West Bengal - History
The territory of Bengal holds significance since ancient times. Bengal in earlier times had both the present Bengal and East Bengal (Bangladesh) in its territory. The presence of vast resources and its strategic significance this region has been under the purview of many invaders from ancient times. Different sects of people came and established their estates, including Aryans in the post-Vedic period. Therefore, the history of West Bengal dates back to over four millennia to the Chalcolithic Age.
The first mention of the word Banga is found in Mahabharata. Harivamsha Vanga was one of the adopted sons of King Vali who founded the Vanga Kingdom. The Vanga Kingdom was located in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising part of West Bengal, India and present-day modern Bangladesh. Vanga and Pundra were two tribes in Bangladesh in ancient times. The region of Bengal was also known to the ancient Greeks and Romans as Gangaridai. Some scholars believed that the origin of the name is derived from Bong Tribe.
Bengal finds its mention in Mahabharta, as Vanga. At that time, the territory was divided into smaller kingdoms and ruled by chieftains. The ancient records in Vedic literature reveal that the region was inhabited by several groups of people, belonging to various races.
The Bengal region cradled by the Himalayas and open to the sea at one side has its prominent role in shaping the history of India. The state regarded as West Bengal immediately after the partition of the Indian Subcontinent in 1947 (and considered as the province of Bengal in British India).
The earliest mention of Bengal is the participation of its king Vangaraja in the epic battle of Mahabharata. In the 3rd century B.C., it was part of the Mauryan empire and between 4th and 6th century A.D., came under the Guptas. By about 800 A.D., the Pala dynasty ruled Bengal, then known as Vanga. The Sena dynasty took over from Palas at the turn of 11th century, but were defeated by Qutb-Din-Ibaq, the Sultan of Delhi. After the death of Aurangjeb (1707), Bengal became independent with the Muslim governors running the administration. Siraj-ud-daul the last independent ruler of Bengal was defeated by the British at the battle of Plassey in 1757. After seven years of political instability under Mir Jafar, the British annexed Bengal in 1764, in what was to be the first sign of British colonization of India.
The Bengali elite resisted the British rule and to contain them, Lord Curzon in 1905 divided Bengal into two provinces (divide and rule). This event, known as the partition of Bengal, in fact had the reverse effect and large scale violence broke out elsewhere in India against the British. Peace was restored in 1911, after the British moved their capital to Delhi from Calcutta.
When India became independent in 1947, Bengal was partitioned between India and Pakistan into East and West Bengals. India added the princely state of Cooch Bihar in 1950 to West Bengal State. It also seized the French enclave of Chandranagore in 1954 and added to West Bengal (see present day West Bengal). The differences between East Pakistan (East Bengal) and West Pakistan caused a lot of trouble in East Bengal and a large number of Bengali refugees migrated to India. In 1971, India interfered and liberated East Pakistan which was renamed as Bangladesh.
Many Bengalis regard and refer Bengal as to include both West Bengal and Bangladesh; their language, literature, culture, food habits being the same.
The present culture of Bengal has its roots in the history of the state. In the past, Bengal kept shuffling between the hands of various rulers, making it exposed to different cultures. Mauryans, Guptas and Palas were succeeded by Sena Dynasty, who lost Bengal to Qutub ud-Din Aybak, the Sultan of Delhi. After the death of Aurangzeb, Bengal became independent, with Muslim governors running the administration.
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