ANCIENT BENGAL: SOCIO

POLITICAL ASPECTS
Bengal is a geopolitical, social and chronicled locale in Asia, which is
situated in the eastern piece of the Indian subcontinent at the summit
of the Bay of Bengal. Topographically, it is made up by the Ganges-
Brahmaputra delta framework, the biggest such development on the
planet; alongside mountains in its north flanking the Himalayan
conditions of Nepal and Bhutan and east circumscribing Bay of
Bengal has assumed a noteworthy part ever. On occasion a free
territorial domain, the recorded district was a main power in
Southeast Asia and later the Islamic East, with broad exchange
systems. In ancient times, its kingdoms were known as marine
countries.

Upto 19th century, the classification of the regime are shown here;
 PRE-HISTORIC BENGAL
STONE AGE :
 Stone Age remnants have been found in Bengal that date back
20,000 years. The indigenous population Bengal consists of
tribes and of Austric and Austro-Asiatic origin such as Kola,
Bhil, Santhal, Shabara, and Pulinda.

 Hindu scriptures such as the Mahabharata suggest that ancient

Bengal was divided among various tribes or kingdoms,
including the Nishadas and kingdoms known as the
Janapadas: Vanga (southern Bengal), Pundra (northern
Bengal), and Suhma (western Bengal) according to their
respective totems. These Hindu sources, written by Indo-
Aryans in what is now Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, suggest
that the peoples of Bengal were not Indo-Aryans.
However, Jain scriptures identify Vanga and Anga in Bengal
 as Indo-Aryan. While western Bengal, as part of Magadha,
became part of the Indo-Aryan civilisation by the 7th century
BCE, the Nanda Dynasty was the first historical state to unify
most of Bengal under Indo-Aryan rule.

Fig: Mahasthangarh is the oldest archaeological site in Bangladesh. It dates

back to 700 BCE and was the ancient capital of the Pundra Kingdom
CLASSICAL BENGAL : (326-1120)
Gupta, Malavam, Dynasty :

-- During Gupta rule, the Bengal economy was part of a global trade
network. The main social groups dominating in the socio-economic
life were the Nagarshreshthi (city representative of seth class, i.e.
bankers), 'Sarthabaha' (merchant class), and 'kulik' (artisan
class).
--The kingdom's lasting legacy is its famous terracotta temples.
LO:

 Emergence of social groups

 During gupta rule, the bengal economy was part of a global trade network. The main
social groups dominating in the socio-economic life were the nagarshreshthi (city
representative of seth class, i.e. Bankers), 'sarthabaha' (merchant class), and 'kulik'
(artisan class)

LATE CLASSICAL BENGAL

Late classical Bengal includes Pala, Sena, Deva dynasty. During this time there
was enormous development in religion and cultural field as well as educational
sectors. There was emergence of secular learning. Hindu and Buddhism religion
was spread. Significant enrichment in architectural and sculptural style was
observed. Various literature were emerged during the late classical Bengal.

PALA EMPIRE:
The Pala Empire (750–1120) was the first independent Buddhist dynasty of
Bengal Often dubbed as the 'Golden Age' of Bengal, the Pala Empire indeed
raised the standards of Bengal's culture and politics. Followers of Buddhist
philosophy, the Pala kings promoted classical Indian philosophy, literature,
painting and sculpture studies. It was during this period that the Bengali language
was formed in its entirety. Epics and sagas were written such as the 'Mangal
Kavyas'. The Palas were also known for their war elephant cavalry and strong
naval fleet.

SENA DYNASTY:
The Sena dynasty were staunchly Hindu. They brought about a revival of
Hinduism and cultivated Sanskrit literature in eastern India.
Fig: Somapura Mahavihara, the greatest Buddhist vihara in the Indian
subcontinent, built by Emperor Dharmapala.

Fig: Gautama Buddha and Bodhisattvas, 11th century, Pala Empire

LO :

-prosperity in education sector.

- emergence of secular learning

- hindu and Buddhism religion was spread.

- enrichment in architectural and sculptural style.

MEDIEVAL BENGAL :
Medieval history of India, including Bengal, is that of Sultanates, invasions,
plunder, cultural reform and architectural genius. Within this period, Islam religion
was flourished. Literature and architectural incarnation during the Muslim period.
Shhat Gambuj mosque built by khan jaahan ali.It is recognized as world heritage
site.

 The Mosque City of Bagerhat has more than 50 Islamic monuments.

The site has been recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983,
"as an outstanding example of an architectural ensemble which illustrates
a significant stage in human history",of which the Sixty Pillar Mosque,
constructed with 60 pillars and 77 domes, is the best known.

 Islam made its first appearance in Bengal during the 12th century
when Sufi missionaries arrived. Later, occasional Muslim conquerors
reinforced the process of conversion by building mosques, madrassasand
Sufi Khanqah. Beginning in 1202 a military commander from the Delhi
Sultanate, Bakhtiar Khilji, overran Bihar and Bengal as far east
as Rangpur, Bogra and the Brahmaputra River. Although he failed to bring
Bengal under his control, the expedition managed to defeat Lakshman
Sen and his two sons moved to a place then called Bikrampur (present-
day Munshiganj District), where their diminished dominion lasted until the
late 13th century.

 During the 14th century, the former kingdom became known as

the Sultanate of Bengal, ruled intermittently with the Sultanate of
Delhi land-lords–Baro-Bhuyans.
L.O:

- literature flourished during the Muslim period.

- shat gambuj mosque built by khan jaahan ali.It is recognized as world heritage
site.

- Islam made its first appearance in Bengal during the 12th century
when Sufi missionaries arrived. Later, occasional Muslim conquerors reinforced
the process of conversion by building mosques, madrassasand Sufi Khanqah.

Fig: Lalbagh Fort, an intrinsic part of the history of the city, founded
by Muhammad Azam Shahin 1678.
 Fig: Bagerhat Shhat Gambuj mosque built by Khan Jaahan Ali

MUGHAL PERIOD :

THE MUGHAL PERIOD : Under the Mughal Empire, Bengal was an

affluent province with a Muslim majority and Hindu minority, and was
globally dominant in industries such as textile manufacturing and
shipbuilding.
 The Mughals conquered Bengal in 1576 & it became under the
control of Delhi. Bengal was allowed to practice their own
culture and literature. In 1612 emperor Jahangir completed the
conquest of Muhgals after capturing Shylet.
 The capital Dhaka had a population exceeding a million
people, and with an estimated 80,000 skilled textile weavers. It
was an exporter of silk and cotton textiles, steel, saltpeter, and
agricultural and industrial produce.
 During the Mughal era, the most important center of cotton
production was Bengal, particularly around its capital city of
Dhaka.
  Bengal had a large shipbuilding industry. In terms of
shipbuilding tonnage during the 16th–18th centuries, the
annual output of Bengal alone totaled around 2,232,500 tons,
larger than the combined output of the Dutch (450,000–
550,000 tons), the British (340,000 tons), and North America
(23,061 tons).

A woman in Dhaka clad in fine Bengali muslin, 18th century

BRITISH RULES:
British entered into bangla through an catastrophic betrayal. This also
symbolizes the failure of the unity of the rulers of that time which
eventually lead to the loss of independence to the British colony.
 The Battle of Plassey (June 1757), which allowed the British to
consolidate their hold in Bengal as rulers, was only the curtain
fall on a plot of a catastrophic betrayal.
 Mirza Muhammad Siraj ud-Daulah, who was the last
independent Nawab of Bengal, gave the British a commercial
license to buy muslins and jute from Bengal. The British
manipulated Siraj's ministers and bribed them to stand against
the Nawab.

 Siraj was betrayed by his trusted ally Mir Jafar and others
ministers. He lost the Battle of Plassey and Bengal lost itself to
the western colonizers.

 The system of government of the world's largest democracy is

based on the political ideologies left behind by the British after
India had declared its independence. These political ideologies
include a parliamentary system of democratic government and
the concept of universal suffrage. In addition, the legal principle
of the rule of law through the judiciary was also inherited from
British rule. The "Law of India" refers to the legal system used
in the country and is based on British "common law."

 Not only are the effects of British imperialism evident in India's

political and legal infrastructure but also in the physical
infrastructure of the country. During the middle of the 19th
century, Britain started to invest large amounts of money in the
development of a modern railway network that, by 1929,
covered 41,000 miles and carried over 620 million passengers
a year. Other British engineering developments such as roads,
bridges, canals and the telegraph also helped link different
parts of the country and stimulate trade and industry.
 Plassey Monument

 During british rule, two devastating famines occurred costing

millions of lives in 1770 and 1943. Scarcely five years into the
british east india company's rule, the catastrophic bengal
famine of 1770, one of the greatest famines of history occurred.
Up to a third of the population died in 1770 and subsequent
years.
 Map of the Bengal province, 1893

BATTLE OF BOXER :

The Battle of Buxar was fought on 22 October 1764 between the

forces under the command of the British East India Company led
by Hector Munro and the combined armies of Mir Qasim, the Nawab
of Bengal; the Nawab of Awadh; and the Mughal Emperor Shah Alam
II.[4] The battle fought at Buxar, a "small fortified town" within the
territory of Bengal, located on the banks of the Ganges river about
130 kilometres (81 mi) west of Patna, was a decisive victory for the
British East India Company. Shuja-ud-Daulah and Shah Alam
surrendered and the war came to an end by the "Treaty of Allahabad"
in 1765.
 Fig: Battle of boxer

INDIGO REVOLT :

Indigo production started between 1770-1780. The British established

commercial cultivation and production of Indigo in India as early as
1777. By 1788, most of the production of Indigo originated in Bengal.
The system became highly exploitative when the planters were
accorded permission to own the land.

The exploitation of the farmers made them understand that the

planters had slowly got them into debt traps. They started losing land
holdings due to poor output.

The revolt began as the peasants stopped paying rents. In March

1859, the revolt became more organized when thousands of Ryots in
Bengal refused to grow indigo. They attacked the Indigo factories with
whatever weapons they had. Women joined the revolt and fought with
pots, pans etc. The resistance was met with pressure from planters
but farmers took pledge that they would not take advance and would
not be bullied by the lathiyals of planters.

The key leaders of this revolt were Biswas Brothers of Nadia

{Digambar Biswas and Bishnu Biswas}, Kader Molla of Pabna,
Rafique Mondal of Maida etc..
  Indigo revolt expressed the unity and solemnity of the poor
farmers for their rights and against the injustice. Later on this
spirit ignited many movements for legal rights.
 Dinabandhu Mitra's 1859 play Nil Darpan is based on the
revolution. It was translated into English by Michael
Madhusudan Dutta and published by Rev. James Long. It
attracted much attention in England, where the people were
stunned at the savagery of their countrymen. It also symbolizes
the gives a flourishment in literature sector.

A centre of rice cultivation as well as fine cotton called muslin and the
world's main source of jute fibre, Bengal was one of India's principal
centres of industry, and from the 1850s became concentrated in the
capital Kolkata (known as Calcutta under the British, always called
'Kolkata' in the native tongue of Bengali) and its emerging cluster of
suburbs. Most of the population nevertheless remained dependent on
agriculture, and despite its leading role in political and intellectual
activity, the province included some very undeveloped districts,
especially in the east. In 1877, when Victoria took the title of
"Empress of India", the British declared Calcutta the capital of the
British Raj.
The Bengal Renaissance refers to a social reform movement during
the 19th and early 20th centuries in the region of Bengal in undivided
India during the period of British rule. The Bengal renaissance can be
said to have started with Raja Ram Mohan Roy (1775–1833) and
ended with Rabindranath Tagore (1861–1941), although there have
been many stalwarts thereafter embodying particular aspects of the
unique intellectual and creative output. 19th century Bengal was a
unique blend of religious and social reformers, scholars, literary
giants, journalists, patriotic orators and scientists, all merging to form
the image of a renaissance, and marked the transition from the
'medieval' to the 'modern'

British rule was continued till mid of the 19th .

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

 From the classical time period, there was social groups which
introduced the emergence of classes in society.
 In various time period, Hinduism and Buddhism was preached,
which also acts as an powerful strength of the then rulers like
Pala, Sena dynasty. This expressed the impact of religion on
the people of that time.
 Bengal literature formed its eternity from classical time period.
This proves the evolution of bangla literature had been started
at a very early stage and it continued with the passage of time
along with the different rulers.
 Under the Mughal Empire, Bengal was an affluent province with
a Muslim majority. This time represents one of the strongest
time period when the industrial and economical sector was
developed.
 There was several provinces which was ruled individually.
Dhaka had become the center of cotton production.
 Though the development was significant during the Mughal
period, they couldn’t sustain their independence for internal
collision and a catastrophic betrayal lead them to lost
themselves to british colony.

Indigo revolt was one of the revolutionary movement where the unity
and determination of the countrymen made the suppressor to move
backward. It also proves that unity is powerful of anydeclared
Calcutta the capital of the British Raj.