Bengali People and Culture: A Study in Origins (Annapurna Chattopadhyaya) (original) (raw)

BENGAL VILLAGES AS SEEN BY THE FOREIGNERS (14TH–17TH CENTURIES AD

Bengal is the largest delta of the world where villages occupy an important position as human settlement. Historians and social scientists have explored different aspects of urban life in the history of Bengal. But villages remain almost out of their focus. European scholars began research on Bengal villages at the beginning of the colonial rule. Most of these research studies based on the gazetteers, census reports and district reports were published for the smooth operation of the revenue system and administrative structure. Our present knowledge on pre-colonial Bengal villages is mainly based on these colonial records. This paper tries to explore various aspects of Bengal villages during fourteen-seventeenth centuries using the foreigners accounts as primary sources. Most of the foreigners, who came during the period under review, were travelers and traders. They have visited various areas of Bengal and left a vivid description about the rural areas. Using these descriptions this paper concludes that the general pattern of villages in Bengal has not changed over a long time. Villages have historically played a very important role in the nourishment of human culture in Bengal. 1 Although several urban centers flourished in different areas of Bengal, villages have continued to be the heart of all human activities in this deltaic land. European scholars started the study of rural Bengal after the acquisition of the Diwani (in 1765) by the British East India Company. Before the promulgation of the Permanent Settlement 2 in 1793 several commissions were formed to study the state of revenue collection in this region. Many Reports and Minutes were published where a variety of issues were discussed on rural Bengal.

Geographical Factors in Cultural Aspects of Early Bengal (5th to 13th Centuries CE)

Journal of Bengal Art, 2015

This paper focuses on the geographical factors in cultural aspects of early Bengal from the 5th to the 13th centuries CE. In South Asian history, this period has been considered as the time when significant socio-cultural transformations took place and regions in the subcontinent were moulded into distinct contours. These changes and dynamics lead to the socio-cultural formations of the later age. Bengal was one of these geographical regions where distinct geographical features played a role to make it a 'cultural territory' in the given chronological bracket. Therefore, the purpose of the paper is to bring together the variety of data available in the sources and to highlight the contributions of geography in aspects of socio-cultural trends in early Bengal.

The Ancient History of Bengali Agriculture and Traditional Farming Methods Part 1

The Ancient History of Bengali Agriculture and Traditional Farming Methods_Part 1, 2023

The Ancient History of Bengali Agriculture and Traditional Farming Methods_Part 1 7th September, 2023|| ২৭ শে ভাদ্র, ১৪২৯ বাংলা || Here I have discussed the traditional agricultural culture of Bengalis and Bengal since ancient times. The Agriculture is the main resource of the people of Bengal and is the main source of their real survival and dignity. The existence of Bengalis cannot be imagined without agriculture. Where soil and people are tied together in one source. I have simply tried to present here the history of the people who grew agricultural crops on the soil of Bengal, made the land of Bengal fertile and full of crops, and kept their status intact in the court of the world. How to produce various types of fruits, various foods crops and spices in twelve months. The Earth [Bashundhara] full of seven-grain storehouses, is here in Bengal. How could Bangali rich the soil by crushing stones producing golden crops and has made rich and ambitious Bashundhara. I have discussed here the greatness of the infinite food store and abundant mines found in the soil of Bengal since ancient times and the farmers and agricultural culture that increased the status of Bengal in the context of ancient history. I have compiled this article from the research and preserved information of various knowledgeable historians from various preserved documents and history pages of Bengal's prestigious agricultural culture. I am an education Officer and now I am working with the NRC (Norwegian Refugee Council) as a Humanitarian worker. My Small thinking of knowledge and practical experience of working at a small field level, as far as I could understand, it is only a very small effort. I sincerely believe and strive to follow - "Cooperation and solidarity are the basis of social bonds of the human race. In this way people get the joy of living and achieve the meaning of life." So, "All we work for all, all we work for us." Cordially Regards Debika Chakraborty

Historical Geography of Tribal People In Birbhum District of West Bengal

Abstract: The history of Birbhum, one of the districts of Rahr Bengal, is very ancient. Various divisions taking place in different time periods have gradually reduced its area. Because of natural reasons, the map of the area characterized as Birbhum has undergone changes. Similarly, this map has been altered owing to administrative, linguistic and other reasons as well. The flow of the history of civilization and culture has maintained its continuity through these natural and man-made changes and transformations. Amidst the uninterrupted conflicts and struggles between nature and man, the real history of the cultural transformation of Birbhum lies embedded in the flow of the social and geographical changes of the area. At present, it is a district lying on the western fringe of West Bengal, and near the border between Jharkhand and Bihar. In the district as a whole, hills and plateaus, dense forests, and hillocks of various heights are to be found. This district, which abounds with ochre-coloured soil, in full of much diversity and is the residing place of many communities. A large section of the total population is tribal, and their food habits, habitations, lives and livelihoods are in keeping with the geographical environment. The tribes living in this district are Santal, Munda, Kol, Ho, Oraon, Paharia, Mahali, Lohar etc.

From field to plate: A quest to understand food preferences and culture of early Bengal.

The Journal of Pratnattva, 2020

Food is an integral part of human life since the origin which constitutes a vast array of behavioural practice considered inherent characteristics of a culture. Thus, understanding past human culture, ingredients of food, cuisine, etiquette, serving manner, preparation procedure, beliefs, are fundamental. New archaeology is indispensably interested to explain how and why a particular set of function, belief or behaviour subsumed into the past human culture rather than simply describing (what) the phenomenon. Despite having a substantial paucity of existing literature on the food culture of early Bengal the present article illuminates the major ingredients of making meal based on hardcore archaeological evidence for the first time in the history of Bengal along with considering the early religious/mythological (pouranic) literatures. The article could be regarded as the base, a preliminary step, of the study of food, cuisine and the sociology of early subsistence study and, indeed, should help to delve to understand the wider dynamics regarding the archaeology of food in the early Bengal. Available data indicates that plant food had been preferred more than that of animal (cf. meat) in early Bengal. It has been assumed that food of early Bengal could have been delicious and nutritious as diverse plant food materials had been available. It had a rich array of crop grains for making the meal; rice, millets, wheat, and barley along with diverse pulses that might imply the authenticity of proverb ‘Dal-Vat’. Having found a substantial number of fishbone and net sinkers from archaeological sites could suggest that rice along with fish predominantly shaped the subsistence strategy which confirms the popular Bengali proverb ‘mache-vate Bangali’. Variegated fruits and vegetable would have been part of their daily intake since the beginning of human settlement in early Bengal. They enjoyed a significant proportion of liquid food; milk, varieties of alcoholic drinks along with sugarcane juice, date sap and coconut water. It is assumed that milk and dairy food products like yoghurt and butter were highly popular to consume along with to prepare cuisine and enhancing their aroma and test. Varieties of food items, e.g., cakes (pitha and payes) and sweets were prepared by using sugar, milk and rice. It is evident that the environment and landscapes were responsible for shaping the dominant subsistence regime of early Bengal despite having a significant social and religious influence. Literary sources might well provide evidence that Brahmanism could shape the behavioural pattern of the food culture that was largely based on disparity; cast system, of early Bengal.