The History of Bengal (Vol. I: Hindu Period; Vol. II: Muslim Period 1200–1757) v1.c19.s7.14

v1.c19.s7.14

The manufacture of salt by means of evaporation either from infiltrated sea-water or from subsoil brine was also probably known and practised in certain areas. The Irdā Plate (*supra* p. 133) of the tenth century A.D. records the grant of a village in the Daṇḍabhukti-*maṇḍala* (*supra* p. 27) of the Vardhamāna-*bhukti*, along with its salt pits (*lavaṇākaraḥ*).⁴ Similarly, the Rāmapāl Plate of Śrīcandra⁵ (eleventh century A.D.) and the Belāva Plate of Bhojavarman⁶ (twelfth century A.D.) mention the grant of villages, located in the Pauṇḍra-*bhukti*, “along with salt” (*sa-lavaṇaḥ*). On the other hand, it should be noted that salt is not mentioned in any of the land-grants of the Pāla and Sena kings. It is, therefore, permissible to infer that although the manufacture of salt was known and practised in certain places, at any rate from the tenth century onwards, it had not developed into any considerable industry. The dampness of the climate and the large amount of fresh water discharged into the sea by the Ganges and the Brahmaputra might have hampered the growth of any large-scale salt manufacture.