ABSTRACT

The earliest references to areas in Bangladesh are mythological rather than historical. The Aitareya Aranyaka, Ramayana, Mahabharata, Vanaparvan, Samyutta Nikaya, Milindapanho and other works refer to the Vangas, Suhmas, Pundras and others living in the delta of the Ganges or to the east of it; but none of these furnish any solid historical or geographical information. Indirect evidence it may be surmised that Pundranagara was probably the oldest urban centre in Bangladesh, and dates back to at least the 6th century B. C. Several important sculptural pieces found in Bangladesh date from the late Gupta period. The Indian sub-continent was to a large extent dominated by the Mauryan empire from the fourth to the second century B. C. This empire had its base in the Bihar-Bengal region and most of Varendra formed the province of Pundra Vardhana, with its capital at Pundranagara.