The 'Bengali people' are the ethnic community from
Bengal (divided between
India and
Bangladesh) on the
Indian subcontinent with a history dating back four millennia. They speak
Bengali (বাংলা ''Bangla''), a language of the eastern
Indo-Aryan branch of the
Indo-European languages. In their native language, they are referred to as বাঙালী ''Bangali''. They are descended from the Aryans, Austric, Dravidian and the Proto-Australoids, closely related to the
Oriya,
Assamese,
Biharis, and other
East Indians, as well as to other British,
Indo-Aryan,
Munda,
Proto-Australoid,
Tibeto-Burman,
Austro-Asiatic and
Dravidian peoples. As a result, Bengalis are a
heterogeneous and considerably diverse ethnic group. They are mostly concentrated in
Bangladesh and in the state of
West Bengal in
India. There are also a number of Bengali communities scattered in
New Delhi and several other states of India, such as
Assam,
Jharkhand,
Bihar,
Maharastra,
Karnataka,
Andhra Pradesh,
Madhya Pradesh,
Uttar Pradesh,
Orissa, and the
North-East Indian states, as well as in other countries such as
Pakistan, the
Middle East,
United Kingdom and
United States.
History
Main articles: History of Bengal,
History of Bangladesh
Ancient history
Remnants of civilisation in the greater
Bengal region date back 4,000 years,
[ History of Bangladesh ][ 4000-year old settlement unearthed in Bangladesh ] when the region was settled by
Dravidian,
Tibeto-Burman and
Austro-Asiatic peoples. The exact origin of the word ''Bangla'' or Bengal is unknown, though it is believed to be derived from the Dravidian-speaking tribe ''Bang'' that settled in the area around the year 1000
BCE.
[ Bangladesh: A country study, , , , Library of Congress, 1989, ]
After the arrival of
Indo-Aryans, the kingdoms of
Anga,
Vanga and
Magadha were formed in and around Bengal and were first described in the ''
Atharvaveda'' around 1000 BCE. From the 6th century BCE, Magadha expanded to include most of the
Bihar and Bengal regions. It was one of the four main kingdoms of
India at the time of
Buddha and was one of the sixteen
Mahajanapadas. Under the
Maurya Empire founded by
Chandragupta Maurya, Magadha extended over nearly all of
South Asia, including parts of
Persia and
Afghanistan, reaching its greatest extent under
Ashoka the Great in the 3rd century BCE. One of the earliest foreign references to Bengal is the mention of a land named
Gangaridai by the
Greeks around 100 BCE. The word is speculated to have come from ''Gangahrd'' (Land with the
Ganges in its heart) in reference to an area in Bengal.
[ Gangaridai ] Later from the 3rd to the 6th centuries
CE, the kingdom of Magadha served as the seat of the
Gupta Empire.
Middle Ages
The first recorded independent king of Bengal was
Shashanka, reigning around early 7th century.
[ Shashanka ] After a period of anarchy, the
Buddhist Pala Empire of Bengali origin ruled the region for four hundred years, and expanded across much of
Southern Asia, from
Assam in the
northeast, to
Kabul in the west, to
Andhra Pradesh in the south. The Pala dynasty was later followed by a shorter reign of the
Hindu Sena dynasty.
Islam was introduced to Bengal in the twelfth century by
Sufi missionaries. Subsequent Muslim conquests helped spread Islam throughout the region.
[ Islam (in Bengal) ] Bakhtiar Khilji, an
Afghan general of the
Slave dynasty of
Delhi Sultanate, defeated
Lakshman Sen of the Sena dynasty and conquered large parts of Bengal. Consequently, the region was ruled by dynasties of
sultans and feudal lords under the Delhi Sultanate for the next few hundred years. In the sixteenth century, Mughal general
Islam Khan conquered Bengal. However, administration by governors appointed by the court of the
Mughal Empire gave way to semi-independence of the area under the
Nawabs of
Murshidabad, who nominally respected the sovereignty of the Mughals in
Delhi.
Renaissance
Main articles: Bengal Renaissance
The 'Bengal Renaissance' refers to a social reform movement during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries in the region of
Bengal in
undivided India during the period of
British rule. The Bengal renaissance can be said to have started with
Raja Ram Mohan Roy (1775-1833) and ended with
Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941), although there have been many stalwarts thereafter embodying particular aspects of the unique intellectual and creative output.
[1] Nineteenth century Bengal was a unique blend of religious and social reformers, scholars, literary giants, journalists, patriotic orators and scientists, all merging to form the image of a renaissance, and marked the transition from the 'medieval' to the 'modern'.
[2]
Independence movement
Bengalis also played a notable role in the Indian independence movement. Many of the early proponents of the freedom struggle, and subsequent leaders in movement were Bengalis such as Chittranjan Das, S. N. Bannerjee,
Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose,
Prafulla Chaki,
Khudiram Bose and
Rashbehari Bose. Some of these leaders, such as Netaji, did not subscribe to the view that non-violent civil disobedience was the best way to achieve Indian Independence, and were instrumental in armed resistance against the British force. Netaji was the founder of the Indian National Army (distinct from the army of British India) that challenged British forces in several parts of India.
Among the Muslims,
A. K. Fazlul Huq and
Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy were the most prominent Bengali leaders of
British India's independence movement.
Partitions of Bengal
Main articles: 1905 Partition of Bengal,
1947 Partition of Bengal
Bangladesh Liberation War
Main articles: Bangladesh Liberation War
Religion
Main articles: Islam in Bangladesh
Main articles: Hinduism in Bangladesh
Tara Masjid or the Star Mosque,
Dhaka, Bangladesh
Two major religions practiced in Bengal are
Islam and
Hinduism. In Bangladesh 88.3% of the population follow Islam while (US State Department est. 2007) and 10.5% follow Hinduism (US State Dept. 2007). In West Bengal, Hindus are the majority with 72.5% of the population while
Muslims comprise 25%. Other religious groups include
Buddhists,
Christians, and
Animists.
[ Data on Religion ]
In his 1996 book, ''Comparing State Polities'', Michael J. Sullivan indicated that the 183 million Bengalis are divided into about 112 million Bengali Muslims in Bangladesh and about 71 million Bengali Hindus in India.
[3] However, recent census information from Bangladesh and India show the total population of Bengalis to be 230 million, among which 152 millions or 66% are Muslims, while 76 million or 33% are Hindus.
According to U.A.B Razia, "Islam's greatest missionary triumphs has been amongst the Bengali people".
[4] Various theories have been espoused on how Bengalis accepted Islam. Some claim that there were mass conversions to Islam from Hinduism. However,
Ayesha Jalal debunks this claim as a "creative
Islamist imagining" and attributes this claim to
Islamic Fundamentalist propaganda[5]
Others note the influx of famous Muslim missionaries into the region such as
Shah Jalal. While others note that there were waves aristocrats who migrated to the Bengal and bolstered the number of adherants.
[6].Today, Bengalis constitute a significant body of the world's Muslims.
Culture
Main articles: Culture of Bangladesh,
Culture of West Bengal
The Bengalis are known for their artistic and cultural achievements. Noted Bengali authors, playwrights, music composers, painters and film-makers have played a significant role in the evolution and development of Indian artistic expression. The
Bengal renaissance of the 19th century was brought about when the British introduced Western education and ideas. Among the various Indian cultures, the Bengalis were relatively quick to adapt to the British rule and actually use its principles (such as the judiciary and the legislature) in the subsequent political struggle for independence. The Bengali renaissance contained the seeds of a nascent Political Indian Nationalism and was the precursor in many ways to modern Indian artistic and cultural expression. The Bengali poet and novelist, Rabindranath Tagore became the first Nobel laureate from Asia when he won the 1913 Nobel Prize in Literature. Along with Kazi Nazrul Islam (another Bengali poet), they are considered the greatest poets in South Asia.
See also
★
List of Bengalis
★
List of Bangladeshis
★
List of people from West Bengal
Notes
1. ''History of the Bengali-speaking People'' by Nitish Sengupta, p 211, UBS Publishers' Distributors Pvt. Ltd. ISBN 81-7476-355-4.
2. ''Calcutta and the Bengal Renaissance'' by Sumit Sarkar in ''Calcutta, the Living City'' edited by Sukanta Chaudhuri, Vol I, p 95.
3. Comparing State Polities: A Framework for Analyzing 100 Governments By Michael J. III Sullivan, pg. 119
4. Islam in Bangladesh By U. A. B. Razia Akter Banu, pg. 2, quoting Arnold
5. A. Jalal, History as Official Imagining, International Journal of Middle East Studies, 27, (1995), 73-89
6. Islam in Bangladesh By U. A. B. Razia Akter Banu, pg. 3
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