History of West Bengal

The history of West Bengal basically refers to the history of the western part of Bengal, located in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent. Evidence of human settlement has been found in West Bengal about 42,000 years ago. The presence of human settlement of that period has been found in the Ayodhya Hills of West Bengal. By 2,000 BCE, settled life had increasingly spread of human civilization in the Damodar-Ajay River Valley, which was contemporary with the Harappa-Mahenjodaro civilization. The southern part of West Bengal witnessed the presence of the Vanga Kingdom between 1100 BCE and 350 BCE, which was contemporary with the Vedic civilization of northern India.

Among the Mahajanapadas, Magadha became powerful around 350 BCE, at that time rulers of the Nanda dynasty of Magadha incorporated the territory of West Bengal into their empire. West Bengal was under the rule of all Magadha-centric empires after the Nanda Empire. Tamralipta in West Bengal was the main seaport of the Magadha-centered Maurya Empire. Most of the West Bengal's territory was ruled under the Gupta Empire, that arose in northern India after the collapse of the Magadha-centric empires.

In Bengal, the Gaur kingdom was established in 690 AD, which spread across West Bengal and present-day Bangladesh. Gaur is often referred to as the first well-established independent political entity in Bengal. After this kingdom, the Pala Empire in 750 AD and the Sena Empire in 1070 AD respectively emerged across West Bengal. Both of these empires were mainly Bengal-centric.

Islamic conquests were established in West Bengal as early as the 13th century. At this time Bengal along with West Bengal was included in the Ghaznavid Empire. West Bengal was ruled under the Delhi Sultanate from the 13th to the 14th century and the Bengal Sultanate from the 14th to the 16th century. In the 16th century, after the fall of the Bengal Sultanate, West Bengal came under the Mughal Empire.

Murshidabad in West Bengal was the capital of independent Nawab Bengal (1717–1765). In 1765, the British took over the control of Bengal including West Bengal from the Nawabs of Bengal. The Bengal Presidency of the British Indian Empire was divided into West Bengal and East Bengal in August 1947; West Bengal was included in the Dominion of India and gained independence as an Indian state.

Stone Age
The time from West Bengal's first inhabitation until the Old Stone Age, or Palaeolithic era. Palaeolithic sites are mostly found in the upper Gandeshwari, Middle Dwarakeswar, Upper Kangsabati, Upper Tarafeni and Middle Subarnarekha valleys between 87°10' E and 22°30' N - 23°30' N. The extensive forest-covered high land and moderate rainfall of the southwestern part of West Bengal provided ideal conditions for the growth and development of the Paleolithic culture. Evidence of 42,000 years old human habitation has been found in West Bengal. These human settlements have been discovered at Kana and Mahadebbera at the foothills of the Ajodhya Hills. Microlithic tools found at Kana are 42,000 years old, while microlithic tools found at Mahadevera are 34,000 to 25,000 years old. Hatpara on the west bank of Bhagirathi River has evidence of human settlements dating back to around 15,000-20,000 years. About 200 small stone weapons have been found here. Grains and fish bones were also found here. According to archaeologists, the prehistoric civilization of Hatpara was spread along the banks of the Bhagirathi from Ganakar to Mahipala. Fish was a common part of the human diet of the time, and coppery color of the fish bones found at the site indicates that the Burnt fish was eaten.

The western plateau and delta region or the present flood plain area are the two biological regions of West Bengal where Mesolithic sites identified. The microlithic industry of West Bengal was mostly a non-geometric industry. Blades, points, scrapers, lunettes, burins, borers, flakes, and cores are the most common tools used throughout this period. Evidence from this period is scarce.

The Neolithic culture took place in five major river valleys, namely Ajay-Mayurakshi river valley, Dwarakeswar-Damodar river valley, Gandheswari river valley, Tarafeni river valley and Subarnarekha river valley. Also a Neolithic culture developed in Kalimpong. The main tool types recovered from the site include celts (both axes and adzes), wedges, chisels, perforated tools and pounders, along with microliths and bone tools.

Copper Age (c. 1500 – c. 600 BCE)
The Copper Age or Chalcolithic began around 1500 BCE with the appearance of Copper objects. Chalcolithic culture of West Bengal is contemporary with Later Harappan (Harappan 5) and Vedic civilization.

A Chalcolithic culture flourished in Ajay-Damodar valley. The Chalcolithic culture flourished from about between 1500 and 600 BCE. The culture included cities such as Pandu Rajar Dhibi, Mangalkot and Bharatpur in modern-day Burdwan division, and Dihar in modern-day Medinipur division. Chalcolithic site Pandu Rajar Dhibi on the south bank of Ajay River, where spiral bangles, rings and fish-hook have been found. In the West Bengal, Black and red ware (BRW) is a Copper Age and early Iron Age archaeological culture of Central and Eastern Ganges plain, until c. 700–500 BCE, when it is succeeded by the Northern Black Polished Ware culture.

Iron Age (c. 1000 – 28 BCE)
The Iron Age saw the development of coinage, metal weapons, agriculture and irrigation. Many sites in West Bengal were transformed from the Chalcolithic to the Iron Age. Iron Age archaeological sites have been discovered in the western-southwestern part of West Bengal. The Iron Age archaeological culture of West Bengal was the Northern Black Polished Ware. The north-western and western part of Birbhum (Bahiri), western part of Medinipur (Kankrajhor, Dhuliapur), Purulia and Bankura (Tulsipur, Kumardanga) regions of modern-day West Bengal served as major producers of iron.

According to the Indian epic Mahabharata, the western part of Vanga Kingdom was located in West Bengal. Vanga was described as a thalassocracy with colonies in Southeast Asia. According to Sri Lankan history, the first king of Sri Lanka was Prince Vijaya who led a fleet from India to conquer the island of Lanka. Prince Vijaya's ancestral home was West Bengal.

Ancient geopolitical divisions
A number of geopolitical divisions are observed in ancient Bengal, some of which were located in the territory of modern West Bengal. The regions of geopolitical division have expanded and receded over the centuries. The geopolitical divisions established in the territory of West Bengal were Pundravardhana, Vanga, Suhma and Radha. The western part of Pundravardhan belonged to the modern-day Malda division, and The western part of Vanga belonged to the modern-day Presidency division and Medinipur division of West Bengal. The whole of Suhma belonged to the modern-day Burdwan division, Medinipur division and Presidency division, and Radha was probably situated in modern-day West Bengal.

West Bengal under empires
During the Iron Age of Bengal, West Bengal was under the Magadha-centric empires. Greek accounts mention the contemporary Gangaridai of Bengal separately, located in modern-day West Bengal and Bangladesh, although indicating that the two were ruled by common sovereigns. Historian Hem Chandra Raychaudhuri theorizes that the Nandas exercised centralized control over their core territories in present-day Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, but allowed considerable autonomy in the frontier parts of their empire.

Bangarh on the bank of the Punarbhaba, about 400 km from Kolkata, have evidence of the early history of West Bengal from the Maurya period to the Pala period. Iron Age of West Bengal artefacts have been discovered here, which belong to the Pre-Maurya, Maurya and Sunga periods. West Bengal provided sea routes to each of the Magadha empires. The empires conducted sea trade with foreign countries through the Tamralipta sea port, which was located near the modern-day Tamluk city. According to Darian, with the rise of the Maurya Empire, Tamralipti gained universal popularity as the main port of the entire basin. Ships from Ceylon, Southeast Asia, West India and the Middle East used to come to this port. Chandraketugarh was another port city, situated on the banks of the Bidyadhari River. Mauryan and Sunga period artifacts have been found here. Terracotta statues and chariots have been found.

British East India Company (1772–1858)
The dramatic rise of the British East India Company took place in the territory of West Bengal. When the East India Company began strengthening the defenses of Fort William (Calcutta) in the mid-1750s, Nawab Siraj ud-Daulah attacked with French encouragement. Under the command of Robert Clive, British troops and their local allies captured Chandannagar in March 1757 and severely defeated the Nawab in the Battle of Plassey on 23 June 1757. In the seat of the Nawab of Bengal, the British appointed and administered the people of their choice, and extended their direct control to the south. The French regained control of Chandannagar on the Hooghly River in West Bengal in 1763.

Mir Qasim and Shuja-ud-Daula in alliance with the Mughal emperor Shah Alam II in 1765 tried to recover Bengal, but were again defeated in the Battle of Buxar (1765). As part of the Mughal Emperor's agreement with the British East India Company, the East India Company was given the right to collect taxes from the province. Thus, the company became the tax collector of the empire, while the local nawabs appointed by the Mughal emperor continued to rule the province. This system of local rule was abolished in 1772 and the East India Company took complete control of the province. During the fall of the Mughal Empire, the center of Indian culture and trade shifted from Delhi to Calcutta in West Bengal. Capital raised from Bengal by the East India Company in the early stages of the Industrial Revolution was invested in various industries in Great Britain such as textile manufacturing. Company policy led to the de-industrialization of the textile industry in Bengal during the Company's rule. De-industrialization led to the destruction of Bengal's textile industry. Murshidabad in West Bengal—one of Bengal's major textile centers—became economically weak, the city which Robert Clive described as a city richer than London at the time.

During Company rule, there was a devastating famine in 1770 that resulted in the deaths of an estimated 7 to 10 million people, which is known as the Chiẏāttôrer mônnôntôr. The present day states of West Bengal and Bihar were the worst affected by this famine. Among the regions of Greater Bengal, Central and North Bengal were the most prone to famine; these areas are part of present day Malda and Jalpaiguri divisions of West Bengal. The famine devastated the economy of the region.

India's second and Bengal's first railway was laid between the cities of Howrah and Hooghly in West Bengal. In 1854, rail service was started between Howrah and Hooghly railway stations in West Bengal. The first university of India and Bengal during British rule was established in West Bengal in 1857, known as University of Calcutta.