Historical Geography of Ancient India c8.200

Language: English

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Gauḍa.—It was the capital of Bengal during the Hindu and Muslim periods. According to the commentary on the Jaina Ācārāṅgasūtra (II 361a), Gauḍadeśa was noted for silk garments (dukūla). According to some, the name of Gauḍa is derived from Guda, i.e., molasses, as Gauḍa was formerly a trading centre of molasses. The ruins of Gauḍa lie at a distance of 10 miles to the south-west of the modern town of Malda. It was an ancient town situated at the junction of the Ganges and Mahānandā. It occurs in the Epics and the Purāṇas. The Padma Purāṇa (189. 2) refers to Gauḍadeśa which was ruled by the king named Narasimha. It was the capital of Devapāla, Mahendrapāla, Ādisūra, Ballālasena and Mahommedan rulers up to about the close of the 16th century A.D. It formed a part of the kingdom of the Imperial Guptas during the 4th, 5th and 6th centuries A.D. There is no trace, at present, of Rāmāvatī, the capital of ancient Gauḍa under Pāla rulers. It lay several miles to the north of the present site of the ruins of Gauḍa near the river Kālindi. Lakṣmaṇāvatī, built by king Lakṣmaṇasena was the later capital of Gauḍa under the Sena and Muslim rulers. Near the present site of Gauḍa stands the ancient site of Rāmakeli, which was visited by Caitanyadeva. King Ballālasena built a castle at Gauḍa known as the Ballālabāḍi or Ballālabhitā. The ruins of this fort are found at Shahdullāpura. One of the biggest tanks in Bengal, known as Sāgardighi, is attributed to him.

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The abodes of Rūpa and Sanātana, the Rūpasāgara tank, the Kadamba tree, some wells and the ancient temple of Madanamohana are still found there. There are some relics of the Muslim age, worthy of notice, e.g. Jān Jān Mea mosque, ruins of Haveli khas, Soṇā mosque, Lotan mosque, Kadam Rasul mosque and Feroze Minar. Besides, there are the temples of Gauḍeśvarī, Jaharavāsinī, Śiva, etc. There is another village called Khalimpur near the ancient site of Gauḍa where a copperplate inscription of king Dharmapāla of the Pāla dynasty of Bengal has been discovered (E.I., IV, 243ff.). The first epigraphic mention of Gauḍa is made in the Harāhā Inscription of A.D. 554 (E.I., XIV, pp. 110ff.), which tells us that king Īśānavarman of the Maukhari dynasty claims victories over the Gauḍas and the Gauḍa country. The Gauḍa country is also referred to in the Aphṣaḍ Inscription of Ādityasena (c. 655 A.D.), which mentions Sukṣmaśiva, the engraver of the inscription, to be an inhabitant of the Gauḍa country. Gauḍa is also mentioned in the India Office plate of Lakṣmaṇasena (E.I., XXVI, Pt. I). Devapāla is described in the Gauḍa Pillar Inscription of Bādal as the Lord of the Gauḍa country (E.I., II, 160ff.). In the Deoli plates the Rāṣṭrakūṭa king Kṛṣṇa II is credited to have taught humility to the Gauḍas (Ibid., V, p. 190). The people of the Gauḍa country are represented to have been humiliated by the Rāṣṭrakūṭa king Kṛṣṇa III (Ibid., IV, p. 287).

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The Sirur and Nilgund Inscriptions of Amoghavarṣa I (866 A.D.) refer to the peoples of Gauḍa. The Kāmarūpa copperplate of Vaidyadeva refers to the lord of Gauḍa (E.I., II, p. 348). The Mādhāinagar copperplate of Lakṣmaṇasena describes Lakṣmaṇasena as having suddenly seized the kingdom of Gauḍa. This grant also informs us that Lakṣmaṇasena in his youth took pleasures with the females of Kaliṅga. In the Nagpur Stone Inscription of the Mālava rulers (1104-05 A.D.) the Paramāra king Lakṣmadeva is said to have defeated the lord of Gauḍa (of. E.I., II, p. 193). The haughty foes are described in the Harāhā Inscription of A.D. 554 (E.I., XIV, pp. 110ff.) as living on the seashore (samudrāśraya). Some consider the haughty foes to be the Gauḍas who indulged themselves in frequent conquests in the 6th century A.D. The Sanjan grant of Amoghavarṣa states that Dhruva took away the royal parasols of the king of Gauḍa, as he was fleeing between the Ganges and the Jumna (E.I., XVIII, p. 244). Harṣa, the successor of Rājyavardhana, concluded an alliance with Bhāskaravarman, king of Kāmarūpa, whose father Susthitavarman Mṛgāṅka fought against Mahāsenagupta. According to the Nidhanpur plates of Bhāskara this alliance was not beneficial to the Gauḍas. When these plates were issued, Bhāskaravarman was in possession of Karṇasuvarṇa, which was the capital of the Gauḍa king Śaśāṅka.

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The king who was overthrown by Bhāskara might have been Jayanāga, whose name occurs in the Vappaghoṣavāṭa Inscription (E.I., XVIII, pp. 60ff.). The Gauḍas did not acquiesce in the loss of their independence.