1. Birth of Bangladesh:
Historical Evolution
Dr. Anisur Rahman Khan

2. Stages of Evolution
Ancient Bengal
Muslim Rule
Mughal/The East India Company
 British Rule
Pakistan Rule
Formation of Bangladesh
2

3. Ancient Bengal
The word Bengal/Bangla derived from a tribe
known Vanga, written in Hindu scripture Aitaraya
Aranyaka (composed between 500 BC & 500 AD)
Vanga-an Indo-Aryan & Mongol group
migrated to the upper Ganges valley around 1000
year B.C
With the advent of improved Iron Age tools
(500 years later) broadly human habitation begun
in lower Ganges and the Brahmaputra valleys
(Bengal)
3

4. Different views on the land
Vanga is derived from Tibetan word Bans- “wet
& moist” or “wetland”
Bangala is derived from Bodo words “Bang” &
“la” or “wide plains”
Mughal historian Abul Fazal: “The original
name of Bengal was Bang. Its former rulers raised
mounds measuring ten yards in heights & twenty
in breadth throughout the province which was
called al. From this suffix, the name of Bengal
took its rise and currency”
4

5. Bangla
”vanga” mentioned in the
Hindu scripture Aitareya
Aranyaka
(Composed between 500
BC and 500 AD)
Tibetan word “bans”
which means wet and
moist
Bodo (aborigines of
Assam) words “bang” and
“la” which mean wide
plains

6. Ancient Bengal
Bengal was divided into various kingdoms
(little Bengals)/Janapada such as; Harikela
(Sylhet), Samatata (Comilla), Pundavardhana
(Bogora, Dinajpur), Varendra (Rajshai),
Tamralipti (Medinipur), Radha (West
Bengal), Gauda (Murshidabad, Malda etc.)
6

7. Ancient Bengal
7

8. The territorial units of Ancient
Bengal
• Vanga: Part of today’s 24 Pargana Districts in
India (Bengali: Uttar Chobbish porgona)
district in the southern West Bengal, of
eastern India and the Khulna Division of
Bangladesh

9. The territorial units of Ancient Bengal
• Pundra located in the district of Bogra and
adjacent areas.
• Capital of Pundra, Pundranagara was the
earliest urban centre in Bangladesh.

10. The territorial units of Ancient Bengal
• Radha: Large part of
modern Indian state of
West Bengal
• Had important trade,
commerce and
administration in the
ancient period

11. The territorial units of Ancient Bengal
• Gauda: lay to the north-west of
Bhagirathi

12. The territorial units of Ancient
Bengal
• Samatata located in the
Meghna river valley
• Consisted of Comilla
and Noakhali areas of
Bangladesh

13. The territorial units of Ancient Bengal
• Harikela identified as
Chittagong and its
adjacent areas.

14. Ancient Bengal
Evidently, the first dynasty was founded by
Chandragupta Maurya in the early 3rd century BC.
The dynasty encompassed different religious influences:
Hiduism & Jainism, Ashoka is the best-known ruler (265-
238 BC)
 Pundurunagara (Mahastan) was the their provincial
capital
14

15. Ancient Bengal
Other dynasties: Sunga 170-70 BC, Gupta
dynasties (320-510), the dynasty of Shasanka (7th
century), Palas (750-1159)
Gupta (320-510/331-650) dynasty: Bengal
became a part of this dynasty. North Bengal, also
West Bengal (Pushakara), Faridpur
 Notable rules were Chandragupta (1st & 2nd),
Samudragupta . Great promoter of Hindu
religion
Were they Bengalis?
15

16. Ancient Bengal
Shasanka (600-650): The
independent Gauda Empire of
Sasanka. The most important &
famous ruler. However, East Bengal
was not a part of Gauda empire.
16

17. Ancient Bengal
The Period of Anarchy/Matsanay (650-750):
No permanent dynasty, foreign invasion,
internal conflict
During 7th century Bengal came under the
control of Pala dynasty (750-1159)-they were
Buddhist Bengalis
Khatriya tribal chief Gopal founded the Pala
dynasty
17

18. Ancient Bengal
There were 18 successive Pala rules having
their capital in Pataliputra (Patna), and the
dynasty reached its zenith during in 8th and 9th
centuries
 Gopal, Dharpal and Debpal were the notable
rulers
They ruled for about 400 years, primarily
confined to Bihar, certain areas of North Bengal,
much of the Bengal remained out of their orbit
Great promoter of art, literature & universities
18

19. Paharpur
19

20. Sovereign Kingdom
Khadage dynasty (650-700)
Nath and Ratna dynasty (700-750)
 Deva dynasty (750-800)
 Harikela dynasty (800-900)
 Chandra dynasty (900-1040)
 The Varman (1080-1150)
 Pattikera dynasty (1000-1100)
20

21. Ancient Bengal
The Palas gave away to the Hindu Sena
dynasty (1095-1245), originated from
Karnatak, founded by Samanta Sen
Gaur became the capital of the
dynasty, they had lack of tolerance for
Budhism, and promoted the Hindu caste
system (Ballan Sen). Orthodox and
militant Hindus
Notable ruler was Laxan sen
21

22. Culture in Ancient Bengal
Economic Activities:
• Agriculture was the main occupation of the
people in ancient Bengal ( Paddy and
Sugarcane)
• Village weavers produced fabrics in
hadlooms
• Market, bazaar and business centers grew
up by the side of the rivers.

23. Culture in Ancient Bengal
Dress and recreation
• Men wore Dhooti and Chadar and women
wore Saree and orna as attires
• Fashionable for men to keep long hair, long
nails colored to attract women
• Both men and women wore rings and studs in
their ears, rings on their fingers, necklaces and
hair ornaments
• Chess and dice were most common games in
the ancient Indian society

24. Culture in Ancient Bengal
• Art and Architecture
• Buildings, temples and other structures built in
ancient Bengal hardly survived in their original
forms
• Evidence of Bengal being rich in architecture:
Huge structures and Vihars found at
Mahasthangarh, Paharpur and Maynamati

25. Muslim Rule
Great Bengal was a political reality
during Muslim rule (1204-1757), even before
there were attempts by Sasanka and Pal
rulers to unite Bengal but couldn’t
Iktear Mod. Bin Bokthir Khildgi
introduced Muslim rule in Bengal

26. Muslim Rule
Sultan Shamsuddin Ilyass Shah (1342-
1357) united different areas of Bengal, and
named it as Bangla, and also assumed the
tile Shah-i-Banglah
Notable, Raja Gonesh briefly captured
the power in 1415, but Ilyas shahis were
again restored in 1432
Notable Muslim rulers were Fakraddin
Mubarak Shah, Ala-uddin Hosen Shah

27. Muslim Rule
Bengal was only nominally controlled under
the rule of Delhi sultanate, & achieved a de
facto independence
 Muslim rulers were patrons of Bengali
language & literature
Bengal sultanate is often regarded as the
golden age, territory extended widely
The spread of Islam challenged the spiritual
leadership of upper caste Hindus

29. The Mughals
♥Babar, the founder of Mughal empire
the last Lodhi ruler in Panipat in 1526,
and it was the end of Delhi Sultanate
♥In 1538, Sher Shah Suri was defeated
by Humayn, the first end of
independent Bengal, held his capital in
Gaur. Soon his army was defeated

30. The Mughals
♥Akbar defeated Sultan Daud Karrani
in 1576, this made Bengal province
under Mughal rule, at least in names
♥There were many Bengali attempts to
resist Mughal rule, notable was the Bara
Bhuian group led by Isha Khan

31. The Mughals
♥ In 1610, Mughal moved to Dhaka, and it was
renamed as Jahangirnagar. Dhaka was made the
capital.
♥ Mughal covered Bengal with the exception of
South-eastern region of Chittagong & the
Chittagong Hill district (independent chiefdoms)
♥ They introduced a layer of centralized
authority where zamindars remained semi-
independent

32. The Mughals
♥ Their administration includes: Dewans
(revenue official), Thana (garrison), Suba
(province), Sarkar (region), Subdivision (Pargana),
Mauza (revenue village)
♥ Mughal conquest brought political unification,
expansion of agricultural cultivation, and Bengal
political gravity shifted east to Dhaka region
♥ It attracted the traders, and the Mughal
government actively encouraged European trade

33. The Mughals
♥After the death of Aurangzeb Alamgir in
1707, most of the Mughal provinces
became independent, the influence of
Mughal over Bengal declined
♥Dewan Murshid Kuli Khan became an
independent Nawab of Bengal, shifted
capital to Murshidabad

34. The East India Company
♥The Potuguese (1498) were the first
Europeans, but it was the East India
Company (founded 1600) made a
forceful impact on the fortunes of the
province

35. • The British traders came to
India for trading purpose.
• Britain needed a market to
sell its finished goods.
• Found Bengal as inexhaustible
source of wealth & began
trading indigo, textiles, and
other things, established
warehouse with hidden aims. By
1750, 75% of traded goods were
Indian. Started systematically
abusing right to free trade
REASONS FOR COMING TO
INDIA

36. British establish their control over
India
• The British came to India for trading purpose.
• During this period there was internal struggle in India.
The Mughal power was declining.
• Britain needed a market to sell its finished goods.
• This gave the British the chance to establish their
control over India.
• They did this through
– wars
– treaties
– annexations i.e. forcible acquisition
– alliances.

37. 37

38. The East India Company
♥ In 1756, Shiraj-ud-Daula challenged the
excessive power of the company & attempted to
block unauthorised trade
♥ He marched on Calcutta and secured the Fort
William
♥ the Company’s forces regrouped and devised
strategies to give pain to the Bengali leadership
♥ Robert Clive conspired with Mir Jafar,
commander in chief of the Nawab, Jagat Shet
and others

39. The East India Company
♥ Confrontation with the traders led to the battle of
Palasy on June 23, 1757. An Army of 50000 orgnised
soldiers were defeated by a irregular group of 800
Europeans
♥ Palasy paved the way of British rule. Mir Jafor gave
away to the company’s force, Nawab was executed,
and Mir Jafor became the puppet Nawab
♥ In 1760, Mir Kaseem was replaced by his son-
in- law, Mir Qasim.
♥ in India---it was the longest and deepest colonial
experience in modern history
♥ This victory was further consolidated in 1764 at
the Battle of Buxar

40. BATTLE OF PLASSEY
Sir Clive meets Mir Jaafar at Battle of Plassey

41. The East India Company
♥ In 1765 the company secured Dewani from the
Mughal emperor- the right to collect revenue
from Bangla, Bihar and Orissa
♥ A system of increased tax collection,
depletion of people’s income, drought & flood,
unchecked profit-making in food-grain market
led to “Great Famine” (1769-70) (Chityattarer
Manantar, 1176
♥ 10 million population, just perished

42. The Great Famine
42

43. The East India Company
♥The Permanent Settlement Act 1793 by
Lord Cornowallis was introduced with an aim
to boost up agricultural revenue collection-it
created a new class, “gentlemen farmers”
♥The Permanent Settlement Act changed
the whole agrarian relations, the cultivators
become peasants without rights, and
zaminders became the de facto landowners,
and they were prominently high caste who
worked for the company

44. The East India Company
♥The hope for agricultural
moderanisation leading to higher
production never materialised,
zaminders turned themselves into
rentiers & transformed responsibilities
to intermediaries (hierarchical social
structure/sub-infeudation/pattanidari)

45. The East India Company
♥This change in agrarian relation had a long
lasting consequence. The rise of the
money lending class in India for
agriculture
♥The permanent settlement created the
culture of Bhadralok who carried forward
the Bengal renaissance (High caste Hindu
rentier class)
♥It became associated with the idea that
the Hindus should dominate Bengal

46. Before ……. 1793
46
RULER
DIWAN (EIC)
ZAMINDAR
PEASANT/
TENANT
CHAINOF
COMMAND
Pay rent

47. After ….. 1793
47
EAST INDIA
COMPANY
ZAMINDAR
PEASANT/
TENANT
CHAIN OF
COMMAND
Paying fixed rent: for
specific annual revenue.
Zamindar was sought to
invest more into
agriculture
UNDEFINED

48. The East India Company
♥Introduction of large-scale export oriented
crash-cropping such as opium, indigo, tea,
silk and jute was the second major change
in colonial period
♥Some of these crops grown through
coercive means
♥ Regional crop growing specialisation

49. Indigo Cultivation

50. The East India Company
♥ As the condition of Bengali Muslim
peasantry worsened, various types resistance
against the British rule formed
♥ Fakir movement, Farizi movement,
movement of Titumir, Pabna revolt are
important
♥ Relations between the Muslims and the
British improved after 1870
♥ By the 1880s an Islamic renaissance begun
and English was adopted as a strategy to
empower Bengali Muslims

51. British Rule
After the Rebellion of 1857 the British
government took control of India by passing
Government of India Act
Bengal was a centre of Indian political
resistance to British rule, much of it was led by
the Hindus
At times there were separate Muslim-led
efforts aimed to increase Muslim political
participation
51

52. THE PARTITION OF BENGAL, 1905
AND ITS AFTERMATH
• End of 19th Century Bengal had a population of 85
million (54 million Hindus and 31 million Muslims)
• British found it too large to administer
• In 1905 Viceroy Curzon partitioned Bengal by
detaching East Bengal and added it to Assam
• Capital of East Bengal- Dhaka
• Capital of West Bengal – Calcutta
• It was backed by the “divide and rule” strategy and
was intended to curb growing resistance to British
rule by the Hindu elites

53. 1905 Division
53

54. SWADESHI AND BOYCOTT
MOVEMENTS
• Partition was Strongly opposed by the Hindus,
and finally annulled in 1911, and capital was
shifted to Delhi from Kolkata
• The main goal of the movement was:
- Put economic pressure on the British
- Promote Indian Industry
• Bengali people were urged to boycott British
cloth and other goods and instead use Indian
products

55. Two nation Theory
• The Two-Nation Theory was the basis for the
Partition of India in 1947.
• It stated that Muslims and Hindus were two
separate nations by every definition, and
therefore, Muslims should have an autonomous
homeland in the Muslim majority areas of British
India
• Poet Philosopher Allama Muhammad Iqbal
(1877-1938), provided the philosophical
explanation.
55

56. British Rule
Partition was Strongly opposed by the
Hindus, and finally annulled in 1911, and
capital was shifted to Delhi from Kolkata
In 1906 the All-India Muslim league was
formed in Dhaka
 Muslim league followed Jinnah, that led
up to the formation of Pakistan
56

57. British Rule
Lahore Resolution asserts that Muslim
majority states should be grouped into
independent, autonomous, self-governing
states
Finally, the British divided India in 1947
into two states such as; Pakistan (east and
west) and India
57

58. The Bengal Famine of 1942-43
Famine caused 3.5 million lives
Caused due to stockpile of food against probable
Japanese invasion. A total administrative
incompetence
The Quit India Movement launched in 1942, irked
Churchill, and as a revenge-seeking measure, he chose
to overlook the catastrophe in Bengal, and preferred
sending rice and wheat to the Imperial Indian Army
fighting on behalf of the British Empire in World War
II
58

59. The Bengal Famine of 1942-43
59

60. Map 1947
60

61. Pakistan Experiment
61

62. The Pakistan Experiment
• The word “PAKISTAN” originated in Cambridge
(1933) by Choudhury Rahmat Ali in the Pamphlet
“Now or Never: Are We to live or Perish Forever?“
• Pakistan was an acronym that stood for Punjab, Afgania
(Pathan/North-Western Frontier), Kashmir, Sind, and
istan (Baluchistan)
• The country Pakistan emerged on the basis of “two
nation theory”
• The riots in Kolkata in 1946 hastened partition

63. The Pakistan Experiment
“A unique experiment of state-making” (V. Schendel)
1. Hybrid principle of religious nationalism
2. Two separate geographically dispersed location- population
ratio 45%:55%, 1500 miles away
3. No central institution (Army, Police Bureaucracy-all were
inherited by India
• A severally fractured old state of Bengal, without capital
Kolkata
• Largest province in terms of population
•

64. Language Movement
• Language issue stood as cultural and political
divide between two sides
• Direndra Nath Datta, an East Pakistan member
of the Constituent Assembly proposed Bangla as
a national language
• Urdu was spoken by 3% only (elite class
language), & imposing Urdu was part of a
mission to Islamise East Pakistan (Bengali was
viewed as un-Islamic

65. Language Movement
• First systematic attack was to declare Urdu as
the state language, in his first trip to East
Bengal on March 21, 1948 Jinnah declared:
“Let me make it clear to you that the State
Language of Pakistan is going to be Urdu and
no other language. Anyone who tries to
mislead you is really the enemy of
Pakistan…so far as the State Language is
concerned Pakistan’s language shall be Urdu”

66. Language Movement
• Language movement during 1948-52
demanded the designation of Bengali as the
state language,
• The protests on the language issue culminated
on February 21, 1952, when police fired on a
student demonstration and killed several
people

67. Electoral Politics
• In 1954 Provincial Election, Muslim League was
uprooted through out East Pakistan
• Jukta Fornt (Awami Muslim League, Krishak Praja
Party) won (228 out of 237)
• It developed Ekush Dapha (major demands:
autonomy for Bengal and formal recognition of
Bengali language) election document
• Government was led by Sher-e-Bangla, but soon
dismissed from the centre

68. Six-point Programme
Aiub Khan declared Marshall Law in 1958 in
the wake of political instability
 Aiub’s weighting towards west Pakistan
added grievance to the East Pakistani
 In 1966, Sheikh Mujibor Rahman, the
president of AL declared “Six-point
Programme”

69. Six-point Programme
The program called for (i) a Federation based on the
Lahore Resolution, (ii) central government dealt only
with defense and foreign affairs, (iii) either two
separate currencies or same currency for both wings
with provision that flight of capital is prevented and
each wing maintain separate revenue accounts, (iv)
the units be given the authority to levy taxes and to
collect revenue, (v) separate foreign exchange
accounts for both the wings, and (vi) setting up a
para-military force for East Bengal

70. Six-point Programme
It was a statement of democratic resistance,
and focused on securing self-government for
Bengalis.
Ayub Khan tried to ruin the credibility of
Mujibur Rahman and his program by
charging that he was involved in a
conspiracy to create an independent state in
East Bengal with Indian aid. This case came
to be known as the “Agartala Conspiracy
Case”

71. Politics focused
During March 1969 and December 1971
tremendous political mobilisation begun, and
turned into mass struggle
 the Awami League won a triumphant victory in
1970’s national assembly election, but could not
assume power. General Election - 12 Dec 1970,
Awami League won 167 out of 313 seats.
On March 7, 1971 Sheik Mujib, asked the
Bangalis to prepare for a resistance to the regime

72. Politics focused
On March 25, 1971 night, troop movements started
(Operation Search Light). In Dhaka and elsewhere
in East Bengal, the Pakistan army began an orgy of
killings, rape, violence, and looting. Fateful day for
Bangalis. Led by Tikka Khan (Butcher of Bengal)
Mujib declared Independence before he was
arrested (25 March) by the military. Awami League
managed to set up a provisional government and
organised the armed resistance to the Pakistani
army. Thus, the Bengali National Liberation began.

73. Exm. of disparity
There were absolute deprivation in terms of
resource allocation and infrastructure
Imbalance economic relations
 Resources of the East were diverted to the
West (economic colonisation and
expropriation of wealth)
Foreign investment was lower in east Pakistan
During 1950s per capita income rose in the
West but declined in the East

74. Exm. of disparity
While East Bengal was earning a larger share of
Pakistan’s exports, West Pakistan had the greater
share in imports of consumer goods, industrial
machineries, and raw materials
The Pakistani ruling elites were interested more in
the development of provinces of West Pakistan,
though the majority of the country’s population
lived in East Bengal

75. Disparities
East Pakistan vs West Pakistan
West Dominated Politically and Received More Budget.
Year
Spending on
West Pakistan
(in crore
Rupees)
Amount
spent on
West as % of
Total
Spending on
East Pakistan
(in crore
Rupees)
Amount
spent on East
as % of Total
% of Total
Population
36.23 63.77
1950–55 1,129 68.31 524 31.69
1955–60 1,655 75.95 524 24.05
1960–65 3,355 70.5 1,404 29.5
1965–70 5,195 70.82 2,141 29.18
Total 11,334 71.16 4,593 28.84
Source: Reports of the Advisory Panels for the Fourth Five Year Plan 1970-75, Vol. I,
published by the planning commission of Pakistan (Quick reference: crore = 107, or 10
million)

78. War of independence
Initial response to Army assault was uncoordinated,
but gradually became developed
Freedom fighters received supports from India
Freedom fighters were grouped in 11 sectors, under
the command of “Mukti Bahini” and commander
was General Osmani
 Bangladesh as an independent state was declared
on 17 April at Meherpur with Sheikh Mujib as
president

79. War of independence
Superpower Soviet Union backed India and
supported the liberation movement. The
USSR played role in the UN
 USA and China favoured Pakistan
 India formally joined on 6 Dec, 1971 and the
Pak army surrendered on 16 December

84. Dialogue was ongoing with Yahya but
on 25 Mar 1971 Pak Military arrested
Shiekh Mujib and launched Attack on
unarmed Bangalee’s.

85. Declaration of the War of
Independence
• Just few minutes before his arrest by Pakistan
Army BangaBondhu Declared the War of
Independence on night 25/26 Mar 1971 by a
written statement .
• Later Maj Ziaur Rahman also Declared the War
of Independence through Radio( Kalurghat
Radio Station, Chittagong) on 26 and 27 Mar
1971.

92. Marks of Tank Shell at
Dhaka University Hall

101. Sectors of
War of Liberation
• Total 11 sector where
the country was divided
into 10 sector and the
Naval Commando
operating in the water
ways which was known
as Sector 10
• Over 1,00,000 fighters
comprising regular and
Irregular soldiers fought
against Pak Army

102. Sector Commander's
Maj Ziaur Rahman,
Sec Comd - 1
Maj Khaled Musarraf,
Sec Comd - 2
Maj A T M Hyder,
Sec Comd - 2
Maj K M Safiullah,
Sec Comd - 3
Maj A N M
Nuruzzaman
Maj C R
Dutta,
Capt Rafiqul Islam,
Sec Comd - 1

103. Sector Commander's
W Cmd K Basahr,
Sec Comd - 6
Maj Nazmul Haq
Sec Comd 7
Maj Abu Osman
Sec Comd 8
Maj MA Manzur
Sec Comd 8
Maj Kazi
Nuruzzaman
Sec Comd 7
Maj MA Jalil
Sec Comd 9
Maj Abu Taher
Sec Comd 11
Maj Mir Shawkat
Ali
Sec Comd 5

111. Bangladesh become the 139th country in the world
Victory Day
16 Dec 1971
Bangladesh become 139th country in the
world

112. The green represents the greenery of Bangladesh while
Red circle stands rising sun & blood of Martyrs during liberation
war

113. National Memorial
• During the war more than 3
million Lives were lost,
more than 2,00,000 women
were tortured and molested
by the Pakistani Forece and
at least 3,00,000 children
died at the refugee camps
due to malnutrition and
diseases.
• We must show our respect
to them by visiting the
National Memorial at Savar,
Dhaka

115. Take home activity
Prepare an essay
How The Language Movement and
The Six Point Demand have shaped
our independence?