Bangladesh India
In The Name Of The People
The ancient, medieval, and colonial history of Bangladesh covers a period from antiquity to 1947, when India was partitioned. So the history of Bangladesh prior to 1947 is a history of India of which Bangladesh was a part. In fact, the history of India is a history of Bengal for the large part. Today Bangladesh is an independent nation within the Indian subcontinent, but is less than half of the old Bengal or Bangla. For the first civilization of India and later empires go to Ancient India
NOVO, May 2000 Updated January 22nd 2001 |
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Ancient History: (NOTE: Bangla, Banga, Bengal will be used interchangably as will Bengali, Bangalee and at times Bangla. Also India will be called India instead of Bharat, which is more appropriate.)
Introduction The modern state of Bangladesh officially came into existence through a people's liberation war in 1971. Bangladesh is the eastern part of Bangla. (click for the map of ancient Bangla) Bangladesh (East Bengal) and West Bengal (in India) are the same nation and together they once formed the major part of Bangla (Banga or Gaur). There were some other parts of Bangla though that are no longer within East or West Bangla. Bangla was divided into East and West Bengal by the British, first in 1905, but it proved unpopular and was reversed in 1911. Later during the partition of India, rich Muslim landlords in the East supported the division. So again since 1947, Bangla is divided into at least two parts. Bangla was ultimately ruined by this division and today there are even those who have been so de-culturized that they feel that the people of the other Bangla are foreign! That is the great success of the west. Bangla was one of the most important centres of India and now it is a ruined nation no longer a potential threat to the west. Its long and great history is forgotten by the world and also many Bengals today. Even though Bangladesh is a modern state, her history can be traced back to about 1000 BC. There are many theories about the origin of the name B(v)anga or B(v)angla. Some linguists believe that the name originates from the Tibetan word, "Bans" which means wet or moist and Banga (Bengal) is a wet country crisscrossed by a thousand rivers and washed by monsoons and floods from the Himalayas. Some others believe that the name originated from the Bodo (original Asamese in North Eastern India) "Bang La" which means wide plains. This theory is extremely plausible. Another school suggests the name comes from the name of Prince Vanga. According to legend, Prince Vanga, the son of King Bali and Queen Sudeshna of the Lunar dynasty was the first to colonise Bengal. What is probably the real root is from the name of the original people of Bengal. This also is taken from legend. One of the tribes who according to a claim emerged from the Indus Civilization after its demise had entered the plains of Bengal while others went elsewhere. They were called the Bong tribe and spoke Dravidian. We know from many ancient Aryan texts of a tribe called B(v)anga that existed in that region.
Geology and archaeology tell us that Bangla was formed 1 to 6.5 million years ago and the first known human habitation goes back to 100, 000 years in the past. Paleolithic tools and implements from a hundred thousand years ago have been found in Deolpota in West Bengal and 15, 000 year old implements have been found in South East Bangladesh. New Stone Age civilisation, showing connection with that of Bihar, Orissa and Asam existed in Bangla (Bengal) around 3000 to 1500 BC. Then suddenly a metal processing civilization appears. Archaeology has not been able to find the missing link from stone tools to metal tools use. This might suggest the influx of a new people into the region and maybe this goes hand in hand with the legends. The Indus civilization ended around 1800 BCE and there is a marked change in Bangla around this time... this ties in with the story of the Bong and Al peoples.
Recently an ancient city has been discovered in West Bengal at Chandraketugarh near Berachampa, in North 24 Pargana. The city is presumed to be of King Chandraketu from the Gupta era (4th to 6th century AD) but will await carbon 14 tests. Statues of Goddess Yakshi have been discovered here. At Berachampa is another location of interest. Here the'khana-mihir's dhibi was found, a site with Gupta temples. In Jessore, Bangladesh (East Bangla), the Bharat Bhanya site has been tentatively assigned to the Gupta period as well. (Md. Shafiqul Alam, Deccan College, Pune 411 006) In East Bengal or Bangladesh, ancient ruins at MahastanGarh in Bogra district; Sompur Vihar at Paharpur in Naogaon district (the single largest monument in the sub-continent); Moynamoti (Buddhist sites) in Comilla district, in Dinajpur, Dhaka, Chittagong and many other sites have been excavated. They are mostly Buddhist sites, some with huge structures, from the first millennium AD. Some from the Pal (Pala) era of Bengal which was probably the second revival of Bengal. It is suggested by some that MahastanGarh might have been in existence in the BC.
Many assume that South India and Bengal were backwaters because of the lack of interest of the Aryan scriptures in them. They were not backwaters but simply they were non-Aryans. Since Bangla and South India were not Aryan, they are not highlighted in the history of the Aryans or North India. However, since there were powerful kingdoms and cities in Bengal that were in close proximity to the Aryans, Bangla is mentioned somewhat. Also because of Buddha's travellings, there are some more references. (Note: the earliest references are mostly disdainful. If anyone travelled to the Dravir land, then their would be pennances and ritual sacrifices.)
Even the ancient texts, however, whether intentionally or not, reveal the greatness of Bangla. In Bhishma-parvan, the Bengali kings heroically face attacks from the Pandus or conquerors of Upper India. There is a description of the encounters between the Pandus and the mighty ruler of the Vangas. While some of the Bengal kings fought on elephants, others rode on ocean-bred steeds of the hue of the moon. What were these ocean bred steeds of the hue of the moon? Were they ships? In the very ancient times, Pundra, Gaur (Gaud or Garh), Rarh (Radha, Ladha), Sumha, Vajra (Brahma), Tamralipti, Samatata, Banga and Anga comprised Bangla (Bengal). At one time Gaur was the name used for the Bengal region but the name Banga later became popular. This might reflect the prominence of the regions in a period whose history is lost. Banga is first mentioned in the Aiterya Aranyaka, a Hindu scripture. The book mentions Banga as a non-Aryan (Dravir) nation. In the Aitareya Brahma, the people of Pundra tribe (along with Andhra, Shavara, Mulinda and Mutiba tribes) is called dasyu, clearly non-Aryan or Dravir. Bangla is also mentioned in the Mahabharat, one of the four great epics. In the great war of Kurukshetra described in the Mahabharat, a Bangla king fought for the Kaurovas (Kaurovas are supposed to be the villains. They are most probably Aryans and so this might show the beginings of Aryan-Dravir alliance makings.). Another time, King Basudeva, of Gaur (old name for Bangla) fought with Krishna in Dwarka, a port city in Gujarat on the western part of India. The Mahabharat also mentions three Bengali (Bangalee or Bangla) princes who try for the hand of princess Draupadi. In this epic, some Bengals are mentioned as untouchables. These were the coastal tribes of Bengal who were called Mlechchha. All the tribes in Bengal (and Kalinga, a South East Indian empire and even Magadha and Anga (Bengal)) were considered non-Aryan. Banga and Kalinga were Dravir even in Mahavira's time and Aryanization only began with Ashok when part of it was under the Mauryan empire. As Aryanization penetrated into Manu classified Bengal (Pundra), Shaka and Dravida as fallen Kshatryias (Kshatriyas were the warior or ruling caste). This was an attempt to incorporate them into the Aryan caste system. Towards Arjun's time, Mahabharat and the Vayu and Matsyapuranas also calls Bengal (Pundra and Banga, Sumhas) Kshatriyas. And later the Jaina Pragyapana calls Bengal (Banga and Rarh) Aryans signifying the begining of absorption. It was probably then that the caste system became rigid and oppressive to maintain segregation.
It was only during the Gupta rule around the 4th century period that Aryanization fully penetrates Bangla. The caste structure is instilled and Brahmans (highest caste) are mentioned. Vatsyana in his Kamasutra (the bible of sex) mentions Brahmans in Bengal. Vatsayana talks about handsome Bengals who painted their nails to attract girls.
Many think that the concepts of karma and transmigration of the soul, the practice of yoga, the worship of Shiva, Devi and Visnu, and other rituals that are not Vedic came from the Aryans. However, these are now believed to have existed in Bangla before Aryanization. This is also supported by the fact that today at least Yoga and Shiva are associated with the Indus civilization which existed before the coming of the Aryans. The cultivation of rice and other crops such as the betel leaf, coconut, tamarind and nut, the Hindu dress of dhuti, marriage rituals with vermilion and turmeric, and many other customs come from pre-Aryan ancestors. (Hasna Jasimuddin Moudud)
Bengal's history in the 1st millennium BC was that of glory and expansion. This period is connected not to North India but to South India and the eastern Asia. Its expansion was a maritime expansion. Bengal was an ancient seafaring nation, possibly a continuation of the seafaring of the Indus days. As early as 544 BC, Bengali prince, Vijay(a) Singha of Bangla established the first kingdom in Sri Lanka. The ancient name of Sri Lanka, Simhala (Singhala) comes from the name of Vijay Singha. The Sri Vijaya empire of Indonesia that dominated East Asia for over a millennium bears Sri Vijaya's name, possibly meaning that it was founded by him. This empire is known to have been a strong indian centre as early as 135 AD by the Chinese, which means that Indians (Bengals) were there earlier in history, possibly the 6th/5th century BC, if Sri Vijaya founded the empire. From here the region of cambodia to Vietnam was dominated by the ancient Bengals. Madras was another kingdom established by the Bengals. These show that Bengal was a well organised land even in ancient times. This period of expansion is unmatched in later history. An intersting point to note: the Madras people are Tamil (Dramila) were the original Bengals same as Tamils?
Early India In India, the ancient kingdoms were called Mahajanapadas. There were several of them all over Northern India. Anga, Ashmak, Avanti, Chedi, Gandhar, Kashi, Kosala, Magadha ( in Bihar and later annexed part of Bangla and adjoining areas when it started expansion), Matsya, Shursen and Vatsa (today: Kasuambi in Bihar, King of Vatsa, Udayana was Buddha's follower) were the major kingdoms. Some Mahajanapadas like Banga, Kamboj, Koliya, Kuru, Lichhavi, Moriya, Panchal, Shakya(Buddha's family ruled here), and Vrijji were republican states. The republican states were not ruled by kings but had assemblies of senior and responsible elders called 'Gana-parishad'. (This is still visible in villages in India.) The Magadha (see map of Mauryan Empire), Kosala (see map of Mauryan Empire), Vatsya (Bihar), and Avanti (Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh) were the most notable kingdoms of ancient India. Anga: Anga was an ancient kingdom. The people were originally Dravir but were absorbed early in the Aryanization process. They had become part of Magadha in the 6th century BC. Anga was part of Bengal but now mostly lies in Bihar, including her capital, Monghyr. Ashmak: Avanti: A kingdom near Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh. He warred with Magadha, Kosala, and Vatsa. Eventually Magadha emerged victor. Gandhar: Present day Afganistan. Afganistan was part of India until the 10th century when it was overrun by foreign invaders. Kashi: Today Kashi remains as the famous holy city Varanasi, Banarasi or Banaras. Photos Kosala: Of all the small kingdoms in North India, the history of Magadha and Kosala are documented well, because of Buddha and Mahavira's presence there. There are references to Bangla, since Buddha had travelled there to preach. Kosala was an empire roughly the size of Britain and is also the birth place of Rama, the Hindu Avatar. It existed in Central North India, with capital at Ayoddhya. Shravasti Kushavati and Saket were its other famous cities. Archeological excavations have shown the remains of a great empire there, which existed sometime between the end of the Harappan civilization and the emergence of historical empires in India whose tales might be recorded in the Mahabharat and Ramayan. The legendary Tirthankaras of Jain are also from here. Kosala was ruled by Prasenajit during the time of Buddha, around the 6th century BC. Magadha: Neighbouring Magadha (an ancient Dravir nation) started getting powerful in the 7th century BC. It started out as a sixth of the size of Kosala in the extreme south east of Bihar. Its old capital was at Rajgriha (Rajgir) in present day Bihar. In the 6th century BC, it was definitely a major power under King Bimbisara. (It must be noted that Bimbisara had married Prasenajits' sister.) Part of the rise in Magadha's power was due to its king Bimbisara's bold new strategy. Until then in Magadha the armies were loyal to the different tribes but Bimbisara changed this making the armies loyal to himself. Magadha is the first kingdom recorded in Indian history that attempted to create a great empire. There is evidence that Buddha himself had counseled the King Bimbisara of Magadha as how to subjugate and annex the neighbouring Lichavi republic (D.P. Singhal pg. 57). Later Bimbisara became the first patron of Buddhism. Buddha had highly influenced Bimbisara. The capital of Magadha also became Buddha's homebase. There were thousands of Magadhans who had converted to buddhism by then. It must be noted that Prasenajit later converted too, leading to massive success of early Buddhism. By the time Magadha started to expand, there was probably a high degree of Aryan penetration into Magadha, as evidenced by the fact that Buddha spoke Maghdi Sanskrit, which is an Aryan language. Magadha was probably one of the first Aryo-Dravir synthesis centres. Both the Buddhist and Jain religion (which in antiquity originates in Kosala) developed here. In its early stage it anexed the smaller kingdoms of Kashi, Madra and Anga (Bangla). And also lost in antiquity, Prasenjit carried out a long protracted war with Magadha. Eventually Prasenajit was deposed by his son and Kosala was overwhelmed by Magadha. Thus Magadha now stretched all across Northern India becoming the first historical empire of North India. King Ajarsatru, son of Bimbisara started the task of building the empire in 490 BC and Magadha was extended under great Nanda kings as far west as Punjab. The Nanda kings had set up an effective administrative system that was necessary to run their large empire. They huge four-fold army of two hundred thousand infantry, twenty thousand cavalry, two thousand chariots and three thousand elephants. They introduced the stem of standard weights and measures (if this is the one used in modern India then it is remarkable that it was base 16 like ancient Indus). The Nanda Kings were patrons of art and literature. By the time Alexandre conquers northern India in 326 BC, Magadha was a great empire under the Nandas and this was the seed from which the Mauryan empire germinated, retaining the great beaurocracy, army and passion for arts and litterature of the Nanda kings.
The periods just before the Mauryan empire and after it is almost nonexistent in India. However, some history can be collected from Greek sources. The first western reference comes from Alexandre's invasion of India. Alexandre had conquered much of the "known world" and had defeated the western kingdoms of India. They were stopped at the Magadha empire. The Greek historians suggest that Alexandre retreated fearing valiant attacks of the mighty Gangaridai and Prasioi empires which were located in the Bengal region. Alexandre's Historians refer to Gangaridai as a people who lived in the lower Ganges and its tributaries. These empires attest the level of organisation of the peoples of Bangla region. These names are again mentioned by Diodorus. He describes Gangaridai as a nation beyond the Ganges, whose king had 4 thousand war trained and equipped elephants. Later Periplus and Ptolemy also indicate that Bengal was organised into a powerful kingdom at the onset of the first millennium AD. When Greek historian Periplus talks about India in the first century AD, apparently he speaks of Bangla. He says, "There is a river near it called the Ganges (Ganga)" ... "On its bank is a market town which has the same name as the river, Ganges (Ganga). Through this place are brought malabathrum and Gangetic spikenard and pearls and muslins of the finest sorts, which are called Gangetic. It is said that there are gold mines near these places, and there is a gold coin which is called caltis. And just opposite this river there is an island in the ocean, the last part of the inhabited world towards the east, under the rising sun itself, it is called Chryse (I wonder what island this is!); and it has the best tortoise-shell of all the places on the Erythrean Sea" (Quote from Sudheer's India's Contribution to the World's Culture).
It is apparent that these empires existed before the Mauryan empire and continued after the fall of that empire. Some believe Bengal was part of the Mauryan Empire. However, it seems that these two kingdoms continued to exist even after the Mauryan empire. Part of Bangla, namely Anga and Pundra were probably under the Mauryan empire but the rest of Bangla remained outside the Mauryan empire. It is possible that these two empires entered into alliance with the Magadhans prior to the formation of the Mauryan empire thus retaining independence. Or simply the Bengal empires might have been too powerful (note they had more war elephants than the Mauryans which might indicate their power). The ancient western reference to the Muslin shows that the legendary fabric is not a new export of Bangla but ancient. It must take its rightful place with cotton and silk fabrics that go back in time in Bangla. The British during their ocupation ended the Muslin production brutally by having the Muslin weavers' thumbs chopped off.) The Muslin was legendary because a 50 meter long Muslin fabric could be squeezed into a matchbox. Today's Muslin is a different fabric altogether. The technology is lost.
In 518 BC, King Darius of Persia had conquered North West India including parts of Punjab. The Indian kings of this region were subordinate kings of Persia.
When Alexandre defeated Persia (around 320s BC), and came to India, he met the subordinate states of Persia. These states were nonetheless powerful. Alexandre wanted to go to the famed city of Taksh(a) Shila (Taxila, North India) across the Sindhu River (Indus). On his way there, he defeated the Ashwakas, who attacked him, in a fierce battle. By the time he attacks Purus (another western Indian kingdom), he needs the alliance of two other kingdoms of India. Ambhi, King of TakshShila made alliance with Alexandre (was this alliance made before Alexandre entered India?). Another King ShashiGupt also entered into alliance. They were enemies of Purus. It took the three kings to finally defeat Purus, in a very hard battle. As he proceeded eastwards, he was daunted by greater tasks and his army had lost its morale, forcing him to turn back. As mentioned earlier, he probably did not want to meet with the organised armies of the independent Indian empires of Magadha, Gangaridai and Prasoi. At the end of his adventure, Alexander had conquered the states of Kekaya, Gandhara and Punjab in Northwest India. During the subsequent centuries, Indo-Greek trade picked up. Along with trade of goods, ideas were exchanged. Indian astrology was ifluenced by the Greeks. The Indians adopted the 12 Zodiac signs. Indian philosophy and science also permeated into Greek culture at the same time.
Mauryan Empire
According to legend, the Nanda King, Dhananda, who ruled during the time of Alexandre's invasion had an illegitimate son by a Shudra (lower caste) woman called Mura. When Alexandre came to India, ChandraGupta had met him as a young man and through him, Alexandre probably learned of the organised armies of the East. Two years after Alexandre departed, ChandraGupta started a war against his father. He was aided in this by his Guru and adoptive father, VishnuGupta, who is popularly called Kautilya or Chanakya. Kautilya is the writer of ArthaShastra, the first great political treatise of the world. In 322 BC, ChandraGupta became the Emperor of Magadha and VishnuGupta became his able Prime Minister. ChandraGupta extended his empire as far west as the Indus (Sindhu) river in modern day Pakistan, recovering much of India that was lost to foreign invasions of the Persians and the Greeks. In 305 BC, the Greeks, under Alexandre's general Selucas (then king of Babylon), returned and met ChandraGupta in battle. This time they did not face a provincial King of Western India but an emperor from Eastern India. Selucas was defeated. ChandraGupta, however, was very generous with the defeated general, and only took parts of Selucas' land as compensation and even gave 500 elephants as a gift. He also married Selucas' daughter thereby creating an alliance. The nature of the alliance is not known but given the nature of ancient India's political overlordship, Selucas probably ruled an independent kingdom under the Mauryan empire. From Megasthenes, a Greek ambassador at ChandraGupta's court, we learn that this new empire was extremely oranised, much like modern states of today. ChandraGupta's capital, Pataliputra (now known as Patna, in Bihar, India) was the greatest city. It was certainly the largest city aswell. In this empire even certain central villages were fortified. The first great highway of history was built that still exists today as the Grand Trunk Road. The road was flanked by trees and milestones. One of the first great secret services was also born here under the guidance of Kautlya. People from all rank and file were included in the service. Even the emperors of this empire would go out in disguise to see the needs of the city. In the end of his life, ChandraGupta had abdicated his throne in favour of his son and had gone to Belgola, Mysore with a Jain sage. The Jain sage had predicted drought and famine correctly. At Belgola, he fasted till death, entreating the Gods to end the drought. His son, Bindusara, ruled in relative peace from the Hindu Kush to Mysore. Kalinga present day Orissa was outside his rule though. At this time India had peaceful relations with the Syrians and the Greeks. Then came, in 276 BC, the great Ashok(a) son of Bindusara who litterally conquered all India. He was probably the greatest king to have ever ruled in this world. Not the size of his empire but the noble ideals of this man made him great. Pillars proclaiming him as a just and wise ruler exist all over India. In Gandhar (Afganistan) and other western areas, the inscriptions are in Greek as opposed to Brahmi that was the script of India. These show that the Greek rulers in the northwest were his subordinates. Ahsoka had become a Buddhist and was a very peaceloving just king who was also the first ecologically concerned king. He set up the first animal preserves in the world. However, he started out as a hungry conqueror. On the ninth year as emperor he attacked Kalinga (Orissa), one of the last Dravir nations on the North East, other than Bengal. (NOTE: Anga, Banga, Kalinga are classified together possibly due to their common heritage.) The battle that ensued was one of the most memorable and toughest of ancient India. Ashok won but was deeply affected by the carnage. Ashok was aghast at his own doing. He only found relief in Buddhism and thus marked the making of a new Ashok, a man of peace. He dedicated the rest of his life to public welfare. He sent missionaries to spread Buddhism to Greece, Egypt and Sri Lanka. Ashoka died as the first people's emperor in 272 BC, who believed love to be superior to war. The Mauryan empire was the greatest of all Indian empires. The greatest extent of the empire under emperor Ashok stretched as far north as Tashkent, in modern day Uzbekistan, including Afganistan and covered part of Iran and Tajikistan to Myanmar in the East. Remnants of this are still visible. It can be observed in the Indian names still existing from east Asia to central Asia. Tashkent is the corruption Taksha Khand and Quandahar is the corruption of Gandhaar. It is important to note here that originally Afganistan (Upa-Gana-Stan) was an integral part of India. There are other Indian names even further west. Pundra Bardhan (West Bengal) and Anga (Bangla) were part of the Mauryan empire but it is however, not sure if all of Bangla was in the Mauryan empire. As mentioned earlier, it might be that the other Bengals retained their independence. Bengal port Tamralipti introduced the landlubber Mauryan emperors' to seafaring. Ashoka's descendants, for various reasons, which include pacifism, saw the decline of the empire. Finally the Mauryan empire ended violently in 185 BC. In 185 BC, an army commander in chief, PushyaMitra, assasinated the last Mauryan emperor during a parade of his troops. Some suggest this was a reaction of Brahmins against the highly Buddhist rulers.
PushyaMitra returned many of Brahmins to power. He also allowed the killing and sacrificing of animals. It was a return to strict Hindu religion. PushyaMitra was not, however, to enjoy his rule long in peace. Within two years of the fall of the Mauryan emperors, once again came the invasion of foreigners. The King of Bactria, Demetrius, who was probably subordinate under the Mauryans, invaded and conquered the North West, Indus region. Further encroachment was stopped by PushyaMitra in a series of Indo-Greek wars. PushyaMitra ruled for 36 years and was not a bad ruler. His reign saw the mark of intellectual fermentation. Patanjali, the great grammarian lived in this period. Art and litterature also further developed. PushyaMitra never assumed the title of Emperors but founded the Sunga dynasty. During Sunga reign the Mauryan empire reverted to the old Magadhan empire and the Sungas were ardent patrons of the Hindu. They persecuted Buddhists and destroyed many Buddhist stupas. However, they were not totally intolerant of Buddhism shown by the facts that the Buddhist stupa at Sanchi was enlarged and the great stupa at Bharhut was erected during the Sunga period. The Sunga rulers caused the empire to break up into different kingdoms with their infighting. The last Sunga king, Devabhumi, was killed by his minister, VasuDeva in about 75 BC. The Kanva dynasty ruled after that for a short period till 30 BC, when they were overthrown by the Andras (originally Dravir). This marks the begining of a period of chaos that was to last for three hundred years. During this period, the Indo-Greek Buddhist Kings set up independent states in the northwest. Soon they were replaced by Central Asian tribes of Shakas (Scythians?) and Pahalavas. These people promptly got absorbed into Indian culture. The Kushanas followed also from Central Asia. They established a great Buddhist empire in the west stretching from Kabul to Banaras. They too had become Indianized while adding to Indian culture significantly. This empire spread Mahayana Buddhism all over the world. The empire existed even in the 2nd century AD. Around 200 BC, the Satavahanas emerged from Maharastra. They ruled Maharastra, MadhyaPradesh and even regions of South India. Gautamiputra Satakarni of the Satavahanas defeated the Shakas and his empire stretched from Kathewad, Malwa and Rajasthan in the north to the river Krishna in the south and from the Arabian Sea in the west to the Bay of Bengal in the east.
Bangla history in this period between the Mauryan rule and Gupta rule (the next great empire) is not known clearly. However, we know from the Greek sources also mentioned above that the Gangaridai and the Prasoi empires continued to exist in this period. They probably retained independence through the Mauryan Empire. This is also the period when Bangla became Buddhist. By the time the Guptas enter Bangla, it is a strongly Buddhist nation. Before the Guptas, Bangla history probably became more connected with Eastern Asia more than India (except probably Kalinga). During this period it appears that the Bengals spilled into Burma, Thailand and all the way to Vietnam. The Mons of Thailand and Burma were dominated by Bengal/Kalingas. Their history also was probably more connected to Indonesia whose ancient script is very similar to Proto-Bangla. And maybe they kept connection with Sri Lanka. North India remained divided and the west was once again under foreign rule until the rise of the Guptas. In the south, however, powerful empires rose to prominence. Chera (Kerala), another ancient sea-faring nation of South West coast of India, who might also be descended from the Indus civilization, at this time traded with the Romans as they had with the Greeks and the Jews and Egyptians earlier. Out of the chaos in North India, rose a new ChandraGupta in 320 AD. He married the Lichavi princess, KumaraDevi. KumaraDevi was the heiress to the throne thus bringing ChandraGupta to power. The Lichavi republic once annexed by Magadha now annexed Magadha and created a new empire under the Gupta dynasty. Once again Magadha became the centre of the empire. Under SamudraGupta, son of ChandraGupta, the empire was further extended. He recovered the Western India and extended his rule South India as far as Sri Lanka. The south was not conquered but subordinated by treaties. The Gupta era is called the Golden Age of India. India became the leader of all spheres of life in this period. Some of the greatest architecture and art comes from the Guptas. The most powerful of the Southern empires were Vakataka empire (250 AD - 500 AD). The Gupta's never conquered them and ended up making a treaty. In the early phase of Gupta expansion, they defeated Bengal and annexed her. Two Varmans kings of Bangla are defeated. This is the first mention of the Varmans. As Bengal came under their rule, Tamralipti again served as a major port. Once again under the Guptas, India became a great nation, in strength, culture, spirituality and science. The first wave of Hun invasions were defeated by the Guptas so convincingly that they decided give up their plans to invade India for decades, turning their attention to the Roman empire, devastating her.
The Guptas came to an end around the 5th century AD after being weakened by the Huns and the Kanauj ruler YashoDharman. This was a very chaotic period in all India aswell as Bangla. Rapid changes took place in lordship across all India. Different subordinate states around the Gupta empire started declaring independence.
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Indus Showing Possible Migration Of The Bang People (original from Harappa.com)
Click on images below toget larger map
Ancient India
Principal regions of Ancient Bangla
Compare Bangla tera cotta with Indus tera cotta
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| Sources: A Short History Of Bengal by Tanmoy Bhattacharya A Thousand Year Old Bengali Mystic Poetry by Hasna Jasimuddin Moudud, daughter of famous poet Jashimuddin. A History of the Indian People by D. P. Singhal I am indebted to various sources for writing this history ... many books that I have read since I was a kid and those I read now both in paper and on the net. I thank the authors. |
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