The History of Bengal (Vol. I: Hindu Period; Vol. II: Muslim Period 1200–1757) v1.c19.s8.t1.10

v1.c19.s8.t1.10

The chief routes of internal trade were probably the waterways of the province, in proximity to which stood the principal towns. The rôle of the rivers in the economic geography of Bengal cannot be over-estimated. They fertilised the soil by the silt which they carried; they eliminated, to a large extent, the need for artificial irrigation; and being navigable far inland throughout the year, they served as ‘corridors’ or ‘natural routes’ for long-distance traffic. It is probable enough, although statistical data are lacking, that throughout the ancient and mediaeval periods they bore the greater part of the inland traffic of the province. Apart from the rivers, a certain amount of trade probably passed along land-routes. The itineraries of Fa-hien and Hiuen Tsang point to the existence of such land-routes connecting some of the important cities of the province. The Chittagong Plate of Dāmodara (*supra* p. 253) mentions a public road (*rāja-patha*), passing by the side of a village. In recent years Mr. K. N. Dikshit has discovered the remains of two ancient embanked roads in the neighbourhood of Dhanora.⁶