. Punda is a species of sugarcane, the land where that species of sugarcane was extensively cultivated was called Pundadesa. According to later Vedic texts like Aitereya Aryanaka of 8th-7th century BC, the Mahabharata also made a similar reference. Several personalities contributed to the discovery and identification of the ruins at Mahasthangarh, F. Buchanan Hamilton was the first European to locate and visit Mahasthangarh in 1808, C. J. O’Donnell, E. V. Westmacott, and Baveridge followed. Alexander Cunningham was the first to identify the place as the capital of Pundravardhana and he visited the site in 1889. The Pundra were people mentioned in the later Vedic texts, the Digvijay section of Mahabharata places them to the east of Monghyr and associates them with the prince who ruled on the banks of the Kosi. The epigraphs of the Gupta period and ancient Chinese writers place Pundravardhana, land of the Pundras, there is a story of Rishi Dīrghatamas who begot on the queen of the Asura king Bali five sons named Anga, Vanga, Suhma, Pundra and Kalinga. They founded the five named after them. The lands of the despised Pundra and Vangas were not only seats of powerful kings and it signifies the first stage of Aryanisation between 5th century BC and 4th century AD. Pundranagara or Paundravardhanapura, the ruins of which are located on the banks of the Karatoya in Bogra District of Bangladesh, was located in the territory of Pundravardhana, Buddhism was introduced into North Bengal, if not other parts of Bengal, before Ashoka. Two Votive inscriptions on the railings of the Buddhist stupa at Sanchi of about the 2nd century BC records the gifts of two inhabitants of Punavadhana which undoubtedly stands for Pundravardhana, the impact of Aryan-Brahmana culture was felt in Bengal much after the same spread across northern India. The various non-Aryan people then living in Bengal were powerful and thus the spread of Aryan-Brahman culture was strongly resisted, the Mauryans were the first to establish a large empire spread across ancient India, with headquarters at Pataliputra, which was not very far from Pundranagara. Around 18,000 followers of the Ajivika sect were executed as a result of this order, the end of the Maurya rule around 185 BC was followed by a period of small kingdoms and chaos till the advent of the Guptas in the 4th century AD. Copper plates of the Gupta period mentioned their eastern division as Pundravardhana bhukti, the Gupta Empire faced decline in the 6th century AD and the area may have fallen to the Tibetan king Sambatson in 567-79. Subsequently, Bengal was carved into two empires, Samatata in the east and Gauda in the west, there is mention of Pundravardhana being part of Gauda in certain ancient records. It was part of Shashanka’s kingdom in the 7th century AD, during his visit to the area in 639-45, the Chinese monk, Xuanzang, did not mention any king of Pundravardhana in his itinerary records. He traveled from Kajangala to Kamarupa through Pundravardhana, there are references that go to indicate that Pundravardhana lost its eminence in the 7th-8th century
3.
Gangaridai
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Gangaridai was an ancient region corresponding to the Ganges delta region of the Indian subcontinent, which was mentioned in the records of numerous Greco-Roman writers. The term means nation of the Ganges in Greek and Latin and it is one of the earliest references to the Bengal region in the Indian subcontinent. According to ancient Indian records, the Vanga Kingdom and Samatata Kingdom occupied the region during the same period, the capital of the Gangaridai was situated at Kotalipara in present-day Gopalganj District, Bangladesh. The region was described as a kingdom with one of the largest cavalries of chariots and it was described by the Greek traveller Megasthenes in his work Indica. Greek and Roman historians suggested that Alexander the Great withdrew from the Indian subcontinent, anticipating a counterattack from an alliance of Gangaridai, later writers noted merchant shipping links between Gangaridais cities and Roman Egypt. Ptolemy, wrote that the Gangaridai occupied the region about the five mouths of the Ganges. The five mouths were the Kambyson, the Mega, the Kamberikhon, the Pseudostomon and these rivers may refer to the Meghna, Padma, Jamuna, Karnaphuli and Rupsa. Ptolemy also noted a natural harbour in the Chittagong coastline. Quoted from The Classical Accounts of India, Dr R. C, quoted from Ancient India as Described in Classical Literature, John W. McCrindle, p.201. Quoted from The Classical Accounts of India, p. 103-128, plutarch noted both Gangaridae and Prasii together, The Battle with Porus depressed the spirits of the Macedonians, and made them very unwilling to advance farther into India. This river, they heard, had a breadth of two and thirty stadia, and a depth of 1000 fathoms, while its banks were covered all over with armed men, horses. For the kings of the Gandaritai and the Prasiai were reported to be waiting for him with an army of 80,000 horse,200,000 foot,8,000 war-chariots, quoted from The Classical Accounts of India, p.198. Owing to this, their country has never been conquered by any king, for all other nations dread the overwhelming number. Quoted from the Epitome of Megasthenes, Indika, Ancient India as Described by Megasthenes and Arrian. Translated and edited by J. W. McCrindle, pliny the Elder wrote about the people, In the final part of its Ganges course, which is through the country of the Gangarides. In the parts which lie southward from the Ganges the inhabitants, already swarthy, are coloured by the sun. Quoted from The Classical Accounts of India, Dr. R. C, Megasthenes wrote about the people known as Gangarides, The least breadth of the Ganges is eight miles, and its greatest twenty. Its depth where it is shallowest is fully a hundred feet, the people who live in the furthest-off part are the Gangarides, whose king possesses 1,000 horse,700 elephants, and 60,000 foot in apparatus of war
4.
Sena dynasty
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The Sena Empire was a Hindu dynasty that ruled from Bengal through the 11th and 12th centuries. The empire at its peak covered much of the region of the Indian subcontinent. The rulers of the Sena Dynasty traced their origin to the south Indian region of Karnataka, the dynastys founder was Hemanta Sena, who was part of the Pala Empire until it began to weaken. Hemanta Sena usurped power and styled himself king in 1095 AD and his successor Vijaya Sena helped lay the foundations of the dynasty, and had an unusually long reign of over 60 years. Ballala Sena conquered Gaur from the Pala, became the ruler of the Bengal Delta, Ballala Sena married Ramadevi a princess of the Western Chalukya Empire which indicates that the Sena rulers maintained close social contact with south India. Lakshmana Sena succeeded Ballala Sena in 1179, ruled Bengal for approximately 20 years, in 1203–1204 AD, the Turkic general Bakhtiyar Khilji attacked Nabadwip. Khilji defeated Lakshman Sen and captured northwest Bengal – although Eastern Bengal remained under Sena control, the political space after the decline of the Pala power in Bengal was occupied by the Senas whose king Vijayasena succeeded in conquering a large part of Pala territory. The Senas were the supporters of orthodox Hinduism, the dynasty traces its origin to the South, to the Western Chalukya Empire of southern India. Theres is a record of a Western Chalukya invasion during the reign of Someshvara I led by his son Vikramaditya VI who defeated the kings of Gauda and this invasion of the Kannada ruler brought bodies of his countrymen from Karnataka into Bengal which explains the origin of the Sena Dynasty. The founder of the Sena rule was Samantasena who described himself as a Kshatriya of Karnata and he himself stated that he fought the outlaws of Karnata and later turned an ascetic. The inscriptions of the Sena kings mention them as Brahma-Kshatriyas or Kshatriyas, Sena Dynasty had ruled Bengal for little over a century. The emergence of the dynasty, which supplanted the Palas in Bengal towards the close of 11th century A. D. had constituted a significant epoch in the history of ancient India. One important aspect of Sena rule in Bengal is that the territory of Bengal was brought under a single rule for the first time. It is likely impossible to provide information to the question as to how the family entered Bengal. The Sena records also are amazingly silent about this, the Sena kings claim in their own inscriptions that they are Brahma-Kshatriyas. Their remote ancestor was one Virasena, whose name was supposed to have mentioned in Puranas. The Deopara Inscription of the Senas also traces the Sena ancestry from Virasena, since there are no authentic records available still, a keen controversy prevails among scholars regarding origin of the Senas. Like the origin of the Senas, their history or circumstances
5.
Anga
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Anga was a kingdom that flourished on the eastern Indian subcontinent from c. 12th to 6th century BCE until it was annexed by the kingdom of Magadha in the same century. Counted among the sixteen nations in Buddhist texts like the Anguttara Nikaya. According to Mahabharata, Karna ruled the Kingdom during the period, some refer that the Angas were grouped with people of ‘mixed origin’, generally in the later ages. Mahabharata and Puranic literature attest that the name Anga had originated eponymously from the name of Prince Anga, according to some scriptures, a king Bali, the Vairocana and the son of Sutapa, had no sons. So, he requested the sage, Dirghatamas, to him with sons. The sage is said to have five sons through his wife. The princes were named Anga, Vanga, Kalinga, Sumha, the princes later founded kingdoms named after themselves. The prince Vanga founded Vanga kingdom, in the current day region of southern Bangladesh, the prince Kalinga founded the kingdom of Kalinga, in the current day region of coastal Orissa, including the North Sircars. Also the price Pundra founded Pundra consisting of the regions of West Bengal. The prince Suhma founded Suhma Kingdom in the part of southern West Bengal. Ramayana narrates the origin of name Anga as the place where Kamadeva was burnt to death by Siva, the earliest mention occurs in the Atharava Veda where they find mention along with the Magadhas, Gandharis and the Mujavatas, all apparently as a despised people. Puranic texts place the janapadas of the Angas, Kalingas, Vangas, Pundras, Vidarbhas, the Puranas also list several early kings of Anga. The Mahagovinda Suttanta refers to king Dhatarattha of Anga, Jain texts refer to Dhadhivahana, as a ruler of the Angas. Puranas and Harivamsa represent him as the son and immediate successor of Anga, Jain traditions place him at the beginning of sixth century BCE. Between the Vatsas and the realm of Anga, lived the Magadhas, a great struggle went on between the Angas and its eastern neighbors. The Vidhura Pandita Jataka describes Rajagriha as the city of Anga and this indicates that Anga had initially succeeded in annexing the Magadhas, and thus its borders extended to the kingdom of Matsya country. This success of Angas did not last long, about the middle of 6th century BCE, Bimbisara, the crown prince of Magadha had killed Brahmadatta, the last independent king of Anga and seized Champa. Bimbisara made it as his headquarters and ruled over it as his fathers Viceroy, thenceforth, Anga became an integral part of growing Magadha empire
6.
Harikela
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Harikela was a kingdom in ancient Bengal encompassing much of the eastern regions of the Indian Subcontinent. There are numerous references to the kingdom in historical texts as well as archeological artifacts including silver coinage, the kingdom was ruled by the Chandra dynasty during the 10th century CE. They were overthrown by the Varman dynasty, who were in turn overthrown by the Deva dynasty, in the 17th century the Mughal Empire absorbed and brought Harikela under the province of Bengal. For a time its capital was near Chittagong before being moved to Munshiganj by the Candras, arab traders recognised Harikela as the coastal regions of Bengal in the early period and included Sylhet in the later period reaching as far as the ancient Sundarbans. In Islam, Sirajul, Jamal, Ahmed A. Banglapedia, National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh
7.
Nanda Empire
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The Nanda dynasty originated from the region of Magadha in ancient India during the 4th century BCE and lasted between 345–321 BCE. At its greatest extent, the empire ruled by the Nanda Dynasty extended from Bengal in the east, to the Punjab region in the west, the rulers of this dynasty were famed for the great wealth which they accumulated. The Nanda Empire was later conquered by Chandragupta Maurya, who founded the Maurya Empire and he expanded his territory south of the Vindhya Range into the Deccan Plateau. The Nandas, who usurped the throne of the Shishunaga dynasty c.345 BCE, were thought to be of low origin and he was the son of Mahanandin, and a Shudra mother. The Nanda kings built on the foundations laid by their Haryanka, to achieve this objective they built a vast army, consisting of 200,000 infantry,20,000 cavalry,2,000 war chariots and 3,000 war elephants. According to the Greek historian Plutarch, the size of the Nanda army was larger, numbering 200,000 infantry,80,000 cavalry,8,000 war chariots. A possible indication of Nanda military victories in Kalinga is suggested by the later Hathigumpha inscription of Kharavela, the existence of a place called Nau Nand Dehra on the Godavari is taken by some scholars as reflecting Nanda rule over the Deccan. The evidence for the extension of Nanda rule into trans-Vindhyan India is not, however, the Nandas were also renowned for their immense wealth. They undertook irrigation projects and invented standardized measures for trade across their empire, the Nanda Dynasty was also mentioned in the ancient Sangam literature of the Tamil people. The famous Tamil poet Mamulanar of the Sangam literature described the capital city Pataliputra of the Nanda Dynasty and their unpopularity, possibly due to their financial extortion, facilitated a revolution, leading to their overthrow by Chandragupta Maurya and Kautilya. Nevertheless, the greatness attained in the Maurya Age would hardly have been possible but for the achievements of their predecessors, the advisors of the king were fewer in number but were most respected on account of their high character and wisdom. They are mentioned by the Greek observers who wrote about conditions in the fourth century BCE, next to the advisors were the generals of the army. Bhadrasala, one of such generals, is mentioned in the Milinda-Panho, a passage of the Kathasaritsagara refers to the kataka of Nanda in Ayodhya. Mookerji, Radha Kumud, Chandragupta Maurya and his times, Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN 81-208-0433-3 Panda, Harihar, Raychaudhuri, as a Historian, Northern Book Centre, ISBN 81-7211-210-6 Raychaudhuri, H. C. Political History of Ancient India, From the Accession of Parikshit to the Extinction of the Gupta Dynasty, Oxford University Press Sastri, K. A. Nilakanta, the Early History of India, Atlantic Publishers and distributors, ISBN 978-81-7156-618-1
8.
Maurya Empire
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The Maurya Empire was a geographically extensive Iron Age historical power founded by Chandragupta Maurya which dominated ancient India between c. 322 and 187 BCE. Originating from the kingdom of Magadha in the Indo-Gangetic Plain in the side of the Indian subcontinent. The empire was the largest to have existed in the Indian subcontinent. By 316 BCE the empire had fully occupied Northwestern India, defeating and conquering the satraps left by Alexander, Chandragupta then defeated the invasion led by Seleucus I, a Macedonian general from Alexanders army, gaining additional territory west of the Indus River. The Maurya Empire was one of the largest empires of the world in its time and it declined for about 50 years after Ashokas rule ended, and it dissolved in 185 BCE with the foundation of the Shunga dynasty in Magadha. After the Kalinga War, the Empire experienced nearly half a century of peace, Mauryan India also enjoyed an era of social harmony, religious transformation, and expansion of the sciences and of knowledge. Ashoka sponsored the spreading of Buddhist ideals into Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia, West Asia, the population of the empire has been estimated to be about 50–60 million, making the Mauryan Empire one of the most populous empires of Antiquity. Archaeologically, the period of Mauryan rule in South Asia falls into the era of Northern Black Polished Ware, the Arthashastra and the Edicts of Ashoka are the primary sources of written records of Mauryan times. The Lion Capital of Ashoka at Sarnath has been made the national emblem of India, the Maurya Empire was founded by Chandragupta Maurya, with help from Chanakya, at Takshashila. Chanakya swore revenge and vowed to destroy the Nanda Empire, meanwhile, the conquering armies of Alexander the Great refused to cross the Beas River and advance further eastward, deterred by the prospect of battling Magadha. Alexander returned to Babylon and re-deployed most of his troops west of the Indus River, soon after Alexander died in Babylon in 323 BCE, his empire fragmented, and local kings declared their independence, leaving several smaller disunited satraps. Chandragupta Mauryas rise to power is shrouded in mystery and controversy, on one hand, a number of ancient Indian accounts, such as the drama Mudrarakshasa by Vishakhadatta, describe his royal ancestry and even link him with the Nanda family. A kshatriya clan known as the Mauryas are referred to in the earliest Buddhist texts, however, any conclusions are hard to make without further historical evidence. Chandragupta first emerges in Greek accounts as Sandrokottos, as a young man he is said to have met Alexander. He is also said to have met the Nanda king, angered him, Chanakyas original intentions were to train a guerilla army under Chandraguptas command. The Mudrarakshasa of Vishakhadatta as well as the Jaina work Parishishtaparvan talk of Chandraguptas alliance with the Himalayan king Parvatka, Chanakya encouraged Chandragupta Maurya and his army to take over the throne of Magadha. These men included the general of Taxila, accomplished students of Chanakya, the representative of King Porus of Kakayee, his son Malayketu. The Macedonians may then have participated, together with other groups, the Mudrarakshasa of Visakhadutta as well as the Jaina work Parisishtaparvan talk of Chandraguptas alliance with the Himalayan king Parvatka, often identified with Porus
