Academic literature on the topic 'Medieval bengal'

AbstractThis essay brings into focus a relatively neglected aspect of economic life in early medieval Bengal. Like many other parts of India, Bengal during ancient and early medieval times did not have any indigenous, good quality war horses. The emergence of Bengal as a regional political entity to reckon with during the early medieval times (c. AD 600 - 1300) must have increased the demand for war horses. The paper analyses the epigraphic accounts of the procurement of these indispensable war animals from northern and northwestern India by the rulers of early medieval Bengal. The Tabaqat-i-Nasiri of the thirteenth century gives an indication of the availablity of northeastern horses - probably Tibetan ones - in Bengal. Chinese accounts of the fifteenth century and some Arabic accounts of the invasions of the Deccan by the Delhi Sultante have been utilised here to suggest that early medieval Bengal not only received regular supplies of imported horses, but also witnessed the transportation of some of these war machines to the Deccan and China.

Since the inception of Buddhism, the people of Bengal have maintained a very close relationship with Buddhist ideologies. In fact, Bengal appeared as a dominant center of Buddhist culture in the early medieval period (sixth to twelfth century CE) both for its institutional flavour as well as for state- sponsorship. However, with the fall of royal patronage and the conversion of the Buddhists to other religious faiths, Buddhism gradually lost its prominence in Bengal. It was during the colonial period (1757 to 1947 CE), Buddhism again started reviving in different corners of Bengal principally in the early twentieth century. However, the ‘Partition of Bengal Province (in 1947) appeared as a serious setback for the fate of Buddhism in this region. The East Bengali Buddhists had started a new episode of the struggle for survival in India more precisely in West Bengal as ‘refugees’ or as ‘asylum seekers. After their migration to West Bengal, the Bengali-speaking Buddhists have aspired to build up several Viharas (monasteries), Sanghasrams (spiritual hermitage), temples, and institutions in Kolkata, Sub-Himalayan Bengal, and certain other districts of West Bengal. They have preserved and maintained the Buddhist socio-cultural traditions that they have inherited from the southeastern corner of former East Bengal. This paper highlights all these aspects of the Buddhist culture of West Bengal with a fresh outlook.

The last mighty Tughlaq monarch Muhammad-bin-Tughlaq was preoccupied with various rebellions which ultimately led to the broke away of Bengal from the centric dominance of Delhi in 1338AD. Ilyas Khan, one of the noble of Delhi sultanate had ascended the throne of Bengal by capturing Lakhnauti and Sonargaon. In this period of study, we have two most remarkable phenomena – firstly, Bengal region secured its distinctiveness from the sway of Delhi Sultanate despite numerous inroads and skirmishes; secondly, the emergence of a divergent socio-cultural atmosphere. In fact, with the advent of this regime Bengal had been transformed into a new composite facet which had become a dynamic force towards the formation of Bengali heritage. However, one formulated narrative does not play the prime key role to impartially evaluate any theme of history, so that we must need proper appropriation. In this paper, therefore, I shall try to project my topic in both common and counter narrative about the socio-cultural repercussions of this age.

The mid-seventeenth-century history of Mughal Bengal has hardly been visited in terms of the social aspects and counter identities of conflict. So many authors have widely worked in the field of medieval Bengal, but there has been no detailed study conducted on the aspect of social transformation and the phenomenon of syncretism to conflict in the last decade of Mughal Bengal because the primary sources of this period have not been carefully studied in terms of appropriate relevancy. That’s why the major evolution of a changing social perception remain unnoticed until the close of Mughal rule. The objective of this paper is to analysis the transformation that occurred in the diverse social profiles of mid-seventeenth-century Bengal, simultaneously, a discourse to observe the conflict of this century against the long-established historical model known as ‘syncretism’ in Medieval Indian history. This work is using qualitative method-based on contemporary accounts of foreign travellers, Persian, and Bengali sources and a few secondary sources in which the new findings are-firstly, the emerging characteristics of the mid-seventeenth century Bengal’s society like-the co-existence of Hindus-Muslims along with the newcomer Christians, the prevalence of folk beliefs and rituals, composite profiles in Pirism, and Distinctive caste identities; secondly, the modes of discrimination and violence.

The autumnal Durgā Pūjā, the ten-lunar-day worship of the goddess Durgā, also known as Caṇḍī or Caṇḍīkā, is one of the most important festivals in East India and Nepal. Throughout villages and cities in Bengal, Orissa, Assam and the Kathmandu Valley the occasion is marked by pomp and circumstance. In Bengal especially, this worship is a reflection of a culture that has given goddesses a privileged position over male deities from at least the time of the Pālas.2 However, despite the availability of material from the eighteenth century to the present day, the worship of the goddess prior to the colonial presence still remains to a great extent terra incognita. Sanskrit paddhatis (ritual manuals) from the medieval era are among the few records available from Bengal that shed light on the pedagogical and performative context of the rite. The purpose of this article is to provide a synchronic sketch of the medieval ceremony based on the influential and widely cited medieval manual, the Durgāpūjātattva (“The truth concerning the rite of Durgā”, henceforth DPT) of Raghunandana Bhaṭṭācārya (1520–1575 ce)3 supported by parallel accounts of the rite contained in related literature. The sketch will be used as a broad framework to illustrate the manner in which the ceremony was performed or could have been performed in Bengal during the fourteenth to the sixteenth centuries ce.

This research analyzes Muslim treatment of other religions in Medieval Bengal from 1204 to 1757 CE with a special reference to Muslim rulers and Sufi saints. The study is based on historical content analysis using a qualitative research design. The study shows the Muslim sultans and Mughals in the medieval period played a vital role in promoting interreligious harmony and human rights in Bengal. In addition, the Muslim missionaries and Sufis served as a force against religious hatred in society. The Muslim sultans and Mughals applied liberal and accommodative views toward non-Muslims. They did not force non-Muslims to accept Islam. Muslims and non-Muslims were integrated society, and they enjoyed full socioeconomic and religious rights. Moreover, Sufis conducted various approaches toward Muslims and non-Muslims as well. They promoted the message of equality and moral conduct among the diver’s faiths of the people. They also applied liberal, syncretic, and accommodative attitude in attracting non-Muslims to Islam in Bengal. The study concludes that most rulers were sympathetic and cooperative in dealing with the people of other religions.

The present study seeks to look for discernible trends in the way settlement patterns took shape in the various sub-regions of Bengal ( c. fourth to thirteenth century), broadly corresponding to the modern Indian state of West Bengal as well as Bangladesh. The sources primarily include the epigraphs issued by various ruling dynasties and the thirteenth-century text by Sandhyākaranandi, the Rāmacaritam. The essay has also made a comparison with the scenario prevailing in Assam. Certain pertinent findings on the occupation of people living in largely the marshy and riverine terrain of Bengal and Assam have also been commented upon. Occupations and settlement patterns both being traditional responses to ecological settings and historical factors, many people living in the marshy lands in Bengal and Assam took to fishing and boatmanship in the period under study. Conspicuous presence of the groups of Kaivarttas (traditionally associated with fishing and boatmanship) in both regions, and individuals having names suffixed with ‘- naukins’ in Assam substantiate this fact. Tentative map(s) prepared on the basis of inscriptions show that rural settlements were both nucleated and single farm kinds, regularly interacted at various levels, and for Assam, the possibility of nucleated form is more than what has been acknowledged by scholars so far.

This article is about the Naths (also known as Yogi, Jogi and Jugi) of Bengal and the evidence about the depression of their status that occurred during the early medieval times. Today the householder Naths, who maintain a caste framework, are quite distinct from the ascetic branch of the Nath Sampradaya (community). The householder Naths were apparently degraded by the smarta-ruled Brahmanical society during the twelfth century, the marginalisation being multidimensional—social, political, economic and cultural. Because of their backwardness, the householder Naths were put among Other Backward Castes by the Central government and West Bengal state government in the 1990s. Thus, the householder Naths endure ambiguous identities—claiming high caste status themselves but placed in the Sudra varna by others. This article is an attempt to investigate the historical background of the marginalisation of the householder Naths in Bengal.

Bengala passou por enormes experiências de desenvolvimento sócio‐cultural, de estabilidade económica e de avanço da literatura e das artes. Durante o reinado Budista, Hindu e do Sultanato, a sociedade foi‐se valorizando e enriquecendo com estes diferentes valores e a amálgama cultural que representaram. Esta coexistência foi evoluindo e as pessoas começaram a dedicar‐se ao comércio, mas foram organizando e reformando a própria sociedade. O verdadeiro "renascimento" desta política económica e cultural Bengali seguiu um determinado caminho entre os possíveis. Para se manter e para proteger o território dos inimigos e de todas as ameaças externas, os “heróis” antigos foram previdentes, desenvolvendo uma forte capacidade em reforçar território fortificado, que designamos por cidade‐fortaleza. Esta tipo de cidade histórica planeada foi implantada, com variações, neste delta Bengali; por isso, os padrões de instalação e ocupação antigos foram observados na sua relação com as margens ribeirinhas e os recursos de água adjacentes e centrados em torno de uma estrutura religiosa. Uma cronologia popular no país ajuda a compreender a formação de um povoado ou de uma cidade. Na era Budista, a comunidade religiosa, o bazar e as vias marítimas eram o ponto central que concentram a mistura de pessoas e nações. Este sítio não foi excepção do delta de Bengali, embora esta tese fosse sinuosa e estivesse no meio de uma grande rede fluvial; os antigos dirigentes face à necessidade de criar sistemas de protecção territorial foram gerando os diversos padrões de assentamento e ocupação, com mega‐estruturas, infraestruturas e uma arquitectura público que se foram tornando os elementos característicos do domínio do espaço. Essas fortalezas ribeirinhas foram organizando padrões de assentamento cujas características variavam em função das percepções estratégicas e da morfologia do sítio; afinal estas foram as cidades do Delta que, além do perfil do rio, muitas vezes dependeram de influências locais e tradicionais. Neste delta Bengal, a cidade podia obedecer a tipos diferentes, mas, no geral, havia um padrão geral de ocupação das cidades que os administradores budistas antigos concebiam com um planejamento estratégico e uma morfologia que ía além da muralha do forte. O objectivo desta investigação é, em primeiro lugar, identificar e analisar a morfologia das antigas cidades‐fortaleza e os padrões de assentamentos em termos das suas estratégias de defesa e da arquitectura que organizava a ligação ao rio da terra Bengali. Em segundo lugar, o contexto e a organização do planeamento e lugar das estruturas fortificadas, abordando‐as numa perspectiva de conjectura, através do trabalho pictográfico e ilustrado. O antigo assentamento e a própria arquitectura de MAHASTHAN, um sítio datado do século VIII AD é um local ideal para essa investigação, dado ser um local de memória, de um espaço evocativo, ter um "sentido de lugar" e, claro, um padrão espacial tradicional flexível em relação as condições regionais e às construção tradicionais deste delta Bengali. Por fim, o estudo irá explorar a imagem (restauração conjectural) da escala da cidade, do espaço, da função e do sentido cultural do próprio bairro da antiga povoação ribeirinha, através da revisão crítica da literatura, do conhecimento das sucessivas escavações arqueológicas e com a ajuda da informação histórica pictográfica. O estudo irá explorar ainda o significado desses antigos assentamentos no subcontinente e a sua transformação em Bengali, focando as estratégias actuais de defesa e a sua manifestação física, bem como o papel que pode ter o Património Digital; Riverine Fortress city of `MAHASTHAN´ in Deltaic Bengal: In search for the traditional settlement pattern of ancient cities Abstract: Bengal had passed through enormous experiences of socio‐cultural development, economical stabilities, advancement in literature and arts. During the reign of Buddhist, Hindu and Sultanate Bengal the society was cherished and enriched with full of values and cultural amalgamation. Co‐existence in the society evolved up and people started occupying time in trade‐transaction and society reformation. The ‘rebirth’ of the Bengali cultural consistency took a way forward to immense possible trails. To remain retain established and to protect the territory from external forces as well as the enemies, the ancient heroes had prepared themselves, besides invented with strong capability to reinforce fortified territory or the fortress city. The historic city planning implanted with different characteristics, and prolonged with variations in this delta land of Bengal. Ancient Bengal was focused with their settlement pattern by the bank of the river or by the watery sources. Settlement in the ancient time used to develop centering a religious structure. Eventually; it is the popular chronology for deriving a hamlet or a town. For the Buddhist era, religious community, bazaar and the maritime route came to focus with the mixture of various people and the nation. Simply, it was no exception for the case of the delta land Bengal, although this mainland is curved and chiseled with cress cross river networks; the ancient heroes contributed outposts for territorial protection and thoroughly generated the pattern of settlement. Mega structures, infrastructures and public welfare architecture were becoming the notion of the domain. That river fort architecture and the settlement patterns had the strategic and morphological characteristics, which got different from other purpose built forts, nonetheless‐was in consistence with the local city context. Bengali riverine fortress cities experienced lots of local and traditional influences only for being the river fort and their settlement around it, stating from the component, elements of forts and formal profile of the river. So, undoubtedly Bengal conceived unique kind of riverine oriented fortress settlement pattern, which has distinct typescripts. Even in the case of this fort formation the ancient Buddhist administrators had some strategic planning, morphology for spread city beyond the fort wall. The objective of the research is firstly to identify and to analyse the morphology of the ancient fortress cities1 and settlements in terms of their defence strategies and river fort architecture of Bengal. Secondly the context and the planning organization and positioning the sites for fortification addressing pictographic and conjectural restoration2 includes ancient city formation through river‐fort architecture in Bengal. The ancient settlement and architecture, dated back 8th Century AD of a specific site of MAHASTHAN would be the intensive area of the research, its memory, space, ‘sense of place’ and the traditional spatial pattern would be the intensive area of the study that would remind flexible towards regional conditions and building tradition as happened in riverine ancient Bengal. Lastly the study will explore the image (conjectural restoration) of the scale of the city, space, function and cultural longing of the neighbourhood pattern of ancient riverine settlement, through the critical literature reviewing, progressive archaeological excavation and by the referencing of historic pictographic information. The study will explore for meaning of ancient settlements in the subcontinent and its transformation in Bengal with a focus on defence strategies and its physical manifestation as well as the Digital Heritage phenomenon.

During the years 2006-2010 Gotland University conducted seminars excavations in Västergarn parish on Gotland. Inside the wall a total of six house foundations have been found and a total of 127 combs have been registered. This thesis is based on a material study of the 127 registered medieval combs. The purpose of this thesis is to analyze the combs and with their chronology illuminate in which period the society of Västergarn was active. And also to find out what the material remains can tell us about the place and its people. The questions concern the dating and chronology of the combs, and also how analyzing the combs can provide additional information to Västergarn. The method used is a comparative material - and literature study. The result of the analyze is that the combs are from the transitional period of the Viking - Medieval age, 900- 1100th century. A variety of nine different types could be distinguished. I believe that through an osteological –, and contextual spatial analysis and a comparative material study of the combs more information on the site can be presented.

Résumé en français

Le sujet de notre thèse de doctorat consiste en l’analyse du corpus céramique issu des fouilles de Mazar, une zone située sur le Rempart Sud du site de Mahasthangarh au Bangladesh, qui se sont déroulées de 2001 à 2011. Toutefois le matériel étudié comprend la poterie découverte de 2006 à 2011.

Trois périodes chronologiques ont été individualisées sur base de datations au C14, de structures construites et de monnaies :les niveaux anciens de l’époque Maurya, les niveaux intermédiaires des époques Shunga, Kouchane et Gupta et les niveaux supérieurs de l’époque post-Gupta à la conquête musulmane au début du 13ème siècle, aussi appelée Early Medieval Period.

Les objectifs consistaient à établir une chrono-typologie pour chacune des trois périodes de manière à mettre en évidence les variations de productions et de formes d’une époque à l’autre et de comparer les résultats de Mahasthangarh avec ceux d’autres sites de la région du Bengale.

Pour atteindre le premier objectif, les critères retenus sont directement liés au principe de la chaîne opératoire qui consiste à identifier, au travers de l’analyse du tesson, les étapes qui ont conduit au résultat final (sélection et préparation de la matière, façonnage, finition et décoration, cuisson).

Les résultats de l’analyse relative aux niveaux anciens ont montré que le corpus céramique était composé de divers groupes de Red Wares dont les différences résident dans la finesse de la pâte et le traitement des surfaces, de céramiques grises et de Fine Black Slipped Ware identifiées par les anciens céramologues à de la Northern Black Polished Ware. Au sein de ce dernier groupe, certains tessons de fond et de panse arborent un décor ‘rouletté’. L’assemblage présente des productions et des formes similaires au reste du Bengale. Le matériel des niveaux intermédiaires est trop fragmentaire pour que l’on puisse en tirer des conclusions sur un assemblage typique. Nous retrouvons les mêmes productions que lors des niveaux précédents avec cependant une diminution de la céramique fine.

En revanche, les niveaux supérieurs témoignent de l’établissement progressif aux alentours des 6ème et 7ème siècles d’un nouveau faciès céramique composé de céramiques communes (Medium Red, Red-Buff, Grey Wares) dont le répertoire formel est presque identique, et de céramiques à pâte plus fine et avec un engobe de couleur rouge ou gris-brun. L’assemblage évolue très peu au cours de la période et c’est seulement au tournant des 12ème-13ème siècles que nous assistons à une augmentation de la production des céramiques fines engobées. Les niveaux supérieurs ont également livré des tessons de céramique à glaçure turquoise et de la céramique chinoise (céladon des ateliers de Longquan et porcelaine des ateliers de Jingzhen et Dehua) datés de la même période. La comparaison avec les autres sites du Bengale ont démontré que la céramique de l’Early Medieval Period présentait des caractéristiques communes au niveau des techniques de fabrication (assemblages d’éléments façonnés séparément) et de décoration (incision, application, estampage), tout comme pour le répertoire morphologique au sein duquel les mêmes catégories formelles ont été identifiées. Toutefois, certaines différences d’ordre stylistique entre les productions nous permettent d’affirmer que des faciès locaux existaient. /

Summary in English

The subject of my PhD comprises the analysis of the corpus of pottery discovered during the excavations in Mazar, an area on the southern Rampart Mahasthangarh site in Bangladesh, which took place from 2001 to 2011. However, the studied material includes pottery discovered from 2006 to 2011.

Three time periods were individualized based on C14 dates, on the built structures and on the coins: former levels of the Maurya period, the intermediate levels of Shunga, Kushan and Gupta periods and superior levels of the post-Gupta period to the Muslim conquest which took place in the early 13th century, a period also called Early Medieval Period.

The goals were to create a chrono-typology for each of three periods in order to highlight the variations of wares and forms from one period to another and to compare the results of Mahasthangarh with other sites in the Bengal region.

To achieve the first objective, the criteria are directly related to the principle of the operating chain of identifying, through the analysis of the shard, the steps that led to the final product (selection and preparation of the material, shaping, finishing and decoration, cooking).

The results of the analysis relating to former levels (Maurya period) showed that the ceramic corpus was composed of various groups of Red Wares whose differences lie in the fineness of the clay and surface treatment, of Grey Wares and of Fine Black Slipped Ware identified by some ceramologists in the Northern Black Polished Ware. Within this latter group some body-shards and bottom-shards wear a “chattered” decoration. The assemblage includes same kind of wares and shapes than the rest of Bengal. The material of intermediate levels is too fragmented so that we can draw conclusions on a typical assemblage. We find the same pottery as in previous levels but with a reduction in the fine ceramics.

On the other hand, superior levels testify to the gradual establishment of a new ceramic facies, around the 6th and 7th centuries, which is composed of common pottery (Medium Red Ware, Red-Buff Ware, Grey Ware) with almost same shapes, and pottery made with finer clay and a red or brown-grey slip. The assemblage changes very little during the period and it is only at the turn of the 12th to 13th centuries that we are seeing an increase in production of fine slipped wares. The higher levels have also delivered turquoise glazed ware and Chinese ceramic shards (celadon from the Longquan workshop and porcelain from Jingzhen and Dehua workshops) dated to the same period. Comparisons with other sites of Bengal have shown that the ceramic of Early Medieval Period had common characteristics in terms of manufacturing techniques (joining of several elements shaped separately) and decoration (incision, application, embossing), as for morphological répertoire in which the same formal categories were identified. However, some differences between the stylistic productions allow us to state that local facies existed.

Doctorat en Histoire, art et archéologie
info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished