HISTORY OF BANDLADESH

Chapter I

The land of water and silt

.Himalayas-the highest mountains range in the world.

.Without Himalaya our land would not be there.

.As snow melts from the mountain forms into rivers rushing to the sea. The rivers on the way built up a
delta.

.After an age old process a territory was created-that is Bangladesh.

.Almost all waters off the Himalayas had to pass through our country.

.On the South the rivers running together forms the mighty Ganges from India enters into Bangladesh,
known as Padma.

.Another majestic river Brahmaputra passing Tibet enters northern Bangladesh came to be known as
Jamuna. It then joins the Ganges in central Bangladesh and together goes to the sea.

.There are other rivers also all over the country.

.The giant Meghna enters from the east and more than 50 other rivers flows from India into Bangladesh.

.Floods.

Chapter II

Jungle, fields, cities and states

There were rainforests wetlands, one of the richest wildlife areas of the world-many plants and animals
disappeared from Bangladesh-rhinoceros, wild buffalo, banteng, gaut, nilgai, species of deer, wolf,marsh
crocodile, pink-headed duck and peafowl etc.

Humans were also there but few remains have been found and experts do not agree as when they came to
this area. Some says they came from China in 60,000 years ago and according to others it was before
100,000 B.C. E.

Early humans depended on wood, bamboo and mud that did not survive as there was no stone.

The eastern hills of Bangladesh and the western plateau (W. Bengal) has best clues of the early people of
the region. Hand axes, blades, scrapers have been found in Lalmai (Comilla), Sitakund (Chittagong)
Chaklapunji (Sylhet). Similar tools have been found in W. Bengal, Bihar, Orissa and the Irrawardy delta
(Burma). These might be used in hunting animals and gathering plants (foods).

In N-Eastern Bangladesh (Jaintiapur) huge stones (menhirs & dolmens) were erected, some thought to be
prehistoric and found in larger number in the adjoining hills in India.

Cultivation and animal domestication occurred well before 1,500 B.C.E. as evidence comes from W.
Bengal. Stone and bone tools, pottery with geometric designs, iron agricultural tools and bones of
domesticated animals (goats, cattle and buffaloes).

People in poorer plateau lived on agriculture, hunting and animal husbandry and on richer alluvial land
people depended on agriculture and fishing.

Irrigation was known to them that led to population expansion, settlement grew and crafts flourished.

Rice became the staple food.

Rice is well suited for the climate of Bangladesh. Dhan when unhusked, chaul –husked and bhat-boiled.

We have different types of rice. Spring rice aus (Mar-Aug.) autumn rice aman (June-Dec.). In low areas
with annual flooding autumn rice is followed by winter rice-boro (Feb-April).

Most unusual is floating ‘rice’ grows in low-lying areas, 5-6 meters in length.

Highest lands were for homesteads, orchards (mangoes, jackfruits, coconut, betel nut). Slightly lower
ground for vegetables and rice.

In countryside homes are built around man-made ponds for washing, drinking water, washing and fish
breeding.

Later new crops from other parts of the world (tomatoes, potatoes, chillies and tobacco etc.), some crops
i.e. sugarcane, jute became commercially important as time goes on.

The Emergence of Urban Life

About 5th century B.C. long distance maritime trade led to urbanization and sizeable states. In Wari-
Bateshwar archeologists excavated a po9rt city which had trade relation with south-east Asia and the
Roman world. They discovered a fortified citadel, silver punch-marked coins, iron and pottery artefacts
and a road made of crushed bricks.

It was an administrative center on the Brahmaputra river (since moved far away). It had iron-smelting and
semi-precious-stone bead industries. They used clay with very little stone, so walls were made of clay or
mud-brick, terracotta (burnt-clay) was also there.

By 3rd century B.C. urban centers were well established in Tamralipti in S-West, Mahasthan in the north
and Mainamati in the east.
An inscription on a piece of stone was discovered in Mahashan in Bogra. The ancient name is
Pundranagara was an important urban center when the Maurya Empire dominated North India.

Mahasthan might have been a provincial capital of that empire. It has a citadel and an inscription is there
in Prakrit an ancient form of Bengali language.

It revealed that there was warehouse to be filled with rice, oil, coins for emergency caused by water, fire
or destruction of crops by birds etc. in the city.

The text is in Brahmi script as so called Mahasthan Brahmi Inscription.

Mahasthan was inhabited before that as so far 18 building-levels have been discovered enclosed by 6-
meter-high rampart wall.

Magnificent plaques in the s-w delta known as Chandraketugarrh across Bangladesh’s western border
with India shows deities and power holders, copulating couples, scenes of nature and impression of
everyday life.

The people lived in these villages and urban areas were cultivators, fishing, craftsmen, religious persons,
traders and rulers were might not be Bengalis.

The language of these people were different, some of them spoke in Tibeto-Burman, Austro-Asiatic and
Dravidians. The Indo-European language began to spread in the 4th cent. B.C.E. belongs to the rulers.

Many words of Bengali i.e. water, land, nature agriculture, fishing etc might have derived from these
languages.

The people belonging to the Tibeto-Burman are Khasi, Garo, Koch, Arakanese (Rakhains), Mru and
Marma, Santal, Munda, Malos spoke Austro-Asiatic and the Kurukh spoke the Dravidian language.

The archeologists avoided the pre-historic languages as it was related to Sanskrit and Prakrit and the
writers were from the western parts of the Ganges and had little knowledge of our land.

When they had knowledge about the western Bengal, they thought it was inhabited by rude people.

To Sanskrit writers Bengal was not a clearly defined region.

The Rise and Fall of States

The urban centers were linked to the river change or moved course of it. Tamralipti was the first victim of
the course of the river change. It had trade relations with China and Alexandria. After 1000 years it was
reversed in the 8th cent. a.d. when the port was silted up.

Lakhnauti-Gaur was also a victim of the river change and went through many cycles of development and
decay. It was the capital of the Senas in the 12th cent. The Moroccan traveller Ibn Batuta visited the city
150 years later.

In 1521 a Portuguese visitor found the city in a very good condition with a population of 200,000 (to
some it was 1.2million).
Gaur was settled and abandoned several time, the river moved away though feeder canals were made,
ships could no longer reach the port.

It had ruins of monumental gates, fortification, palaces, mosques, bridges, canals etc.

Scholars had the opinioon that the Mauryas (324-187 B.C.) and the Guptas (320-570 C.E.) had influence
covering most of the delta.

The Bengal rulers also ventured to expand to the west. In 7th cent. Sasanka of Gaur (Gauda) expanded to
the north India and the Palas repeated it with more success (8th-9th cent.).

In the east Chittagong had states with center of power was in Tripura to the east and Arakan to the south.

At that time Bengal politics was small as every Ksatriya, Brahman and merchant was a king in his own
house…as there was no king to run the country.

Roots of Bangladesh

Ancient Bengal

We are of mixed blood. Various races and tribes came to this area from different regions i.e. proto-Au
stroloid, Mongoloid, Aryan/Indo-Aryan and Scythians with their cultural traits.

Dravidians, Aryans, Arabs and Turko-Afghan were there and besides them some came from East Africa,
Abyssinian Sultans.

The Ajay Valley Civilization

Panduraja Maund on the bank of river Ajay in W. Bengal was excavated in Bardwan resulted in the
discovery of a civilization. It might as old as the Indus valley Civilization.

The Copper Age

The Nisad, Pundra and Banga developed a rich civilization before the coming of the Aryans. They used
to worship Kali, Siva and Manasha along with different phenomenon of nature.

We came to know about a powerful kingdom in Bengal from the Greeks Known as Gangaridi at the
advent of Alexander’s invasion of India.

The Ancient Janapadas

In ancient period Bengal was divided into small regions. They were the Janapadas ruled by different
rulers and always were in constant conflict with each other. These were Pundra,
Varendra,Banga,Samatata, Harikel, Gaur and Rarh.
Pundranagar- 4th cent. B.C. is located in Bogra, was the administrative center of a province of the
Mauryas, Guptas and the Palas.

Hiun-Tsang visited the place in 7th cent. A.D. It was named after the Pundra race who lived here. It is on
the bank of Karotoya well connected with other parts of Bengal through the river routes.

Muslim saint Sultan Mahisawar established his Khankas here.

Varendra

It was a part of Pundra Janapada. Still some parts of Rajshahi, Rangpur, Bogra are known as Varendra.

Banga

South-East part of Bangladesh was known as Banga after the race Banga living in that area. It included
the greater Dhaka, Comilla, Faridpur, Barisal and Patuakhali, they were sea-fearing people.

Here finest quality of white and soft cotton fabrics were produced.

Samatata

South of Bengal was called Samatata. Hiuen-Tsang visited Samatata and according to him it was situated
on the S-Eastern part of Bengal and was a center of Buddhist culture.

The archeological discoveries in the Lalmai-Mainamati area it became certain that Samatata was in
Comilla-Noakhali and the hilly parts of Tripura.

Harikel

It is very difficult to locate the Harikel area. Most archeologists support Harikel is the present Sylhet area.
Others suggested its location in Chittagong. It was situated by the Samatata’s side.

Gaur

It is in the center part of W. Bengal. The early Muslim rule is located in Lakhnavati, at present Chapai-
Nawabgang and the capital was Gaur. It was the entire area of Muslim sultanate.

It is probably Maldah, Murshidabad, Birbhum and Bardwan that constituted Gaur. Sasanka, the 1st
independent ruler of Bengal ruled Gaur with the capital in Karnasubarna in Murshidabad. It was on the
coastal area.

Rarh

It is a very ancient part of human settlement in Bengal. It is on the W-Southern part of Bengal-Howrah,
Hugli and Burdwanin W. Bengal.

Ajoy river divided it into North and South.

Most of the Janapadas in course of time were integrated into a united country. They maintained their
sovereignty till the coming of the Mauryas and the Guptas. They were non-Aryan people.
Mahabharat and other Vedic literature are the primary source of these human settlements.

Coming of the Aryans.

Probably they came in the 1st cent. A.D. or a little before that.

The Maurya and the Gupta Rule

Except the Eastern Bengal, most of it was conquered by the Mauryas, continued as tributary state before
the coming of the Guptas.

A stone-inscription of Asoka indicates that the emperor ordered the ruler of Pundranagar to help the
famine-stricken people with money and food grains.

The Gupta rule was established in India in 320 A.D. During Samudragupta’s time the whole of Bengal
except Samatata came under the Guptas. Pundra was the capital under them too.

It lasted till the mid-sixth century.

After that Bengal came under the 1st independent king of Bengal Sasanka.

He ruled approximately between 590-625, Karnasubarna was his capital and the Bengali calendar is also
often attributed to him.

With his collapse Bengal was again split up into small kingdoms.

Pundranagar

It was the center of education, culture, trade and commerce. Students and scholars came here for the
pursuit of knowledge. Merchants and tradesmen came here for commercial reasons.