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141-466: The 11th century king Govinda-Rana Kesava Deva is recognised for introducing the navadinga (nine war boats) and heavily improving the kingdom's infantry, cavalry, and elephant power. Due to familial tensions, the kingdom split into two separate kingdoms in 1170; Gour (Northern Sylhet) and Brahmachal (Southern Sylhet), before being reunited by Raja Govardhan in the early years of his reign. However, this would be short-lasted as during Govardhan's reign,

282-665: A bicameral legislature , with the Bengal Legislative Assembly becoming the largest provincial assembly in India in 1937. The office of the Prime Minister of Bengal was established as part of growing provincial autonomy. After the 1946 election, rising Hindu-Muslim divisions across India forced the Bengal Assembly to decide on partition, despite calls for a United Bengal . The Partition of British India in 1947 resulted in

423-524: A "Major Port" of British India. Chittagong's port was used by Allied Forces of World War II during the Burma Campaign . The Port of Calcutta was the largest seaport of British India. The port was constructed by the British East India Company. It was one of the busiest ports in the world during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Calcutta was a major trading port with links to ports across

564-534: A BPML government under Sir Khawaja Nazimuddin as prime minister was formed. Nazimuddin's tenure coincided with the Bengal famine of 1943. His government was replaced by Governor's rule . After the end of World War II, elections were held in 1946 in which the BPML won an overwhelming majority of 113 seats in the 250-seat assembly. A government under Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy was formed. Prime Minister Suhrawardy continued with

705-546: A Royal Charter, competed with other European companies to gain influence in Bengal. In 1757 and 1764, the Company defeated the Nawab of Bengal , who acted on Mughal sovereignty, at the Battle of Plassey and the Battle of Buxar , and Bengal came under British influence. In 1765, Emperor Shah Alam II granted revenue rights over Bengal to the Company and the judicial rights in 1793. After this,

846-593: A battle emerged on the banks of the Ghungi Jurir Haor. Raja Epivishnu was murdered and his commander-in-chief General Raghu was kidnapped and taken as a captive back to Gour. Govardhan then appointed his second general, Shandul, to be the feudal ruler of Tungachal. The Raja of the Twipra kingdom , Ratan Manikya was informed of Singh's treacherous actions and how he tricked the Kuki chiefs, he decided that he has to take action. He

987-640: A cow for the aqiqah of his newborn son, Gulzar Alam. Gour Govinda , in a fury for what he saw as sacrilege due to his Hindu beliefs , had the newborn killed as well as having Burhanuddin's right hand cut off. Shortly after this incident, Qadi Nuruddin of Taraf celebrated his son's marriage ceremony by slaughtering a cow for them to eat. The Qadi was executed by the feudal ruler Achak Narayan. After both men being punished, Burhanuddin and Nuruddin's brother, Halimuddin, travelled to lower Bengal where they addressed their issue with Sultan Shamsuddin Firoz Shah . This marked

1128-490: A decade of Maratha raids , through bands of Bargir-giri light cavalry, directed to pillage the territory, between 1741 and 1751. In 1742 the Company chooses to spend Rs. 25  thousand on the construction of a 3 km Maratha ditch around Calcutta, to protect its facilities from the raiders. The Nawab of Bengal later signed a peace treaty with the Marathas in 1751, and ceded Orrisa and paid Rs. 1.2 million annually as

1269-545: A descendant of Ananda Shastri - a Brahmin from Mithila who arrived in Sylhet during the rule of Govinda-Rana Kesava Deva. Another yajna was hosted by Raja Sengkwchak Dharmadhar of the Twipra kingdom with Nidhipati as a priest as well who was rewarded with what would become the Ita kingdom. Dharmadhwaj of Gour died in 1200, and was succeeded by his son, Rajadhwaj who ruled until his death in 1230 in which his son, Gouradhwaj Bhabananda took

1410-643: A distinct language to Bengali and Sylheti and many migrated to Assam and Meghalaya following the 1947 Partition of India and 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War . Before the establishment of the Gour kingdom, the area was a part of the Jaintia kingdom in greater Kamarupa. When Guhak ascended the Jaintia throne, he married a princess from Kamarupa. Guhak had a deep interest in Hinduism and migration of Brahmins from Kamarupa to this area took place. On his way back, Guhak brought

1551-857: A founder of the BPML who later broke away to form the Krishak Praja Party, was elected as parliamentary leader and prime minister. Huq pursued a policy of Hindu–Muslim unity . His cabinet included leading Hindu and Muslim figures, including Nalini Ranjan Sarkar (finance), Bijoy Prasad Singha Roy (revenue), Maharaja Srish Chandra Nandy (communications and public works), Prasanna Deb Raikut (forest and excise), Mukunda Behari Mallick (cooperative credit and rural indebtedness), Sir Khwaja Nazimuddin (home), Nawab Khwaja Habibullah (agriculture and industry), Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy (commerce and labour), Nawab Musharraf Hussain (judicial and legislative affairs), and Syed Nausher Ali (public health and local self-government). Huq promoted financial and land reforms with

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1692-410: A lieutenant-governor, and that Assam Province would be reconstituted under a chief commissioner. On 21 March 1912 Thomas Gibson-Carmichael was appointed governor of Bengal. On 22 March the provinces of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa and Assam were constituted. The Government of India Act 1919 increased the number of nominated and elected members of the legislative council from 50 to 125, and the franchise

1833-466: A minister named Nandaka and a son named Govinda-Rana Kesava Deva. He was faced with confronting a number of rebellions. The 11th King of Gour was Govinda-Rana Kesava Deva, also known as the Ripuraj Gopi Govinda. He became king in 990 AD after the death of his father, Narayan Deva. He is considered to be one of the greatest kings of Gour. In 1027, he constructed a towering stone Krishna temple on

1974-412: A monk by the name of Madhabeshwar meditating under a waterfall. In respect of the monk, the waterfall was called Madhabkunda waterfall . Although Govardhan's early rule of Gour maintained a healthy relationship with Tripura, the latter part of his reign had to deal with rebels. The Jaintia Kingdom , north of Gour, attempted to invade and annex Gour to its kingdom. The various indigenous tribes including

2115-698: A partial list of notable colleges, universities and learned societies in the Bengal Presidency. Mughal Bengal was a major exporter of raw silk, cotton, and rice. With its proto-industrial economy, Bengal contributed to the first Industrial Revolution in Britain (particularly in textile manufacture during the Industrial Revolution ). After 1757, the British placed Bengal under company rule (which led to Bengali deindustrialization ). Other European powers in

2256-516: A ransom to Gour to free their king. Using Puni beel as his battlefield against states like Laur and Jaintia , Govinda "drowned his challengers" to such an extent that Gour was described to be "free of enemies" during his reign. By making peace with Ratan Manikya of Tripura and gifting him an elephant, he was able to retrieve Brahmachal and Tungachal back to Gour administration. He appointed his brother-in-law, Achak Narayan, to govern Tungachal. Govinda successfully settled many Brahmins from all over

2397-608: A regional superpower, the Laur kingdom may have also been a vassal state as Takerghat (in Laur) was made the naval headquarters during Govinda's rule. In the 850s, much of the kingdom's territory was described to be "outside the pale of human habitation" with central and southwestern Sylhet forming a large sea. This explains the naval significance which the Kings of Gour boasted. The early rulers of Gour were said to have belonged to an animist clan known as

2538-675: A separate meeting and resolved to partition the province and join the Indian union. Most East Bengali legislators favored an undivided Bengal. The Bengal Assembly was divided into the West Bengal Legislative Assembly and East Bengal Legislative Assembly during the Partition of British India. English common law was applied to Bengal. Local legislation was enacted by the Legislative Council and Legislative Assembly. Case law

2679-647: A stone Shivalingam , which he called Bateshwar Shiva, in modern-day Bondor Bazar which he obtained during a pilgrimage to Akshayavat in Prayagraj . It is said he did this to compete with the Buddhist Lokenath statue which a group of merchants installed in modern-day Kazir Bazar. Gour also bordered Bengal to the west which was ruled by the Buddhist Pala Empire . The Buddhist and later Muslim rule in Bengal led to large numbers of Hindus to migrate to Gour, which

2820-467: A stone image known as Kangsa-Nisudhana , an image of Krishna and Balarama murdering Kamsa , as well as Grivakali and Janghakali, and they put it on top of a hill in modern-day where they would worship it. During the British colonial Bengal Presidency , this hill was also home to the Civil Surgeon's Bungalow. Guhak had three sons, Jayantak, Gurak and Ladduk, and two daughters, Sheela and Chatala. It

2961-520: A supreme government of India at Calcutta with the office of governor-general of India replacing the governor-general of Fort William. The Act also created for the establishment of a new Presidency of Agra with its own Governor-in-council from the ceded and conquered territories of the Presidency of Fort William and also sought to separate the functions of the Presidency of Fort William from the government of India and governor-general of India in council. This

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3102-470: Is said that his eldest daughter, Sheela, was once bathing in a lake south of the Kangsa-Nisudhana hill and she was kidnapped. After being rescued by Guhak, Sheela started to become more religious and live a secluded life. Chatala indulged herself in an unlawful relationship with one of the palace servants, leading to her being disowned and dumped in a distant island in the middle of 2000 square mile lake to

3243-660: The chauth . The Nawab of Bengal also paid Rs. 3.2 million to the Marathas, towards the arrears of chauth for the preceding years. In June 1756 the company's factories at Cossimbazar and Calcutta were besieged and captured by the forces of the Nawab of Bengal, with the company's goods, treasure and weapons seized. Calcutta being renamed Alinagar in honour of the Siraj ud-Daulah's predecessor. A Company force, led by Watson and Robert Clive , recaptured Fort William in January 1757, with

3384-808: The Ahmadiyya movement where he became the regional leader of Khuddam-ul Ahmadiyya , and later migrated to Mymensingh where he became the Ameer of Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat Bangladesh after independence. Another descendant of Govardhan, Muhammad Akhtar Chowdhury Tota Mia (b. 1840s) was a powerful zamindar of Selbaras of his time and renowned for his bravery across Sunamganj and Mymensingh. Narrative folk ballads, known as pala gan , about Tota Mia's heroism gained prominence. These ballads are preserved in Badiuzzaman's Momenshahi Geetika published by Bangla Academy . Bengal Presidency The Bengal Presidency , officially

3525-557: The Bengal Duars to the British. The British expedition to Tibet took place between 1903 and 1904. It resulted in the Treaty of Lhasa which acknowledged Qing China 's supremacy over Tibet. The United States of America began sending envoys to Fort William in the 18th century. President George Washington nominated Benjamin Joy as the first Consul to Fort William on 19 November 1792. The nomination

3666-618: The Bengali Renaissance , as well as education, politics, law, science and the arts . It was home to the largest city in India and the second-largest city in the British Empire . At its territorial height in the mid nineteenth century, the Bengal Presidency extended from the Khyber Pass to Singapore. In 1853, the Punjab was separated from the Presidency into a new province. In 1861,

3807-521: The Government of India Act 1858 . The head of state became the British monarch , who was also given the title of Emperor of India / Empress of India . The monarch was represented through a viceroy. The Viceroy of India was based in the Bengal Presidency until 1911. The Secretary of State for India was also an important official. The Bengal Civil Service managed the provincial government. Modern scholars decry

3948-559: The Kamrup region for a number of years. Being led by Upananda's nephew, Gour Govinda , they defeated the rebels; warding them all off and recapturing Gour. Govardhan's heir, Garuda , was still a minor and so the queen-mother Apurna consented to Govinda being the King of Gour. Gour Govinda dramatically restored Gour's reputation as a regional superpower by constructing forts all over his kingdom, guarding his kingdom with large stones (shil; from which

4089-666: The Pnar , the Khasis , the Kacharis , the Kukis and the Nagas joined forces in attacking Bengali-dominated Gour. Gour was being attacked from both directions and had no support from neighbouring states. Govardhan was killed in battle. However, the royal men of Brahmachal who had migrated to Kamakhya in the start of Govardhan's rule, had returned to Gour being led by Upananda's nephew, Gour Govinda , who would defeat

4230-602: The Presidency of Fort William in Bengal , later the Bengal Province , was the largest of all three presidencies of British India during Company rule and later a province of India . At the height of its territorial jurisdiction, it covered large parts of what is now South Asia and Southeast Asia. Bengal proper covered the ethno-linguistic region of Bengal (present-day Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal ). Calcutta ,

4371-741: The Rajputana Agency . Other agencies covered the Chota Nagpur Tributary States and the Orissa Tributary States . Agents were also appointed to deal with tribal chiefs, such as the three tribal kings in the Chittagong Hill Tracts . At the time of the partition of India in 1947, the jurisdiction of the Bengal States Agency included Cooch Behar State and Hill Tipperah . Bengal was strategically important for

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4512-1012: The Rajshahi Public Library (1884), the Comilla Birchandra Library (1885), the Shah Makhdum Institute Public Library, Rajshahi (1891), the Noakhali Town Hall Public Library (1896), the Prize Memorial Library, Sylhet (1897), the Chittagong Municipality Public Library (1904) and the Varendra Research Library (1910). In 1925, the Great Bengal Library Association was established. Europeans played an important role in modernizing

4653-770: The Saugor and Nerbudda Territories of the North-Western Provinces (which was then a division of the Bengal Presidency) were separated from the Presidency and merged with the Nagpur Province to created the Central Provinces . In 1871, Ajmer and Merwara which were also administered as a part of the North-Western Provinces were separated from the Presidency to form the Ajmer-Merwara Province . In 1874, Assam

4794-546: The Tripuris , Kukis , Kacharis and Nagas joined forces with the Pnar and Khasi of the Jaintia kingdom in attacking Northern Sylhet. Being attacked from both north and south directions, and having no support from neighbouring states, Govardhan was dethroned and killed in battle. However, the thirteen royals of Brahmachal who had fled to Kamakhya during the civil war, had returned to Gour, guided by Giridhari, after receiving military training, religious and magical education from

4935-520: The second partition of Bengal on religious grounds into East Bengal (present-day Bangladesh) and West Bengal . In 1599, a Royal Charter was granted by Queen Elizabeth I to allow the creation of a trading company in London for the purposes of trade with the East Indies. The governance of the company was placed in the hands of a governor and a 24-member Court of Directors. The corporation became known as

5076-466: The suzerainty of the British Crown in India. Initially, the Bengal Presidency managed the British government's relations with most princely states in the northern subcontinent, extending from Jammu and Kashmir in the north to Manipur in the northeast. An Agency was often formed to be the liaison between the government and the princely states. The largest of these agencies under Bengal once included

5217-517: The tributary states of Odisha and Chhota Nagpur were not part of Bengal, but British relations with them were managed by its government. The Indian Councils Act 1909 expanded the legislative councils of Bengal and Eastern Bengal and Assam provinces to include up to 50 nominated and elected members, in addition to three ex officio members from the executive council. Bengal's legislative council included 22 nominated members, of which not more than 17 could be officials, and two nominated experts. Of

5358-806: The zamindars . In 1854, four major public libraries were opened, including the Bogra Woodburn Library, the Rangpur Public Library, the Jessore Institute Public Library and the Barisal Public Library. Northbrook Hall was established in 1882 in honor of Governor-General Lord Northbrook . Other libraries built include the Victoria Public Library, Natore (1901), the Sirajganj Public Library (1882),

5499-507: The 18 elected members, three were elected by municipalities, five by district and local boards, two by landowners, four by Muslims, two by the tea interest, one by the jute interest, and one by the Commissioners of the Port of Chittagong . The partition of Bengal proved highly controversial, as it resulted in a largely Hindu West Bengal and a largely Muslim East. Serious popular agitation followed

5640-695: The 26 elected members, one was elected by the Corporation of Calcutta , six by municipalities, six by district boards, one by the University of Calcutta , five by landholders, four by Muslims, two by the Bengal Chamber of Commerce, and one by the Calcutta Trades Association. Eastern Bengal and Assam's legislative council included 22 nominated members, of which not more than 17 be officials and one representing Indian commerce, and two nominated experts. Of

5781-400: The 630s in his book, the Great Tang Records on the Western Regions . Guhak split the Jaintia kingdom into three for his three sons. He gave his eldest son, Jayantak, what would become the hilly Jaintia kingdom. He gave his second son, Gurak, the southern plains which would be named Gour, and he gave his third son, Luddak, the western plains which would become the Laur kingdom . Gurak made

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5922-406: The Armenian Pogose School . Each district of Bengal had a district school , which were the leading secondary institutions. Due to Calcutta being the colonial capital, the city had a large concentration of educational institutions. It was followed by Dacca, which served as a provincial capital between 1905 and 1912. Libraries were established in each district of Bengal by the colonial government and

6063-427: The Bengal Agricultural Debtors' Act (1938), The Money Lenders' Act (1938), and the Bengal Tenancy (Amendment) Act (1938). He introduced the Primary Education Bill to make primary education free and compulsory. He established schools such as the Lady Brabourne College . In 1941, Prime Minister Huq joined the Viceroy's Defence Council in support of Allied war efforts. In a letter to Governor John Herbert , Huq called for

6204-443: The Bengal Civil Service continued to operate in the three lieutenant governorships, however they were under the control of the government of India rather than the Bengal government. The Bengal Civil Service was merged into the Indian Civil Service later along with the other two civil services and the Bengal Army was finally amalgamated into the new Indian Army in 1904–5, after a lengthy struggle over its reform between Lord Kitchener ,

6345-413: The Bengal Presidency. In 1912, the province was merged back with the Bengal Presidency while Bihar and Orissa became a separate province. In 1862, the Bengal Legislative Council became the first legislature in British India with native representation, after a petition from the British Indian Association of Calcutta. As part of efforts towards home rule , the Government of India Act 1935 created

6486-447: The Bengal province was later merged with the Presidency of Fort William but under the suzerainty of the Emperor until 1835. In 1836, the upper territories of the Bengal Presidency were organised into the Agra Division or North-Western Provinces and administered by a lieutenant-governor within the Presidency. The lower territories were organised into the Bengal Division and put in charge of lieutenant-governor as well in 1853. The office of

6627-440: The Bengali language. The first book on Bengali grammar was compiled by a Portuguese missionary. English was the official language. The use of Persian as an official language was discontinued by Act no. XXIX of 1837 passed by the President of the Council of India in Council on 20 November 1837. However, Persian continued to be taught in some institutions. Several institutions had Sanskrit and Arabic faculties. The following includes

6768-528: The British Cabinet meeting also hoped that Bengal would remain united. British Prime Minister Clement Attlee informed the US Ambassador to the United Kingdom on 2 June 1947 that there was a "distinct possibility that Bengal might decide against partition and against joining either India or Pakistan". On 6 July 1947, the Sylhet referendum gave a mandate for the District of Sylhet to be re-united into Bengal. However, Hindu nationalist leaders in West Bengal and conservative East Bengali Muslim leaders were against

6909-423: The British Empire. Its local hinterland spanned beyond Bengal to include north and northeast India, the Himalayan kingdoms and Tibet. The Bay of Bengal became one of the busiest shipping hubs in the world, rivaling the traffic of ports on the Atlantic . Calcutta was also an important naval base in World War II and was bombed by the Japanese. Chambers of commerce were established. The Bengal Chamber of Commerce

7050-416: The British Parliament enacted the Government of India Act 1833 abolishing the monopoly rights of the Company and converting it into a purely governing body holding its territories in India in trust of the Crown. The Act relieved the governor-in-councils of Bombay and Madras of their legislative duties and consolidated all legislative functions to the governor-general-in-council of India at Calcutta and created

7191-421: The Company rule period culminated in the Indian Mutiny in 1857. In 1858, the British government gained direct control of Indian administration. Bengal was plugged into the market-driven economy and trade networks of the British Empire . The Bengal Presidency had the largest gross domestic product in British India. The first British colonial banks in the Indian subcontinent were founded in Bengal. These included

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7332-441: The Council of India in Council on 20 November 1837. The Calcutta High Court was set up in 1862. The building was designed on the model of Ypres Cloth Hall in Belgium. The Dacca High Court building was built during the early 20th century, with elements of a Roman pantheon . District courts were established in all district headquarters of the Bengal Presidency. At the district level, tax collectors and revenue officers acted with

7473-446: The English East India Company to establish a small trading post on the west coast of India. It was followed in 1611 by a factory on the Coromandel Coast in South India, and in 1612 the company joined other already established European trading companies to trade in the wealthy Bengal Subah in the east. However, the power of the Mughal Empire declined from 1707, as the Nawab of Bengal in Murshidabad became financially independent with

7614-881: The General Bank of Bengal and Bihar (1733); Bank of Hindostan (1770), Bank of Bengal (1784); and the General Bank of India (1786). Other banks in Bengal included the Bank of Calcutta (1806), Union Bank (1829); Government Savings Bank (1833); The Bank of Mirzapore ( c.  1835 ); Dacca Bank (1846); Kurigram Bank (1887), Kumarkhali Bank (1896), Mahaluxmi Bank, Chittagong (1910), Dinajpur Bank (1914), Comilla Banking Corporation (1914), Bengal Central Bank (1918), and Comilla Union Bank (1922). Loan offices were established in Faridpur (1865), Bogra (1872), Barisal (1873), Mymensingh (1873), Nasirabad (1875), Jessore (1876), Munshiganj (1876), Dacca (1878), Sylhet (1881), Pabna (1882), Kishoreganj (1883), Noakhali (1885), Khulna (1887), Madaripur (1887), Tangail (1887), Nilphamari (1894) and Rangpur (1894). The earliest records of securities dealings are

7755-435: The Himalayan regions of Nepal, Tibet , Bhutan and Sikkim. The Anglo-Nepalese War between the East India Company and the Kingdom of Nepal was concluded with the Treaty of Sugauli , which ended Gorkha territorial expansion. The Treaty of Titalia was signed in 1817 between the HEIC and the Kingdom of Sikkim to establish British hegemony over Sikkim. The Bhutan War in the 1860s saw the Kingdom of Bhutan lose control of

7896-409: The Hindu lands to its west such as Tripura and Prayagraj. Minister Marbel was ordered to find a wife for Gurak's son, Srihasta. He went south to the Twipra kingdom in eastern Bengal where he found a young princess for Srihasta. When Srihasta ascended the throne in 660, he too contributed to the increase of Hindu influence to the predominantly Tantric Buddhist and animist-populated land. He installed

8037-420: The Honourable East India Company (HEIC). It became the most powerful corporation of its time, with control over half of world trade . Edmund Burke described the company as "a state in the guise of a merchant". It was described as a "state within a state", and even "an empire within an empire". The company was given a monopoly for British trade in the Indian Ocean. In 1608, Mughal Emperor Jahangir allowed

8178-415: The Indian and Home governments, and this led to the decision being reversed in 1911. At the Delhi Durbar on 12 December 1911, Emperor George V announced the transfer of the seat of the government of India from Calcutta to Delhi, the reunification of the five predominantly Bengali-speaking divisions into a unified province of Bengal under a governor, the creation of a new province of Bihar and Orissa under

8319-538: The Indo-Burmah Petroleum Company, Orient Airways , Shaw Wallace , Carew & Co , Aditya Birla Group , Tata Group , Balmer Lawrie , Biecco Lawrie , Braithwaite, Burn & Jessop Construction Company , Braithwaite & Co. , Bridge and Roof Company , Britannia Industries , Burn Standard Company and Andrew Yule and Company . Some of these enterprises were nationalized after the Partition of India. Agricultural products included rice, sugarcane and vegetables. The main cash crops were jute and tea. The jute trade

8460-409: The Kangsa-Nisudhana hill (which became the hillock of the Civil Surgeon's Bungalow during British rule). A famed patron of Hinduism , he hosted hundreds of Brahmins and Vedic scholars from Mithila and other parts of the subcontinent , employing them upon the services of temples in his kingdom. They were given thousands of acres of land each in over hundreds of villages across the kingdom. A yajna

8601-450: The King of Brahmachal ( Southern Sylhet ). The long-lasted conflict between the north and south continued during Govardhan's reign. Govardhan appointed his chief minister, Madan Rai , to somehow find a way to lure Upananda's general, Amar Singh , in order to use him in infiltrating the south. Govardhan and Madan Rai then made an agreement with Govardhan's general Virabhadra to give his daughter, Chandra Kala, in marriage to Singh. The marriage

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8742-401: The King of Tripura and Govardhan sent Jaidev Rai , son of Upananda's minister, to be a feudal ruler under the Tripuras. In fear of Kuki Chiefs, the Raja Shandul of Taraf migrated to Gour and the King of Tripura put Bhadra Janardhan in charge of Taraf. During a hunting expedition in the Patharia hills, Govardhan wished to establish a resting place for the benefit of travellers. He came across

8883-426: The Kuki chiefs into raiding Raja Upananda's palace in the dead of the night, massacring most of its inmates. With the emergence of a civil war between Brahmachal and Gour, Raja Upananda was subsequently killed. Brahmachal became a part of the Gour kingdom again, and Govardhan appointed Amar Singh as its feudal governor. Babysat by the Upananda's older sister-in-law, Anna Purna, thirteen royal children managed to flee to

9024-411: The Muslim-conquered lands of Deccan , Central India and Bengal to live in his kingdom; which they recognised as a Hindu stronghold. They gained some authority in the kingdom, being favoured by Govinda over the native Hindus for their religious orthodoxy. The elitist Brahmins cooperatively led a movement against members of other religions in Gour. They favoured the Brahmins of Brahmachal brought over during

9165-421: The Nawab, Siraj ud-Daulah, agreeing the Treaty of Alinagar , reestablishing the company's right to trade in Bengal, and fortify Fort William. In parallel Robert Clive conspired with Jagat Seth, Omichand and Mir Jafar to install the latter on the musnud of Bengal, a plan that they would implement in June 1757. The East India Company's victories at the Battle of Plassey (1757) and the Battle of Buxar (against

9306-426: The Nawabs of Bengal and Oudh in 1764) led to the abolition of local rule (Nizamat) in Bengal in 1793. The Company gradually began to formally expand its territories across India and Southeast Asia. By the mid-19th century, the East India Company had become the paramount political and military power in the Indian subcontinent . Its territory was held in trust for the British Crown . The company also issued coins in

9447-430: The Pator-Chutia or Patro which later converted to Hinduism after Raja Guhak's interest in the religion and his initial invitation to Brahmins from Kamarupa to come and migrate to Sylhet. The small tribe remains in existence today and are also known by their endonym, the Laleng , and claim descent from these kings although this cannot be proven. Their traditions are a mixture of tribal animistic and Hindu beliefs. They have

9588-489: The Tripuris to bloodlessly annex Tungachal to its kingdom as well. The former minister of Tungachal, Bhadra Janardan, was appointed as the feudal ruler of Tungachal under the Twipra kingdom. The Jaintia kingdom, north of Gour, attempted to invade and annex Gour to its kingdom as they could see that Govardhan was focused on the insurgencies in the southern areas of his kingdom and on securing Brahmachal and Tungachal. The various indigenous tribes and neighbouring kingdoms including

9729-452: The Upananda's older sister-in-law, Anna Purna, the children reached the jungles where a Bihari sannyasi by the name of Giridhari took guided them to Kamakhya Temple where they were trained into hermitage. The battle hosted casualties on both sides leading to the death of Raja Upananda. General Amar Singh took over Brahmachal for a short while before also being killed. The Kuki Chiefs annexed Brahmachal (modern-day Baramchal in Kulaura) to

9870-521: The administration by receiving excessive land grants in the kingdom. Ishan also possessed war-chariots. Pravir Deva became the Raja of Gour when he reached a mature age in 1080 AD. He had a son named Bhujavir. Brahmachal kingdom Raja Govardhan Raja Upananda   † In 1140 AD, after the death of Bhujavir Deva, his son Kshetra Pal ascended the throne. Raja Kshetra Pal also practised polygyny and had two wives; Ratnavati and Surama. During his reign, an earthquake took place which changed

10011-587: The adoption of the Lahore Resolution in 1940. He envisaged Bengal as one of the "independent states" outlined by the resolution. The first Huq cabinet dissolved after the BPML withdrew from his government. Huq then formed a second coalition with the Hindu Mahasabha led by Syama Prasad Mukherjee . This cabinet was known as the Shyama-Huq Coalition. The cabinet included Nawab Bahabur Khwaja Habibullah, Khan Bahadur Abdul Karim, Khan Bahadur Hashem Ali Khan, Shamsuddin Ahmed, Syama Prasad Mukherjee, Santosh Kumar Bose and Upendranath Barman. Huq's government fell in 1943 and

10152-408: The capital initially at Borchola, five miles northwest of modern-day Sylhet , but moved it to Malini stream bank, 7 miles south of Sylhet. He appointed Marbel as his chief minister. The minister was stationed in a hillock (now known as Mona Rai 's Tila) near the port for ease in tax collection and civil duties. Being separated from Kamarupa by the Jaintia kingdom, Gour started interacting more with

10293-465: The city which grew around Fort William , was the capital of the Bengal Presidency. For many years, the governor of Bengal was concurrently the governor-general of India and Calcutta was the capital of India until 1911. The Bengal Presidency emerged from trading posts established in the Bengal province during the reign of Emperor Jahangir in 1612. The East India Company (HEIC), a British monopoly with

10434-673: The colonial system as bureaucratic authoritarianism. Established by Charter Act of 1833 , the Governor-General in Council was subordinate to the Court of Directors of the East India Company and the British Crown. The governor-general in council in Fort William enacted legislation, such as the prohibition of Persian as an official language under Act no. XXIX of 1837 passed by the president of

10575-774: The commander-in-chief, and Lord Curzon , the Viceroy. In 1830, the British Straits Settlements on the coast of the Malacca Straits was made a residency of the Presidency of Bengal in Calcutta. The area included the erstwhile Prince of Wales Island and Province Wellesley , as well as the ports of Malacca and Singapore. Under the administration of the East India Company, the Settlements were used as penal settlements for Indian civilian and military prisoners, earning them

10716-549: The country's contour and topography. It is said that a new river emerged in the town, which the King named after his second and favourite wife, Rani Surama, as the Surma River . The King's first son came from Surama and his name was Brahmajit. A few years later, Kshetra's first wife Ratnavati also gave birth to a son, called Dharmadhwaj. However, conspiracies emerged in the country as a number of people were suspicious of Ratnavati accusing her of jealousy and child illegitimacy as Kshetra

10857-475: The daughter of Mir Jumla, and they had a son called Muhammad Shamsher. Radhaballabh's grandson was Muhammad Darvesh, who had a son named Muhammad Basher, who had a son named Muhammad Hazer. Hazer was succeeded by his son Muhammad Haydar, whose son was Muhammad Qamar, whose son was Ghulam Rabib. Ghulam Rabib's son, Zamindar Ghulam Jilani Choudhury, married Ashrafunnesa Choudhurani and they had a son named Ahmad Taufiq Choudhury (d. 2005). The latter left Sunni Islam for

10998-686: The direct rule of the British Crown. The partition of the large province of Bengal, which was decided upon by Lord Curzon, and Cayan Uddin Ahmet, the Chief Secretary of Bengal carried into execution in October 1905. The Chittagong , Dhaka and Rajshahi divisions, the Malda District and the States of Hill Tripura , Sylhet and Comilla were transferred from Bengal to a new province, Eastern Bengal and Assam ;

11139-891: The emergence of a large educated middle class, most of the population did not have access to a proper education. Some of the leading schools included the Oriental Seminary in Calcutta, the St. Gregory's High School in Dacca, the Rajshahi Collegiate School in Rajshahi and the Chittagong Collegiate School in Chittagong. European missionaries, Hindu philanthropists and Muslim aristocrats were influential promoters of education. Ethnic minorities maintained their own institutions, such as

11280-675: The establishment of liberal arts colleges in many districts of Bengal. There were only two full-fledged universities in Bengal during British rule, including the University of Calcutta and the University of Dacca. Both universities were represented in the Bengal Legislative Assembly under the Government of India Act 1935. Primary education was mandatory under the Compulsory Education Acts. Despite significant advances and

11421-579: The existing Constituent Assembly of India. In another separate meeting of legislators from East Bengal, it was decided by 106 votes to 35 that the province should not be partitioned and 107 votes to 34 that East Bengal should join Pakistan in the event of partition. There was no vote held on the proposal for an independent United Bengal. Initially, Bengal was under the administration of the East India Company, which appointed chief agents/presidents/governors/lieutenant governors in Fort William. The governor of Bengal

11562-479: The feudal ruler of Tungachal, Epivishnu - who was not given a choice - was effectively under the control of Amar Singh . Having close ties with Brahmachal and Tripura, Epivishnu was adamant to Govardhan and Singh's amicable compromises. With Epivishnu refusing every pleasant proposal given to be a feudal ruler under Gour, Govardhan and Singh decided it was time that they dethrone Epivishnu and appoint someone else to govern Tungachal. The Gour forces entered Tungachal, and

11703-644: The first time in Bengal 's history and improving Gour's military status. Noted as a Hindu Revivalist, Gour Govinda encouraged the Hindu way of life . The kingdom came to an end after the Islamic conquest of Sylhet in 1303 led by Sikandar Khan Ghazi , Syed Nasiruddin and Shah Jalal , leading to the flight of Govinda and the royal family, and the subsequent incorporation of Sylhet with mainland Muslim Bengal ruled by Sultan Shamsuddin Firuz Shah . There are many theories behind

11844-933: The five Hindi-speaking states of Chota Nagpur , namely Changbhakar , Korea , Surguja , Udaipur and Jashpur State , were transferred from Bengal to the Central Provinces; and Sambalpur State and the five Oriya states of Bamra , Rairakhol , Sonepur , Patna and Kalahandi were transferred from the Central Provinces to Bengal. The remaining province of Bengal then consisted of the thirty-three districts of Burdwan , Birbhum , Bankura , Midnapur , Hughli , Howrah , Twenty-four Parganas , Calcutta , Nadia , Murshidabad , Jessore , Khulna , Patna , Gaya , Shahabad , Saran , Champaran , Muzaffarpur , Darbhanga , Monghyr , Bhagalpur , Purnea , Santhal Parganas , Cuttack , Balasore , Angul and Kandhmal , Puri , Sambalpur , Singhbhum , Hazaribagh , Ranchi , Palamau , and Manbhum . The princely states of Sikkim and

11985-499: The foundations of an ancient building. H. Luttman-Johnson, the deputy commissioner of Sylhet, passed copies of these onto Sanskrit scholars. The first 29 lines are in Sanskrit , the next 22 lines are in early Bengali and the last four lines are in an unknown language with a possibility of it being in Kukish . The first plate was written during the reign of Govinda-Rana Kesava Deva and mentions

12126-432: The government of India. New conquests in Punjab (1849), Burma (1826) and Oudh (1856) were constituted as Chief Commissioner's Provinces directly administered by the government of India. The Government of India Act 1853 finally allocated a lieutenant-governor to Bengal, which until now had been administered by the governor-general of India. The act also allocated lieutenant-governors to Punjab and Burma. The Bengal Army and

12267-538: The governor of the Presidency was abolished and the Presidency existed as only a nominal entity under the dual government of the two lieutenant-governors at Agra and Calcutta. The 1887, the Agra Division was separated from the Presidency and merged with the Oudh province, ending the dual government. In 1912, the governor was restored. In the early 20th century, Bengal emerged as a hotbed of the Indian independence movement and

12408-681: The governor's council. The Government of India Act 1935 established the Bengal Legislative Assembly as the lower chamber of the Bengali legislature. It was a 250-seat assembly where most members were elected by either the General Electorate or the Muslim Electorate (under the Communal Award ). Other members were nominated. The separate electorate dividing Muslims from the general electorate was deeply controversial. The Prime Minister of Bengal

12549-766: The help of bankers such as the Jagat Seth . The Nawabs began entering into treaties with numerous European companies, including the French East India Company , the Dutch East India Company , and the Danish East India Company . The Mughal court in Delhi was weakened by Nader Shah 's invasion from Persia (1739) and Ahmed Shah Durrani 's invasion from Afghanistan (1761). While the Bengal Subah suffered

12690-744: The hinterland. In 1907, 20 firms were engaged in the jute trade of Narayanganj, including 18 European firms. Hindu merchants opened several cotton mills in the 1920s, including the Dhakeshwari Cotton Mill, the Chittaranjan Cotton Mill and the Laxmi Narayan Cotton Mill. Other goods traded in Narayanganj included timber, salt, textiles, oil, cotton, tobacco, pottery, seeds and betel nut. Raw goods were processed by factories in Calcutta, especially jute mills. The Port of Chittagong

12831-410: The jungles where they stumbled across Giridhari, a Bihari sannyasi , Giridhari took them to Kamakhya Temple where they were trained into hermitage and would return to Gour a few years later during the tribal invasion. Tungachal kingdom Raja Govardhan Raja Epivishnu   † Brahmachal which was ruled by Upananda contained the territory of Tungachal. In effect, this meant that

12972-595: The kingdom of Kuchunia to his north ruled by Uraj Mardan, he also married Mardan's daughter Chandana and had a son with her named Ishan Deva. After the death of Srichandra of eastern Bengal's Chandra dynasty , Kesava took advantage and conquered the southern parts of the Sylhet region ; extending the Gour kingdom south of the Kushiyara River . Kesava's singh gour reign ended in 1040, leaving behind three sons; Jadava Kesava, Kangsa Narayan and Ishan Deva. The elder son, Jadava

13113-429: The kingdom would suffer attacks from neighbouring kingdoms of all directions; eventually leading to the latter's death and the annexation of Brahmachal from Gour to Twipra . Gour Govinda would be the last king to succeed him. In contrast to Govardhan, he would revive Gour back into a regional superpower, warding off all potential enemies, regaining lost territory, introducing defensive strategies like archery in war for

13254-401: The land grants he made as well as the three kings who preceded him, starting with Navagirvan. The second plate was written during Ishan Deva's reign, the son of Kesava. Raja Govardhan Gangadhwaj Govardhan was the 20th king of medieval Sylhet 's Gour Kingdom . Govardhan rose to power following the death of his father, Gouradhwaj Bhabananda. During this period, Raja Upananda was

13395-679: The loan securities of the British East India Company . In 1830, bourse activities in Calcutta were conducted in the open air under a tree. The Calcutta Stock Exchange was incorporated in 1908. Some of the leading companies in British Bengal included Messrs. Alexander and Co, Waldies , Martin Burn , M. M. Ispahani Limited , James Finlay and Co. , A K Khan & Company , the Calcutta Chemical Company , Bourne & Shepherd ,

13536-410: The modern-day Sylhet District . It included some eastern parts of the modern-day Moulvibazar District until it split from Gour to become the independent kingdom of Brahmachal. The final king of Gour, Gour Govinda would reunite Brahmachal to the Gour kingdom. The Tungachal kingdom , to its southwest, was a vassal state of Gour, and later Brahmachal would be one as well. With Govinda turning Gour into

13677-404: The modern-day haors of Sylhet take their names from. The Navadinga boasted the power of Gour's kings who would use them when warring with neighbouring petty kingdoms as well as for trade. Kesava is also recognised for heavily improving the kingdom's infantry, cavalry, navy and elephant power. He practiced polygyny and had two sons, Jadava and Kangsa from his first wife, Kamala. After invading

13818-566: The name Shilhot/Sylhet is theorised to have come from) and establishing a number of military training camps. He built a seven-storey stone brick tower in Penchagor which he called Gorduar, which would serve as the new capital. Govinda is credited to introducing archery in war for the first time in the History of Bengal . To prove his might, he tied the Khasi king to ropes, bringing him to Gour. The Khasi paid

13959-439: The name of the nominal Mughal Emperor (who was exiled in 1857). Under Warren Hastings , the consolidation of British imperial rule over Bengal was solidified, with the conversion of a trade area into an occupied territory under a military-civil government, while the formation of a regularised system of legislation was brought in under John Shore . Acting through Lord Cornwallis , then governor-general, he ascertained and defined

14100-483: The naming of the Gour kingdom. Some say that the name originated from the kingdom's founder; Gurak, the son of Raja Guhak just as Jaintia was named after Jayantak and Laur after Ladduk. Other theories are that it was named following the 1170 partition of the kingdom into two. The north was renamed Gour (also transliterated as Gauda in Sanskrit ) as in imitation of the great Hindu Gauda kingdom which ruled Bengal from 590AD to 626AD. The kingdom consisted of majority of

14241-463: The old capital, which retained its name as Gour. Conflict did not emerge as both rulers thought that they were in control of the kingdom as a whole, but gradually the two lands split to become two different kingdoms; Gour and Brahmachal in 1170 AD. The two stepsons worked together and hosted a Vedic yajna at the Bhatera Homer Tila at Brahmachal which was arranged by Nidhipati Shastri, who was

14382-546: The payment of a fixed land tax. This piece of legislation is known as the Permanent Settlement of the Land Revenue. It was designed to "introduce" ideas of property rights to India, and stimulate a market in land. The former aim misunderstood the nature of landholding in India, and the latter was an abject failure. The Cornwallis Code , while defining the rights of the proprietors, failed to give adequate recognition to

14523-500: The policy of power-sharing between Hindus and Muslims. He also advocated a plan for a Bengali sovereign state with a multiconfessionalist political system. The breakdown of Hindu-Muslim unity across India eventually upended Bengali power-sharing. Religious violence, including the Noakhali riots and Direct Action Day riots, contributed to the polarization. When the Bengal Assembly met to vote on Partition, most West Bengali legislators held

14664-551: The power of magistrates . In 1829, magisterial power was given to all Collectors and Revenue Officers. The controversy regarding the lack of separation of powers continued until 1921. The British government began to appoint legislative councils under the Indian Councils Act 1861 . The Bengal Legislative Council was established in 1862. It was one of the largest and most important legislative councils in British India. Over

14805-712: The principle of dyarchy , whereby certain responsibilities such as agriculture, health, education, and local government, were transferred to elected ministers. However, the important portfolios like finance, police and irrigation were reserved with members of the governor's executive council. Some of the prominent ministers were Surendranath Banerjee (Local Self-government and Public Health 1921–1923), Sir Provash Chunder Mitter (Education 1921–1924, Local Self-government, Public Health, Agriculture and Public Works 1927–1928), Nawab Saiyid Nawab Ali Chaudhuri (Agriculture and Public Works) and A. K. Fazlul Huq (Education 1924). Bhupendra Nath Bose and Sir Abdur Rahim were executive members in

14946-411: The prospect. On 20 June 1947, the Bengal Legislative Assembly met to vote on partition plans. At the preliminary joint session, the assembly decided by 126 votes to 90 that if it remained united it should join the new Constituent Assembly of Pakistan. Later, a separate meeting of legislators from West Bengal decided by 58 votes to 21 that the province should be partitioned and that West Bengal should join

15087-478: The queen regent with Prince Ishan Deva, General Viradatta and Minister Vanamali Kar managing the kingdom. Kalavati gave birth to a son who was named Pravir Deva. To celebrate Pravir's birth, Ishan installed the Madhu-Kaitabhari Temple - which contained an image of Vishnu - on a hillock now known as Manik Pir's hill. The installation ceremony was conducted by a group of Brahmins and they were rewarded by

15228-477: The rebels and re-establish peace with the Tripura Kingdom. Other than Garuda of Gour , it is said that Govardhan had another son called Prem Narayan. The zamindars of Selbaras, who are described as one of the most prominent zamindars of greater Sylhet , are descended from Prem Narayan's son Radhaballabh. Radhaballabh embraced Sunni Islam in 1662, adopting the name Muhammad Zaman Mia Mayman. He later married

15369-684: The region included the French East India Company , the Dutch East India Company , the Ostend Company and the Danish East India Company . Initially, the English East India Company promoted opium cultivation which caused the Opium Wars with Qing China . The East India Company's promotion of indigo farming caused the Indigo revolt . The British were much criticized for favoring textile imports and suppressing local muslin production. The chaos of

15510-851: The reign of Brahmajit. The followers of Tantric Buddhism were treated as dalits ( untouchables ) of the lowest social status. The Brahmins from Central India brought by Govinda-Rana Kesava Deva, were looked down upon by the Deccan Brahmins as low-class "Govinda Brahmins" as well, in addition to the Hindu Namasudras , Kaivartas and Dasas who were influenced too much by Buddhism. A small number of Muslim families from neighbouring Bengal also settled in Gour, possibly following Malik Ikhtiyaruddin Iuzbak 's 1254 Azmardan Invasion . One day, Ghazi Burhanuddin - who lived with his family in Tultikar - sacrificed

15651-407: The resurrection of a Bengal Army. He wrote "I want you to consent to the formation of a Bengali Army of a hundred thousand young Bengalis consisting of Hindu and Muslim youths on a fifty-fifty basis. There is an insistent demand for such a step being taken at once, and the people of Bengal will not be satisfied with any excuses. It is a national demand which must be immediately conceded". Huq supported

15792-431: The rights of the landholders over the soil. These landholders under the previous system had started, for the most part, as collectors of the revenues, and gradually acquired certain prescriptive rights as quasi-proprietors of the estates entrusted to them by the government. In 1793 Lord Cornwallis declared their rights perpetual, and gave over the land of Bengal to the previous quasi-proprietors or zamindars , on condition of

15933-522: The rights of the under-tenants and the cultivators. This remained a serious problem for the duration of British Rule, as throughout the Bengal Presidency ryots (peasants) found themselves oppressed by rack-renting landlords, who knew that every rupee they could squeeze from their tenants over and above the fixed revenue demanded from the government represented pure profit. Furthermore, the Permanent Settlement took no account of inflation, meaning that

16074-401: The rulers of Gour from Navagirvan up to Kesava Deva providing evidence of the chronicles of Gour in this period whilst the previous history before Navagirvan is considered legendary . Navagirvan is attributed for bringing prosperity to Srihatta. His son, Gokul Kishore Deva was described in the inscription to be so strong that he imposed inactivity to enemy kingdoms. Gokul's son, Narayana Deva had

16215-548: The south of the kingdom. After Sheela's death at a young age, Guhak gave up his kingdom to also lead a more ascetic life. This port-area around the lake, which was the largest centre in the Jaintia kingdom for trade, was named "Sheela haat " in her honour. Sources such as the Hattanath Tales mention Sheelachatal was named after both daughters for the region. This is one of many theories of how Sylhet got its name. Xuanzang of Tang China mentions that he visited Sheelachatal in

16356-611: The start of the Conquest of Sylhet in 1303, with the Sultan appointing his nephew, Sikandar Khan Ghazi , to lead an army against the Raja. A number of battles took place, with Govinda managing to defeat the Muslims of Bengal. However, in the final battle, Govinda fled with his family following the arrival of the warrior-saint Shah Jalal and his companions, numbering over three hundred. Sikandar Khan Ghazi

16497-441: The step, partly on the grounds that this was part of a cynical policy of divide and rule, and partly that the Bengali population, the centre of whose interests and prosperity was Calcutta, would now be divided under two governments, instead of being concentrated and numerically dominant under the one, while the bulk would be in the new division. In 1906–1909 the unrest developed to a considerable extent, requiring special attention from

16638-424: The throne. Raja Govardhan rose to power in 1250 following the death of his father, Gouradhwaj. During this period, Upananda was the King of Brahmachal . The long-lasted conflict between the north and south continued during Govardhan's reign. Govardhan appointed his chief minister, Madan Rai , to somehow find a way to lure Upananda's general, Amar Singh , to use him as a tool to infiltrate Brahmachal, as Govardhan

16779-644: The title of the "Botany Bays of India". The years 1852 and 1853 saw minor uprisings by convicts in Singapore and Penang. Upset with East India Company rule, in 1857 the European population of the Settlements sent a petition to the British Parliament asking for direct rule. In 1859, under the terms of the Queen's Proclamation issued by Queen Victoria, the Bengal Presidency, along with the rest of British India, came under

16920-458: The value of the revenue to government declined year by year, whilst the heavy burden on the peasantry grew no less. This was compounded in the early 19th century by compulsory schemes for the cultivation of opium and indigo , the former by the state, and the latter by British planters. Peasants were forced to grow a certain area of these crops, which were then purchased at below market rates for export. This added greatly to rural poverty. In 1833,

17061-509: The years, the council's powers were gradually expanded from an advisory role to debating government policies and enacting legislation. Under the Government of India Act 1935 , the council became the upper chamber of the Bengali legislature. British India's Montagu–Chelmsford Reforms of 1919, enacted in 1921, expanded the Bengal Legislative Council to 140 members to include more elected Indian members. The reforms also introduced

17202-643: Was a member of the assembly. In the 1937 election , the Congress emerged as the single largest party but short of an absolute majority. The second-largest party was the Bengal Provincial Muslim League (BPML), followed closely in third place by the Krishak Praja Party (KPP). After negotiations between Congress and the KPP broke down, the BPML and KPP formed a coalition government. A. K. Fazlul Huq ,

17343-636: Was also an important source of law. Many laws enacted in British Bengal are still in use today, including the Indian Penal Code . In 1919, the Rowlatt Act extended wartime powers under the Defence of India Act 1915, including arbitrary arrests and trial without juries. Press freedom was muzzled by the Indian Press Act 1910. The Seditious Meetings Act 1908 curtailed freedom of assembly. Regulation III of 1818

17484-698: Was also considered draconian. King George V granted a royal amnesty to free political prisoners. Some draconian laws were repealed, including the Rowlatt Act. Despite being a common law jurisdiction, British India did not enjoy the same level of protection for civil liberties as in the United Kingdom. It was only after independence in 1947 and the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, that human rights were clearly enshrined in law. Princely states were autonomous principalities under

17625-404: Was also told of the murder of Raja Epivishnu, whom he was a friend of. Ratan believed the Gour administration was going too far and decided to also put a stop to Govardhan's scheme to invade other neighbouring kingdoms. He sent a contingent towards Brahmachal to attack Amar Singh . Singh's forces were outnumbered, and requested assistance from Govardhan. However, Govardhan was unable to help as Gour

17766-458: Was an old man by this time. After Kshetra died, his eldest son, Brahmajit stepped to the throne. His stepmother Ratnavati and her associates gave Brahmajit a hard time as she believed that as she was the elder wife, her son should have been the King. Scared for his life, Brahmajit moved his capital to a place known as Brahmachal (now Baramchal, Kulaura ), just north of the Twipra kingdom . He then appointed his stepbrother Dharmadhwaj to govern over

17907-472: Was appointed the first Wazir of Sylhet, and Tungachal would subsequently be captured off Achak Narayan in the following year by Syed Nasiruddin and his 12 lascars . ghaturam In 1877, two copper-plate inscriptions were discovered in the Itertilla or Homer Tila mound in the estate of Babu Jagachchandra Deb Choudhury in the village of Bhatera. It was found 8 feet deep whilst the folks were removing old bricks from

18048-498: Was central to the British Bengali economy. Bengal accounted for the bulk of the world's jute production and export. Raw jute was sourced from the hinterland of Eastern Bengal. The British government declared the Port of Narayanganj as a "Tax Free Port" in 1878. Rally Brothers & Co. was one of the earliest British companies in the jute business of Narayanganj. British firms used middlemen, called beparis , to source raw jute from

18189-410: Was concurrently the governor-general of India for many years. The East India Company maintained control with its private armies and administrative machinery. Nevertheless, the East India Company was a quasi-official entity, having received a Royal Charter from Queen Elizabeth I in 1600. The Indian Rebellion of 1857 caused the British government to assume direct control of India's administration under

18330-498: Was considered a Hindu stronghold. Srihasta's reign ended in 690 AD and he was succeeded by Kritti Pal. The names of the four kings who succeeded Kritti Pal is unknown until 870 AD, when Bhut Vishnudeva ascends the throne as the 7th king of Gour. He was known to have been mute . He was succeeded by Navagirvan Deva (also known as Ananta Deva Navagirvanta) who is mentioned in the Bhatera copper-plate inscription as Kharavana (sharp arrow thrower). The Bhatera copper-plate inscription mentions

18471-407: Was established in 1853. The Narayanganj Chamber of Commerce was set up in 1904. The textile trade of Bengal enriched many merchants. For example, Panam City in Sonargaon saw many townhouses built for wealthy textile merchants. Tea became a major export of Bengal. Northwestern Bengal became the center of Darjeeling tea cultivation in the foothills of the Himalayas. Darjeeling tea became one of

18612-451: Was expanded. Bihar and Orissa became separate provinces in 1936. Bengal remained in its 1912 boundaries until Independence in 1947, when it was again partitioned between the dominions of India and Pakistan. On 8 May 1947, Viceroy Earl Mountbatten cabled the British government with a partition plan that made an exception for Bengal. It was the only province that would be allowed to remain independent should it choose to do so. On 23 May,

18753-475: Was facing an invasion in the north from the Jaintia kingdom. Singh was killed by the Tripura forces and the Kuki chiefs saw this as an opportunity for them to annex Brahmachal to the Twipra kingdom . Jaidev Rai , son of the minister of Raja Upananda, who was the king of Brahmachal before Amar Singh, was made the feudal ruler under the Tripuris. The Tripuris then proceeded to Tungachal, in an attempt to dethrone Shandul. Shandul decided to flee to Gour, thus enabling

18894-434: Was however never fully implemented and instead another Act of Parliament in 1835 created the North-Western Provinces with a lieutenant-governor at Agra and also provided for the creation of a similar arrangement with a lieutenant-governor of Bengal. All four provinces, i.e., North-Western Provinces, Bengal Presidency, Madras Presidency and Bombay Presidency were equal in status and independent of each other, subordinate only to

19035-408: Was meant to be king though he was said to have been childless and diseased, and so his brother, Kangsa Narayan became the next king instead. Kangsa established a satra in the memory of his father, and dug Kamala Lake in memory of his mother, Kamala. Kangsa's rule was very short as he was killed by a wild elephant at a young age. His newly-wed and pregnant wife, Kalavati, a princess from Bihar , became

19176-460: Was not fond of Upananda. Govardhan and Rai then made an agreement with Govardhan's general Virabhadra to give his daughter, Chandrakala, in marriage to Singh. The marriage was successful, despite protests, and Singh maintained a good relationship with General Virabhadra and a developing relationship with the Gour royal court. Singh had close ties with the Kuki chiefs , the border guards for the Twipra kingdom south of Brahmachal. He managed to persuade

19317-432: Was performed in front of Bateshwar Shiva (in modern-day Bondor Bazar) which lasted for a whole year, distributing gold equivalent to his body weight. The Brahmins who had migrated from Kamarupa were experienced in seafaring and navies. They built nine ships ( navadinga ), some being two-storied and with up to 120 oars. These boats; Chali, Hali, Jilkar, Hakaluka, Makarasya, Chatali, Damuria, Barua and Baral are said to be what

19458-407: Was re-organized in 1887 under the Port Commissioners Act. Its busiest trade links were with British Burma , including the ports of Akyab and Rangoon ; and other Bengali ports, including Calcutta, Dhaka and Narayanganj. In the fiscal year 1889–90, Chittagong handled exports totalling 125,000 tons. The Strand Road was built beside the port. In 1928, the British government declared Chittagong as

19599-467: Was separated from Bengal. In 1862, Burma became a separate province. The Straits Settlements became a Crown Colony in 1867. In 1877, the North Western Provinces were finally separated from Bengal and merged with Oudh. Thus, by 1877, the Bengal Presidency included only modern-day Bihar , Jharkhand , Orissa and Bengal . In 1905, the first partition of Bengal resulted in the short-lived province of Eastern Bengal and Assam which existed alongside

19740-442: Was successful, despite protests, and Singh maintained a good relationship with General Virabhadra. Singh also had a friendship with the Kuki Chiefs , the border guards for the Tripura Kingdom , just south of Brahmachal. The Kuki Chiefs were persuaded into raiding Raja Upananda's palace in the dead of the night, massacring most of its inmates. As another battle emerged, a few children of the royal family managed to escape. Babysat by

19881-469: Was supported by the erstwhile Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson and approved by the U. S. Senate on 21 November 1792. Benjamin Joy reached Calcutta in 1794. The HEIC did not recognize Joy as an official consul but allowed him to be a Commercial Agent. The American Consulate General was established during formal British rule. A consular agency for Chittagong was created in the 1860s. Many other countries also set up consulates in Calcutta. British rule saw

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