Introduction
Our knowledge of Bengali life in the ancient time is ruined. Some description of
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Bengali people and some aspects of Bengali culture, Boundary and language during
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Ancient Bengal, janapad of ancient Bengal with the ruller of ancient Bengal, sena
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density, pala rule, political condition, social, cultural and economic condition of
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ancient Bengal are discussed here. A brief history of this period is supplied below;
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History of Ancient Bengal i i i
Ancient Bengal was the site of different major Janapadas (kingdoms), while the
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earliest cities date back to the Vedic period. The Muslim success of the Indian
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subcontinent absorbed Bengal into the medieval Islamic and Persianate worlds.
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Between the 1204 and 1352, Bengal was a state of the Delhi Sultanate.
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Bangladesh and West Bengal in recent history is the history of the last 4 i i i i i i i i i i i i i
Millenniums. In a sense, the Ganges and the Brahmaputra had been destroy Bengal
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from the mainland of India. Still India took an important role in the history of
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Bengal. The kingdom was familiar as gangaridai to the ancient Romans and Greeks.
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The Copper Age nearly 4000 years old ruins were found in Bengal. After the Indo-
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Aryans, Anga, Vanga and Magadha kingdom was found in the 10th century BC. This
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was found around the states and Bengali. Vanga and Magadha state parts first
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described in the appreciable around 1000 BC.
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Most of the areas of the 6th century, BC were part of the powerful kingdom of
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Magadha. The kingdom of Magadha was an ancient Indo-Aryan. The Ramayana and
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the Mahabharata found Magadha. It was one of the 4 major kingdoms of India at
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the time of the Buddha. Bimbisarera promote the ability of Magadha and his son
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Ajatsutru period.
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Magadha had most land of Bihar and Bengal. In 326 BC, Empire of Alexander the
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Great's army, moved proximate to the Nanda and Magadha border. The army was
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so much tired and afraid to face Indian army close to the Ganges River in India. The
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army rebellious, rejected further to go east. Alexander then meets his assistant
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kainasa and clear to return.
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Maurya Empire was built magadhei. Chandragupta Maurya was the builder of the
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Maurya Empire. The Maurya Empire had spread in the South Asia, the Persian, and
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the Afghanistan in reign of Asoka’s. After the powerful Gupta Empire, which enlarge
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magadhei had spread the northern Indian subcontinent and parts of Persia and
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Afghanistan.
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Sources of the history of Ancient Bengal
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Historical Literature i
Rajatorongini by kalahan- History of all india, Lalitaditya, the king of Kashmir
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influenced in Gaur, Some myths of janapadas.
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Aurthoshastro by Koutillya - 3rd Centuy B.C., Koutillya was a minster of
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Chandragupta Mourya, Original Name Chanakya, pen name Vishnugupta.
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Describes : 1. Fine Cotton Cloths of Bengal 2. Beauty of Bengali Women 3. The
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diversity of Weather in Bengal.
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Raghuvangsa kavya by Kalidasa - Raghu was the Gupta King Samudra Gupta, He
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established the sign of Decree in Ganga-Vagirathi Delta, The bengali people were
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expert at Navy.
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Udaysundarikatha by Soddhol - was a Gujrati poet, There are information about i i i i i i i i i i i
Dharmapala Called him Uttarapathswami.
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Auto-biography
Harsha Charita by Banvatta, biography of king Harshavardhana conflict with
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Sasanka.
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Vallala Charita by Gopalvatta and Anandavatta. Biography of king Vallala Sena,
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Based on Myths.
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Travelogues
Tibetan Accounts- History of the Buddhism in India by Lama Taranath in 1608.
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Chinses Account- Fa Hien, Youan Chuang, Itsing, Tao Nin.
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Arabian Accounts- Masudi, Idrishi.
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Archaeological Sources i
Epigraphs- a. Copper plates b. Epigraphs on Stone.
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Inscriptions- a. Local Inscriptions b. Foreign Inscription.
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Coins
Punchmarked Coins - Gold Coins, Copper Coins. i i i i i i
Archaeological Relics i
Varendra Region i
Pundravardhana
Vangarh
Wari Bateshwar. i
Ancient Bengal i
The janapadas including
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Vanga, Radha, Gauda, Pundra, Samatat, Harikela
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Vanga
It is difficult to insure that its exact location in different periods of history, but
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largely it may be said it have denoted areas in the south and south eastern part of
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present Bangladesh.
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Radha
Possibily included a large part of the modern Indian state of West Bengal.
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Epigraphic and literary records of the 9th-10th century AD refer two section of
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Radha, viz, Daksina Radha (south Radha) and Uttara Radha (north Radha)
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Gauda
Establish to the north-west of Bhagirathi river and its core area was Murshidabad.
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Gauda was the capital city of many governors of ancient and medieval Bengal.
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Severally from Murshidabad, Birbhum, and western Burdwan formed the territory
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of ancient Gauda.
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Pundra
situated in the district of Bogra and adjacent areas. From archaeological origin, it is
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informed that the capital of Pundra, Pundranagara, was the earliest urban centre in
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Bangladesh.
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Samatata
Situated in the Meghna river valley. It take place to have consisted of Cumilla and
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Noakhali areas of Bangladesh and some areas of Tripura in India.
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Harikela
Identified as Chittagong and its adjacent areas. Possibly situated somewhere in the
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Ramu, Dianga, or in Chittagong metropolitan area.
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