In-depth Impressions of the Erstwhile Bengal

Bengal’s Essence

"Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add colour to my sunset sky."

Rabindranath Tagore

The Philosophy of Bengal

‘Bengal’ came from the expression ‘Bangla’ or ‘Vangla’, used by Arabian and Persian chroniclers to describe the country 13th century onwards; it gradually came to denote the entire province that stood between Bihar on the one hand and Kamrup on the other.

It was this name that was adopted by the Portuguese as ‘Bangla’ and subsequently by other European traders, which led to the name ‘Bengal’— which also gave its name to the Bay of Bengal to its south. Some historians also believe that the famous Ain-i-Akbari gave birth to the name Bengal.

ancient Bengal

Immersive Journeys

Waterborne Rituals

Bhagirathi and Hooghly connate to the mighty Ganga. Padma, the lower reaches of Brahmaputra and the Meghna concludes to the region of the Central Presidency Division of present-day West Bengal, the Khulna, and Dhaka division of present-day Bangladesh. One of Kalidas's works mentions the Vanga Kingdom and the Kingdom of Gangaridai.

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Artisanal Roots

The Fourteenth Century Moroccan traveller Ibn Batuta had described Bengal as a "land with abundance". The Bengal Delta was born out of thousands of years of evolving doctrines of the Ganges aka Ganga and the Brahmaputra. Their numerous tributaries and branches transformed Bengal into a complex and rich riverine country.

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Rural Essence

In the medieval period, Bengal constituted regions known as Varendrabhumi and Pundravardhana. Ganga and Brahmaputra from their primordial lives drew the peripheries of present-day Bangladesh, Assam, and Bihar. Bordering the regions of the then Khasi and Jantia Hills, Mizoram, Chittagong, Cachar, Karimganj, Sylhet, Dhaka, etc. the ancient Kingdom of Samatata was formed. The 16th century Dutch Merchant Van Lindolan had termed Bengal as the ‘granary of the east’.

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The Essence of Bengal

For thousands of years and even more Bengal was known to the Greeks and Romans as home to some of the most thriving 'Janapadas', also known as Kingdoms. Some historians believe that it is the gigantic war power of the 'Gangaridai' kingdom situated in the Gangetic Delta of Bengal that forced Alexander the Great to withdraw his intentions from India. From the Vedic period to the centuries-old journey of the tussle between Hinduism and Buddhism, Bengal brought opulence to the Occident rulers through trade, commerce, and diplomatic strengths. A pivotal point of diverse religious confluence and movements, Bengal has upscaled lives and civilisations through its mighty rivers. Its waters have witnessed one of the most influential renaissances of the century.