ABSTRACT
The northern and northwestern parts of Bangladesh are assumed as spatial units which were and have remained homogenous continuously under the sub-region of Varendri/Gauḍa. Often this sub-region is juxtaposed unproblematically and spuriously with the geological unit of Barind Terrace. This chapter focuses primarily on a specific landscape unit known as Teesta Megafan covering both Bangladesh and India. Identified as a geomorphological and sedimentological formed by the Teesta River, the megafan is distinctly different than the adjacent Barind Terrace to the south, the Himalayan piedmont zone to the north, and upper Ganges Plains to the west. It is found that the rivers and their histories are as crucial as the human agents for understanding the past human and non-human activities in this region. Remote sensing and the study of historical maps and archives have also played a significant part in the understanding of the complexities of territorialities, agrarian usage, networks, and human activities on this landscape in connection to the trans-Himalayan regions to the north, northeast, and northwest, and Upper Ganges plains to the west. In reference to specific archaeological places and settlements, dated to early medieval and medieval periods, the megafan has been categorised into interconnected zones which are interpretive rather than territorial and historic.
