The Delineation of Socio-Cultural Ethos of Early Medieval Bengal with Special Reference to Northern Bengal: Based on Literary Sources

Abstract

The ancient and early medieval Bengal was constituted of various geo-cultural and geo-political units of which Pundravardhana, Varendra, Radha, Vanga, Samatata, Vardhamana, Dandabhukti, etc, are of prime importance. The literature of a particular historical period reflects the image of its polity, society, economy, religion, and culture. In the context of early medieval Bengal, the literary sources can be grouped into categories. The first group constitutes the Brahmanical texts, among which mention should be made of the Puranas, namely the 1. Brhaddharmapurana and the 2. Brahmavaivartapurana. Among the other Puranas, the 3. Mahabhagavatapuraṇa and the 4. Devibhagavatapurana are also of particular importance. The other group of texts consists of Sanskrit texts with no clear Brahmanical propagation; rather, these are texts of varied nature, including biographies, agriculture, an anthology of poems, and Sanskrit verses. These essentially consist of 5. Krrissiparasara 6. Subhasitaratnakosa of Vidyakara 7. Saduktikarṇarṛta of Sridharadasa 8. Ramacarita of Sandhyakaranandin and 9. Caryagitis. This paper will attempt to explore the social, economic, cultural, and religious life of Early medieval Bengal in the light of literary sources, also having a broader perspective on the human-nature interaction of the then Bengal. In other words, this paper will also shed light on understanding the secular aspects, environmental issues, socio-cultural elements, and settlement dynamics of the early medieval period through a critical textual analysis.