(Article-1) Townships of Bengal in Ancient History: A Historical Review

We now know present day Bangladesh and West Bengal as Bengal. But in the beginning, Bengal
was not in such a state. Bengal was then divided into different regions or different towns. If you
want to know about those towns of Bengal in the history of ancient times, you must read this
article.

In ancient times, Bengal was not a single and integral state or kingdom. The period from the first
few centuries BC to the fifth century AD is generally regarded as the ancient period. However,
the period of about two thousand years before the 13th century BC is considered as the ancient
era of Bengal. At that time different parts of Bengal were divided into many small regions. These
small regions had rulers who ruled the regions as they liked. These regions of Bengal at that time
were collectively called Janapadas.

Towns of Ancient Bengal:

Due to the lack of adequate information about ancient Bengal, many things are not known
exactly where or how much area the townships of ancient Bengal covered. However, the names
of towns in ancient Bengal are found in the inscriptions and literary texts of the Gupta, post-
Gupta, Pala and Sen periods from the fourth century. Apart from this, the historical material
found in ancient times gives some information about the towns and their location in ancient
Bengal.

Let us have a look at some of the townships of ancient Bengal.

Gourd:

The earliest reference to the town of Gauda is in Panini's text. Gaur Township is a well-known
township, but the reason for its naming or the area it was comprised of is not known exactly. But
from some inscriptions of Harshavardhana it is known that Gaudesh was somewhere near the sea
coast.

During the reign of the Pala kings, a large area of Northern India was included in Gaudesh. At
that time Gaur's name-calling was also the most. But when the Pala empire weakened, the
boundaries of Gaur became smaller. Parts of modern Maldah, Murshidabad, Birbhum and
Burdwan are considered to be the boundaries of Gaur. Karnasubarna in Murshidabad district was
the capital of King Shashanka of Gaur. At the beginning of the Muslim era, Lakshmanavati of
Malda district was called Gaur, but later Gaur came to mean the whole of Bengal.

Bengal:

This Bengal is a very ancient town. The township of Banga was formed in the eastern and
southeastern part of present-day Bangladesh. It is believed that a tribe named 'Bong' lived behind
the name of this township. The region between Ganga and Bhagirathi was called Banga.

Although Bengal was quite large, it became smaller during the reign of the Pala and Sena
kings. By the end of the Pala dynasty, the Bengal township was divided into two parts. One of
them is known as North Bengal and another as South Bengal. The delta region in the south was
the boundary of South Bengal and the Padma was the boundary of North Bengal. Bengal was
formed by Greater Bogra, Pabna, western part of Mymensingh district, Dhaka, Faridpur, Kushtia,
Greater Comilla and parts of Noakhali.
But the boundaries of ancient Bangladesh were - the Himalayan mountains, the states of Nepal,
Bhutan and Sikkim in the north; the Bay of Bengal to the south; East Jaintaphar, Tripura-
Chittagong range; Santal Parganas, Chotanagpur, Keonjhar-Mayurbhanj rocky forest in the
west; The Brahmaputra river valley in the north-east and the Bhagirathi river parallel to
Dwarbhanga in Bihar in the north-west.

Bengal is one of the states mentioned in the Mahabharata, one of the major epics of Hindu
scriptures written in Sanskrit, as Bharatvarsha or states close to ancient India. Arjuna went on a
pilgrimage of 12 years and visited all the holy places in Bangladesh. Besides, the Mahabharata
mentions the expeditions of Yudhishthira, Bhima and many others to Bengal.

Dr. again. According to Muhammad Hannan's book 'History of Bengali', 'Forty pairs of males
and females who survived the great flood of the time of Hazrat Nuh (as) were sent to different
places for the purpose of propagation and settlement. 'Hindustan' and great-grandson 'Benga'
after the grandson 'Hind' of Noah (pbuh); 'Bangdesh' was named after it. And it is from this
Bengal that we have the Bengali nation of today.'

Pundra:

Pundra Township, built around Bogra, Rajshahi, Rangpur and Dinajpur districts, was one of the
most important townships of ancient Bengal. This was the oldest town in Bengal. A caste named
'Pundra' built this township. Pundravardhan or Pundranagar was the ancient capital of
Pundra. Later it was named Mahasthangarh.

During the reign of the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka, the ancient kingdom of Pundra lost its
independent existence. Later, when the prosperity increased, this pundra was transformed into
pundravardhan. The name Pundravardhan is derived from the word 'paundrik' which means
sugarcane or sugar. Pundravardhana then spread over almost all of North Bengal from Rajmahal
and Ganga-Bhagirathi to Karatoa. During the Sen period, the southernmost limit of this
Pundravardhan extended beyond the Padma to the Khari Parganas of the present twenty-four
parganas and the sea coast of Dhaka-Barisal. Pundri was the most prosperous town of ancient
Bengal in terms of traces of ancient civilization.

The famous Chinese traveler Hiuen Tsang visited Pundranagar between 639 and 645 AD. In his
travelogue he describes the nature and way of life of that time. It is said that while entering
Mahasthangarh i.e. the ancient Pundranagar, he crossed the then huge and ancient Karatoa river
riding on the back of a huge shaped fish. For this reason, the end of his name is mentioned as
'Mahiswar' or 'one who climbs on the back of a fish'. However, many say that Mahiswar crossed
the river but not on the back of a fish. Rather riding on the back of a boat made in the shape of a
fish.

A single ancient mosque has been found in Pundranagar which was built in 1719 AD during the
reign of Mughal Emperor Farrukh Shear. During the British rule, Fakir Rebellion was organized
from this shrine. Every year on the last Thursday of the month of Baisakh, a huge fair is
organized around the shrine.

Varendra:

Varendra Pundravardhan is the most important area of the township. During the Maurya and
Gupta periods, Pundranagar, the center of the provincial ruler, was also located in Barendra
area. The entire area was governed by this name. Therefore, it cannot be called a township, but it
was given the status of a township in the history of ancient Bengal.

The Pala kings considered North Bengal as their fatherland. That is why it is named
Barindri. The word Varendra originates from this Barindri. Barendrabhoomi is formed in the vast
area of North Bengal, except for a small area of Rangpur, the northwestern part of Rajshahi
Division. At present, the red soil-rich region on the west bank of the Karatoa river is known as
Varendrabhoomi.

flat:

Samatata was a new kingdom in the south-eastern part of the kingdom of Bengal. Many people
think that this wet low land is the ancient name of the current Comilla, but many others think that
the plain was formed with Noakhali and Comilla. The present Tripura district was one of the
parts of the plateau. The western boundary of the Samata township extended to the creek of
twenty-four parganas. The coastal region from the eastern bank of the Ganga Bhagirathi to the
estuary of the Meghna was called Samatat. Bara Kamta in Comilla district was the capital of the
Samatata kingdom.

bold:

Another ancient town of Bengal is Rahad. From the west bank of Bhagirathi river to the southern
part of river Ganga belongs to Radha region. The river Ajay divides the region into two parts. To
the south of this town there were two small divisions in Medinipur district called Tamralipi and
Dandabhukti. And this copperplate was also a famous trade center and seaport of that time.

Harikel:

The town of Horikela is known from the 7th century writers. According to the Chinese traveler
Yi Tsing, Horicle was at the end of Eastern India. However, in some writings, part of present day
Chittagong can be found between Harikal. It is assumed that in the past, the township of Harikal
was spread from Sylhet to parts of Chittagong. Harikela was an independent kingdom from the
seventh and eighth centuries to the tenth and eleventh centuries. Harikela has been considered a
part of Bengal since the possession of Chandradwipa by King Trailokya Chandra of the Chandra
dynasty of East Bengal.

Copper Plated:

Tamralipta township was situated to the south of Horikel township. This coastal town was good
for shipping. That is why Tamralipta was known as an important center of naval trade. The port
was situated on the banks of the Rupnarayan, twelve miles from the confluence of the
Rupnarayan and the Hooghly.

Chandradwip:

The existence of a small town called Chandradwip is also found in the ancient history of
Bengal. The present Barisal district was the main land and heart of Chandradwip. This town was
located between Baleshwar and Meghna.

Thus, from ancient times to six-seven centuries, different parts of ancient Bengal were known by
different names. In the early 7th century, Gaudhara Shashanka consolidated all the territories
from Murshidabad to northern Orissa. Bengal was then divided into three districts - Gaur, Banga
and Pundravardhan. The rest of the townships were later merged into these three
townships. From these towns of Bengal in ancient history, we can learn about the boundaries,
political features or social conditions of Bengal at that time. Although there was no political
unity among these towns of ancient Bengal, our present day Bengal or Bangladesh was created
on the ruins of those ancient Bengal towns. Even though there are many differences between
then and now Bengal, it is a great responsibility for us as Bengalis to know about our roots.

(Article-2) Townships of Bengal in Ancient History: A Historical Review

Among the ancient townships of Bangladesh, some of the townships found in the history of
this area are Gaur , Banga , Samat , Horikel , Barendra and Pundravardhan , Rahar . Various
descriptions of the towns of Bangladesh are found in various ancient texts. The Pundras are
mentioned in the Aitariya Brahmana as barbarous inhabitants of North Bengal. A similar
comment is found in the treatises of Buddhayana, the author of the Dharmasutras.

Over time, the indigenous people of these regions of Bangladesh became familiar with the rituals
of the Aryans. According to this formula, the inhabitants of Pundra and Bengal were known as
'Sujata' Kshatriyas in the Mahabharata. Bengal is mentioned as a prosperous town in the
Ramayana. At that time the Kshatriyas of Ayodhya had good political relations with the
Kshatriyas of Bengal. As seen in the Van Parva of the Mahabharata, the kings of Pundra, Banga
and Tamralipta were defeated by Bhima. Bengal and Raja are mentioned in the list of Aryan
civilizations in the Jain text 'Upanga'. The inhabitants of the Raha region of South-West Bengal
and the Bengal region of South-East Bengal are mentioned as Aryas in this book. According to
Jain scriptures, Mahavira, their religious leader, was mistreated by the people of Radha region.

In Panini's grammar, the name Gaudpura or Gaur is found in Vatsayana's Kamasutra in

Kautilya's Artha Sastra. Vatsyayana's Kamasutra mentions Gauda's prosperity
specifically. According to this text the Gaudas extended to Dakshina Kalinga. According to
Harshavardhana's inscription, Ishan Varman, king of Moukhari, defeated the Gauda people and
drove them to the sea. According to this inscription, Gauda was in the vicinity of
Sumudra. Rashtrakuta-Raj I mentions Murshidabad as a territory in an inscription of
Amoghavarsha. One of these disciplines is called 'Gaudra-Vishaya'. Perhaps the name Gaudesh
was derived from this 'Gauda-Vishaya'. Varahamihira in his Brihat -samhita mentions Gauda as
a separate area from regions like Pundavardhana, Samatata, Tamralipta etc.

 Gaur: Constituent township in North Bengal.

 Chandradwip: This town was spread over a vast area of the present Barisal district.
 Tamralipti or Tamralipta: Township located north of Harikal.
 Bengal : Southeast Bangladesh was known as Bengal.
 Varendra and Pundravardhan: A township in North Bengal. According to historians -
the entire region comprising present day Rajshahi, Chapainawabganj, Naogaon, Natore,
Bogra, Rangpur, Dinajpur and parts of Maldah and Murshidabad in West Bengal and
Darjeeling and Cooch Behar was Barendra area.
 Plains : The humid lowlands of Bangladesh are referred to as plains.
 Radha : The region situated on the west bank of river Bhagirathi is called Radha
 Harikal : A town in eastern India. This township is considered as a part of
Bangladesh. Present day Chittagong , Comilla and Tripura and adjacent areas are
assumed to have been part of Harikal.

In addition, Dandabhukti in greater ancient Bengal, North Radha (the western part of present-day
Murshidabad district, the whole of Birbhum district and the Katwa sub-division of Burdwan
district), South Radha (the southern part of present-day Burdwan, most of Hooghly and Howrah
district), Bangla or Bangla (generally the beautiful forest areas of Khulna, Barisal and
Patyakhali) ) etc. also had strong townships. In the early 7th century, Shashanka became the
Gaur king and consolidated the entire region from Murshidabad to Utkal (northern Orissa). Since
then Bengal was known as three townships. These are - Pundruvardhan, Gaur and Banga. The
rest of the townships were merged into these three. Efforts to unify the divided towns were
largely successful during the reign of the Pala and Sena kings. The Shashansha and Pala kings
were known as 'Radhapati' or 'Gaudeshara' even though they were the kings of the entire West
Bengal. As a result, the name 'Gaur' came to be known. From the towns of ancient Bengal, the
geography of Bengal at that time.

Source:
History of India . Atul Chandra Roy, Pranavkumar Chatterjee.
(Article-3) Townships of Bengal in Ancient History: A Historical Review

Generally, in history, the period from several centuries before Christ to the fifth century is
considered as ancient period or age.
However, the variation in timing can also be observed from region to region.
The period of about two thousand years before the thirteenth century AD is considered as the
ancient era of Bengal.
In ancient times, Bengal, present-day Bangladesh and West Bengal, was not a single and integral
state or kingdom. Different parts of Bengal were then divided into many small regions. And the
ruler of each region ruled in his own way. These regions of Bengal were then collectively named
'Janapad'. (From the 4th century Gupta era, Post-Gupta era, Pala, Sen era etc., the names of the
townships of ancient Bengal are found in engraved inscriptions and literary books. It is not
possible to say exactly where these townships were. )
Gaur:
There is much disagreement as to which region exactly Gaur meant in ancient times. And why
the area was called Gaur or that region was called by this name is not known exactly till today.
' Gauda is first mentioned in Panini's text.
Kautilya's 'Arthashastra' mentions many industrial and agricultural products of the Gauda
country.
The Vyatsayana texts also reveal the luxury of the citizens of Gauda in the third and fourth
centuries.
Harshavardhana's inscriptions prove that Gaudesh was not far from the sea coast.
From the account of Varaha Mihir, written in the sixth century, it can be seen that Gaur was a
separate township from other townships, namely Pundra, Banga, Samatata.
Bhavishya Purana describes it as the region south of Padma river and north of Burdwan.
The description of the people of the seventh century is quite consistent with this statement.
In the 7th century Gaudara Shashanka's capital was Karnasubarna near Murshidabad.
And why only Shashank, later this Gaur was the capital of many others.
During the period of the Pala kings, the name of Gaur was the highest.
A vast area of northern India was then included in Gaur. Being the center of the empire, its glory
was irresistible.
Later, as the fortunes of the Pala Empire changed, so did the fortunes of the Gaudas.
Gaur's range then becomes limited. Modern Maldah, Murshidabad, parts of Birbhum and
Burdwan are considered to be the boundaries of Gaur.
In the 7th century, the capital of Gaudraj Shashanka was Karnasubarna in Murshidabad district.
At the beginning of the Muslim era, Maldah district was known as Lakshmanavati Gaur.
Later Gaur meant the whole of Bengal.
Banga:
Banga is a very ancient town.
In very ancient texts it is said to be the neighbor of Magadha and Kalinga towns.
From the reference of Mahabharata, it is understood that the countries adjacent to Banga, Pundra,
Tamralipta and Suhma.
The inscriptions of Chandragupta, Vikramaditya, Chalukya kings and Rashtrakutas and
books of Kalidasa describe this town.
A town called Banga was formed in the east and south-east of present Bangladesh.
It is assumed that a tribe called 'Banga' lived here. Hence the township came to be known as
'Banga'.
Evidence suggests that the region between the Ganges and the Bhagirathi was called Bengal.
During the reign of the Pala and Sena kings, the size of Bengal shrank.
By the end of the Pala Dynasty in the 11th century, Bengal was divided into two parts:
North Bengal and South Bengal.
The Padma was the northern limit of the northern region,
the southern delta region was South Bengal.
Later, during the reign of Keshav Sen and Vishwarup Sen, two divisions of Bengal were also
observed. But this time the name is Alad:
Vikrampur
Navy.
In ancient inscriptions, the names of two regions of Bengal are found as 'Bikrampur' and 'Navya'.
Bikrampur was part of the present Bikrampur Pargana and with it the modern Idilpur Pargana.
Navya says no place currently exists. It is believed that the lower marshlands of Faridpur,
Barisal, Patuakhali were included in this navigable area.
Bengal was formed by Greater Bogra, Pabna, western part of Mymensingh district, Dhaka,
Faridpur, Kushtia, Greater Comilla and parts of Noakhali.
Bengali nation originated from Bengal.
Pundra: Pundra
is one of the most important towns of ancient Bengal.
A tribe called Pundra built this township.
This race is mentioned in Vedic literature and Mahabharata.
Pundranagar was the capital of Pundra kingdom.
Later it was named Mahasthangarh.
Perhaps during the reign of the Maurya emperor Ashoka (273-232 BC), the ancient Pundra
kingdom lost its independent status.
With increasing prosperity, it was transformed into Pundravardhana in the fifth-sixth centuries.
At that time Pundravardhan was spread over at least Bogra, Dinajpur and Rajshahi districts.
Almost all of northern Bengal starting from Rajmahal-Ganga-Bhagirathi up to Karatoa was
probably included in Pundravardhan at that time.
During the Sena period, the southernmost limit of Pundravardhan extended beyond the Padma to
the Khari Bhiy (present-day Khari Pargana of twenty-four parganas) and the sea coast of Dhaka-
Barisal.
Scholars speculate that Mahasthangarh, seven miles from Bogra, is the ruins of the ancient city
of Pundravardhan.
In terms of ancient civilization, Pundri was the most prosperous town of ancient Bengal.
Perhaps the oldest inscriptions found on stone discs found in Bangladesh have been found here.
Harikela:
Seventh century writers describe another town called Harikela.
According to the Chinese traveler Yitsing, Harikal was the last frontier of Eastern India,
and the identity of Harikal found in some writings can be traced to the present Chittagong as
well.
Reviewing all the facts, it can be concluded that:
Earlier Harikal town was spread from Srihatt (Sylhet) to
special part of Chittagong.
However, in the middle lies the flat state - which can cause some confusion.
In fact, there was a very relaxed situation in some parts of the town. Apart from that, although
Banga, Samat and Harikal are three separate townships, as they are very close neighbors, it is
believed that sometimes the influence of other townships prevailed in some areas.
In fact, Harikela was an independent kingdom from the seventh and eighth centuries to the tenth
and eleventh centuries.
But after the possession of Chandradwipa by King Trailokya Chandra of the Chandra Dynasty of
East-Bengal, Harikela is roughly considered a part of Bengal.
Many people consider Horikell to be the same as Sylhet.
Samatat: Samatat
was the neighboring town of Bengal in East and South-East Bengal.
The region was a humid lowland.
Some believe that Samata is the ancient name of the present day Comilla.
Others think that Comilla and Noakhali regions were formed as a plateau.
From the seventh century to the twelfth century, the present Tripura district was a part of the
plateau.
At one time the western limit of this township extended up to the Khari Parganas of twenty-four
parganas.
The coastal region from the eastern bank of the Ganga-Bhagirathi to the mouth of the Meghna
was probably called Samatata.
Bara Kamta, 12 miles west of Comilla city, was its capital in the seventh century.
Barendra :
Barendra, Barendra or Barendra Bhumi is another town known in ancient Bengal.
It is also a town in North Bengal.
Varendra Pundravardhan was the most important area of the township.
The main town of the town, Pundranagara, the center of provincial administration during the
Mauryan and Gupta periods, was also located in this Barendra area. So it cannot be called
township.
But the entire area was once known by this name. So it was given the status of a township in the
history of ancient Bengal.
It can be undoubtedly said that the location of this town was in the area between the Ganga and
Karatoa rivers.
The Barendra region extended over large parts of Bogra, Dinajpur and Rajshahi districts and
possibly Pabna district.
Tamralipta:
Tamralipta township was located north of Harikal.
Tamluk in present Medinipur district was the center of Tamralipta.
This coastal area was very low and humid. The place was very good for navigation.
In ancient times, Tamralipta was known as an important center of naval trade.
The port was located on the bank of Rupnarayan, 12 miles from the confluence of Hooghly and
Rupnarayan rivers.
From the 7th century it came to be known as dandabhukti.
After the 8th century, the prosperity of Tamlaripta port was destroyed.
Chandradwip :
Apart from the above towns, the name of another small town is found in ancient Bengal.
This is Chandradwip.
The present Barisal district was the main land and heart of Chandradwip.
This ancient town was situated between Baleshwar and Meghna.
In addition, in greater ancient Bengal, criminality,
There were also strong townships called Uttara Radha (the western part of present-day
Murshidabad district, the whole of Birbhum district and Katwa sub-division of Burdwan district),
Dakshina Radha (the southern part of present-day Burdwan, most of Hooghly and Howrah
district),
Bangla or Bangla (generally the beautiful forest areas of Khulna, Barisal and Patuakhali) etc. .
Thus, from ancient times to six-seven centuries, different parts of ancient Bengal were known by
different names.
Originally, it was a political and geographical division.
In the early 7th century, Shashanka became the Gaur king and consolidated the entire region
from Murshidabad to Utkal (Northern Orissa). Henceforth Bengal was known by three
townships:
Pundravardhan,
Gaur and
Banga.
The rest of the townships were merged into these three.
Efforts to unify the divided townships achieved much success during the reign of the Pala and
Sena kings. The Shashansha and Pala kings were known as 'Rahadhipati' or 'Gaudeshwar' even
though they were the kings of the entire West Bengal. As a result, the name 'Gaur' came to be
known.
There was no political unity in ancient Bengal.
Strong rulers used to gain ruling power over multiple towns by expanding their dominance.
Thus townships played a role as the first territorial units or administrative units in ancient Bengal
and later helped form political unity.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ON THE ANCIENT TOWNS OF BENGAL
1. What is the name of the oldest town in Bengal? Pundra
2. Which is the oldest town in Bangladesh? Mahasthangarh.
3. The name 'Pundra' in ancient Bengal was? A township.
4. Bogra is included in which township of ancient Bengal? Pundra.
5. Mahasthangarh was once the capital of Bengal, its name was Pundranagar.
6. Part of the ancient Gaur city is located in which district of Bangladesh? Chapainawabganj.
7. What is the current name of ancient Pundranagar? Mahasthangarh
8. Which is the oldest urban center of Bangladesh? Mahasthangarh
9. The first book in which the name of the country 'Bengal' is found? Aitareya Aranyaka.
10. Which river bordered the northern part of Bengal town? Padma.
11. Different parts of ancient Bengal were known as 'janapadas'.
12. The present greater Dhaka district was included in which town in ancient times? Bengal.
13. Kushtia district is located in which township? Bengal.
14. Varendra region refers to which region of present day ?Rajshahi.
15. Was the location of the ancient city of Bengal "Karnasubarna"? In Murshidabad.
16. Pirojpur district was included in which ancient settlement? Chandradwip.
17. In ancient times 'Samatat' meant which part of Bangladesh? Comilla-Noakhali region.
18. In which town is the ancient site of Shalban Vihar located? flat
19. The present greater Barisal and Faridpur area was included in which town in ancient
times? Bengal.
20. Which region of ancient Bengal was located in the eastern part? Harikal.
21. The ancient name of Chittagong region is Harikal.
22. The area included in the ancient Bengal town of Harikal? Chittagong
23. Sylhet ancient town included? Horrible.
24. Ancient 'Radha' town located? Burdwan
25. Which town is located outside Bangladesh? the giant
26. Where is the ancient settlement discovered by digging the soil of Bangladesh? Nateshwar
27. What is 'Uari Bateshwar'?Ancient township.
28. Was the capital of 'Vatsa'? Kaushambi
29. Part of the ancient 'Gau' city is located in which district of Bangladesh? Chapainawabganj.
30. The present name of the ancient 'Chandradwip' is Barisal.
31. The northern part of Rajshahi, the western part of Bogra consists of parts of Rangpur-
Dinajpur? Varendrabhumi.
32. Where was the oldest inscription of Bengal "Brahmi script" found? Mahasthangarh
33. What was the name of the capital of Bengal during the Sultanate period? Sonargaon
34. Mahasthangarh is located on the bank of which river? Karotoa.
35. Where is the ancient Pundranagar located? Mahasthangarh
36. In which division of Bangladesh is 'Barendra Bhumi' located? Rajshahi.
37. How many kingdoms were there in ancient Bengal? Two.
38. What was the name of the country in ancient times? Bengal.