Land of Two Rivers: A History of Bengal from the Mahabharata to MujibLand of Two Rivers chronicles the story of one of the most fascinating and influential regions in the Indian subcontinent. The confluence of two major river systems, Ganga and Brahmaputra, created the delta of Bengal--an ancient land known as a center of trade, learning and the arts from the days of the Mahabharata and through the ancient dynasties. During the medieval era, this eventful journey saw the rise of Muslim dynasties which brought into being a unique culture, quite distinct from that of northern India. The colonial conquest in the eighteenth century opened the modern chapter of Bengal's history and transformed the social and economic structure of the region. Nitish Sengupta traces the formation of Bengali identity through the Bengal Renaissance, the growth of nationalist politics and the complex web of events that eventually led to the partition of the region in 1947, analyzing why, despite centuries of shared history and culture, the Bengalis finally divided along communal lines. The struggle of East Pakistan to free itself from West Pakistan's dominance is vividly described, documenting the economic exploitation and cultural oppression of the Bengali people. Ultimately, under the leadership of Bangabandhu Mujibur Rahman, East Pakistan became the independent nation of Bangladesh in 1971. Land of Two Rivers is a scholarly yet extremely accessible account of the development of Bengal, sketching the eventful and turbulent history of this ancient civilization, rich in scope as well as in influence. |
Contents
02PreHistoric | 16 |
03First Gour | 33 |
04The Imperial | 39 |
05The Sen Dynasty | 50 |
06Turkish Invasion | 61 |
07Ilas Shahi Dynasty | 70 |
08The shortlived | 76 |
09Islam Spreads | 82 |
26First Partition | 293 |
27Army Revolutionary | 313 |
28A Decade of Hindu | 330 |
29Agni Yug | 349 |
30Unmaking | 367 |
31Parting | 389 |
32Rice and Fall | 430 |
33United Bengal | 450 |
10Emergene of Bengal | 88 |
11 Origin an growth | 101 |
12Shri Chaitanya | 115 |
13The Pathans | 121 |
14Bengal Becomes | 128 |
15Appenarance | 144 |
16Era of Independent | 153 |
17SirajudDaula | 164 |
18End of Independent | 173 |
19Age of Warren | 186 |
20Agrarian Industrial | 196 |
21AntiGovernment | 220 |
22Bengal Renaissance | 232 |
23Hindu Religious | 258 |
24Beginnings of Political | 268 |
25Growth of Muslim | 278 |
34Bengal Decides | 486 |
35East Bengal | 495 |
36From the UF | 512 |
37Ayubs ten | 524 |
38From Pakistan | 537 |
39Bangladeshs War | 556 |
40Indias West Bangal | 573 |
41Epilogue | 587 |
42Appendix A | 594 |
43Appendix B | 595 |
44Appendix C | 597 |
45Appendix D | 603 |
46Notes | 605 |
620 | |
627 | |
Other editions - View all
Land of Two Rivers: A History of Bengal from the Mahabharata to Mujib Nitish Sengupta Limited preview - 2011 |
Common terms and phrases
administration Ahmed Alivardi announced army Assam Assembly Awami League Bangabandhu Bangladesh became Bengal Renaissance Bengalee Muslims Bengali language British rule Buddhist Calcutta capital century Chandra Chittagong communal Company’s Congress constitution council court declared defeated Delhi Dhaka district dynasty East Bengal East Pakistan elections emperor English Fazlul Huq forces Gandhi Ganga Gaur governor Hindu–Muslim Hindus and Muslims History of Bengal Hooghly Huq’s Hussain independent industry inscription Islam Jafar Jinnah joined Kamrup killed king kingdom Lakhnaoti large number leaders leadership majority Majumdar Maratha March Maulana Maulana Bhasani Midnapore military Mir Jafar Mir Qasim movement Mughal Mujib Murshidabad Muslim League National nawab Nazimuddin Nehru officials Orissa Pala party People’s poet police political Praja President prime minister province Punjab Qasim Raja resigned revolutionaries river ruler Shah Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Shyama Prasad Singh started subcontinent Subhas Bose Suhrawardy sultan swadeshi took West Yahya Khan zamindars