Studies in the Geography of Ancient and Medieval India c10.37

c10.37

It must however be admitted that some authorities locate the City of Bengala near about Chittagong.² It seems that originally the chief city of East Bengal was known to the Portuguese as the City of Bengala; but after the Portuguese port in the Chittagong region had become the most flourishing centre of trade in Bengal, they began to call it the City of Bengala. This again seems to have been done when Sonārgāon passed out of the picture due to the transference of the provincial capital first to Rājmahal and then to Dacca. The fact that Portuguese sailors came by sea and first reached this flourishing port after days of hardship in the sea may also have emphasized its importance to them as the city *par excellence* of the country of Bengal.