The Bengali nation situated in the ancient land of Banga, has a long and rich history starting from the ancient era. Bengalis, who are a mixed race, include influences from the Austric, Dravidians, Aryans, Mongolians, Persians, Turks and later Afghans adding diversity to their ethnic root.

This region had very powerful kingdoms from the ancient times and during Alexanders thrust into India, his army was demoralized by the news of Gangaride Empire located in present South-Eastern Bangladesh region. Bengal was also a very high trading nation who built ocean-going ships in Chittagong region from ancient times. Fine muslins were grown and weaved in Dhaka's Sonargaon region with names like evening due or morning mist which were exported to far away placed like ancient Rome during Emperor Nero's time where it was adorned the name nebula venti or the latin translation of evening star.

Later during Buddhist kingdoms of 7th to 12th century, Bengala's art and architecture influenced the Buddhist world in South East Asia. Buddhist Pala Empire, which lasted for more than four hundred years and reached its zenith in eighth and ninth centuries under the leadership of Dharmapala and Devapala. Their far-reaching achievement is cited as an example of Bengal's political genius.

The influence of Pala art in Bengal could be easily traced in Nepalese and Tibetan paintings, Southeast Asian architecture as well as in Tang Art of China. The great Buddhist sage Dipankara Srijnana, also known as Atish ( 10th-l1th century) reformed Buddhism in China. The Muslims appeared on the scene in the Middle Ages around 1201 A.D. and ruled the region till the 18th century.

People of Bengal lived with harmony to nature, which reflects in the songs of Bouls, Murshidis, Jari, Bhatiali and Maij Bhandari. It is also reflected in her architecture (Bungalow style Houses and Chauari or thatched roof cottages) and in people's clothes and other items. BanglaDesh since ancient times developed an excellent social system based on humanism and secular thoughts. Tantric philosophy, Buddhist Nihilism, Hindu Vaiishnavism and Muslim Sufism prompted ancient BanglaDesh to fight relentlessly against religious fundamentalism and fanatism. Today one sees this social dynamics in rural Bangladesh where life is still rooted in cultural synthesis and religious tolerance.

In the Middle ages, Bangladesh practiced religious freedom and during this time the country flourished at its highest peak. Greatest Hindu philosopher Sri Chaitanna who was born in Sylhet and many Muslim Saints spread their saintly ideas to the people during this time period. This period also coincides with the glorious Sultanate of Bangala(1198-1574 AD) period, a very rich and powerful sultanate that had trade links with most of the known world and often competed for power and influence with the Delhi Sultanate.

From the 16th century, the Portuguese, Dutch, French and British traders started trading in the region. They used to trade with the Bengali traders in par but the Battle of Palasey changed all that in 1757. Through a palace conspiracy and bribary the English East India Company took control of Bengal beating the amry the mighty Nabob of Bengal. The small English forces were able to beat s force twenty times bigger.

This period started what was generally known as the systematic Plundering of Bengal, a time of increase of British trade at the expense of Bengali traders and manufacturers. As the company plundered Bengal and invested in English industrialization, people in Bengal became their market and were not allowed to produce items that competed with English factory goods. People also suffered as market manipulation of food items caused severe famine in 1760's that wiped out almost one third of Bengal's population. The country that was referred to as the "Paradise of the Nations" soon became poverty stricken.

Aftern ruling Bengal for over 200 years, the English finally granted independence to the subcontinent and partitioned the land into India and Pakistan in 1947. In the first ever-democratic election in Pakistan, the Bengali leader Sheik Mujibur Rahman won an absolute majority to form the new government. But the military rulers of then Pakistan based in West Pakistan never really believed in democracy and started a whole scale genocidal war on the Bengali people. BanglaDesh emerged as an independent nation on 26th March 1971 and beat the Pakistani forces later that year with the help of India and Soviet Block. The other third of Bengal, along with Assam, Tripura and other regions of Bengal remain within India.

Since Independence, Bangladesh has achieved tremendous progress in poverty alleviation, population control, education and women's empowerment through micro-credit initiatives. But unfortunately all her battles has only been replaced by a neo colonial style ruling class who can not but help themselves to imitate the bygone days of colonial rulers. New rules help the ones who are most near to the seat of the power (the cronies) just as the Mother Country benefited during colonial times. And this ruling class who are divided between different political parties fight one another causing economic disruption for the rest of the country. Today, this colonial mentality along with most of the colonial laws remains within the government and the ruling class of BanglaDesh. And BanglaDesh remains far from achieving her status as the "Paradise of the nations" that it once was.

Read more history of Bangala/Bengal/BanglaDesh...


...History of Bangladesh from Government of Bangladesh
...More Bangla History related articles from Bongoz.com
...Ancient to Modern History of Bengal