Bangladesh is a new nation in a political sense,having been
created in its present form after the war 1971 for independence. its culture
and civilization,however, go much further back in history,spanning
over 3000 years.
Early Civilization:
The earliest references to areas in Bangladesh can be found in
the ancient texts of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata.But these references are
mythological rather than historical. Reliable accounts became available only
early in the fourth century B.C. It was around this time the historians
of Alexander the Great recorded accounts of a powerful civilization
inhabiting the lower Ganges region,the gangaridai.Greek geographer
Ptolemy, who lived in the second century A.D. also made references in his works
that can be traced to modern day Bangladesh.
From the fourth to the second century B.C. the region was
dominated by the Mauruyan Empire, of which Ashoka was the last major
emperor.Little is known about the next few centuries until the rise of the
Gupta Empire.Ashoka reigned from 265BC. to 238BC. and was one of
the greatest and noblest rulers the indian subcontinent ever known. It was his
patronage of Buddhism that enabled the then fledgling religion to spread
throughout india and eventually to east Asia. His conquest of kalinga on
india’s east coast in 261BC. marked a turning pointin his life.He was sickened
by the death and suffering he caused ,and it was the last was he ever
fought.Ashoka embraced Buddhism and put the humane and benevolent ideas
of Buddhism into practice, including the appointment of “officers of
righteousness” who saw that the local authorities prompted welfare and
happiness among his subjects.His famous edicts,carved on rocks, in caves and on
specially erected pillars, still survive today.
Gupta Period:
The guptas ruled the region until the dynasty’s collapse in the
seventh century and the rise of the first independent king of Bengal,
Sasanka(ruled 600-625). The Gupta period was notable for its artistic
development, much of which originated in the Bengal region. Gupta art later
influenced the people of Southeast Asia. Renowned Chinese Pilgrim Hsien
Tsang,who visited the Bengal region between 639 and 645, wrote of the
flourishing Buddhist states he found there.
Pala sasana:
In the eighth century, following a century of chaos in Bengal, a
warrior named Gopala was elected to the throne in an attempt to impose some
semblance of order.Gopala reigned from 750 to 770. He founded the pala dynasty,
which brought prosperity and stable government to the region for more than four
centuries. Its patronage nurtured the arts and sheltered the remnants of the of
the Buddhists in the Indian subcontinent where Hinduism was becoming a
powerful force. The palas were the last powerful Buddhist Monarchs on the
subcontinent.They also established diplomatic relations with kingdom of
Srivijaya,which controlled much of the Indonesian archipelago.
The Palas were succeeded by the Sena Dynasty at the end of the
1th century. The Senas ruled Bengal until the early 13th century. Under the
Senas, Hinduism replaced Buddhism as the main object of royal patronage.
Floundering period of Buddhism:
In the early 13th
century, invaders from Afganistan and central Asia who were sweeping across the
northern regions of the Indian subcontinent and had established the Mamluk
Dynasty in Dilhi, overthrew the the sena dynasty and converted most of the
population to islam.Thus began the Turkic domination of the region. Waves of
Turks, Arabs,Pakhtuns,Persians,and others began migrating to Bengal, and a
period of vigorous cultural and architectural achievement took place.
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