The History of Bengal (Vol. I: Hindu Period; Vol. II: Muslim Period 1200–1757) v1.c19.s10.1

v1.c19.s10.1

The chief activities of the Bengalis outside India lay in religious and commercial spheres. The port of Tāmralipti was the great emporium of trade between Northern India and the Eastern world across the sea. Being situated in the eastern extremity of India, Bengal also served as the connecting link, by way of land, between the great sub-continent and the extensive regions in the east, from South China to Burma and thence to Malay Peninsula and Indo-China. The Chinese evidence leaves no doubt that there was an active intercourse by both the land and sea-routes, and streams of traders, merchants, pilgrims and other classes of people followed them in their journey between India and the Far East (supra pp. 659 ff).¹ Apart from being an intermediary in trade and commerce, Bengal must, therefore, have played an important part in the great cultural association between the diverse civilisations of Eastern and South-Eastern Asia which forms such a distinguished feature in the history of this great continent for nearly one thousand and five hundred years.