History of East Indian regions

The Guide to Indian Tourism significantly makes you understand the History of the East Indian region. The region was ruled by several empires.  These included Gangaridai, Mauryans, Delhi Sultanate, Bengal Sultanate and Mughal Empire. Consequently Followed by Maratha invasions of Bengal.  Finally the territories of East India were conquered by the British Empire.

War of Kalinga and Buddhism .

After the Kalinga War the Maurya king Ashoka sent emissaries to spread Buddhism across Asia. In fact the famous university of Nalanda was in Bihar. In-Addition Chinese travellers visited Buddhist and Hindu temples and libraries in the universities of Magadha Empire. The Emperor of Kalinga Mahameghavahana Aira Kharavela was one of the most powerful monarchs of ancient India. The Jain thirkhankar Mahaveer was born here and founded Jainism.

Konark Sun Temple built by the Eastern Ganga dynasty is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Odisha.

East India and the Islamic invasions–

Understandably 13th century resulted in the collapse of Hindu kings and most Buddhists, of East Bengal, were forcefully converted to Islam. In fact East India including Bihar and West Bengal was part of the Mughal Empire in the 16th and 17th centuries. Significantly Odisha remained a powerful Hindu dynasty under the rule of Soma/Keshari Dynasty, Eastern Ganga Dynasty, Surya Dynasty till the end of the 16th century.

The mighty Nalanda University existed at Nalanda which was destroyed by Bakhtiar Khilji during the 12th century and also defeated Sena Dynasty.

Sher Shah Suri founded the city of Patna on the ruins of ancient Pataliputra. He became king of India after defeating Humayun, the Father of Akbar, “The Great”.

Eastern India and Islam.

Islam arrived during the 6th–7th century AD and became dominant gradually.  It was in the early 13th century with the advent of Muslim rulers that Islam started gaining power. Undoubtedly the role of Sunni missionaries such AS Shah Jalal in the region, also helped the Islam to gain power.

Later, Muslim rulers, starting from the Delhi Sultanate initiated the preaching of Islam by building mosques. From the 14th century onward, it was ruled by the Bengal Sultanate, founded by king Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah. This period let to the beginning a period of Muslim dominance over the regional empires.

However the Mughal Art and Architecture including their Culture and traditions grew during this period. The Europeans writer who hardly knew about the Ancient Indian History claimed India, as the richest country to trade with during the contemporary period.

Mughal Empire and Bengal Province.

It is important to note here that gradually the entire East India came under the Mughal Empire. Henceforth  becoming as the most advanced parts in the world. Bengal Subah generated almost half of the empire’s GDP and 12% of the world’s GDP. Unquestionably  This was larger than the entirety of western Europe, before the period of post industrialisation.

East India and the British Raj

With the arrival of the Europeans in the 17th century, outposts were established in Odisha Coast and Bengal. The European traders established their trade centres in the famous ports of Balasore, Pipili, Palur in the Odisha Coast. It was during the rule of the last independent Hindu king Gajapati Prataprudra Dev.

The Portuguese were in Chittagong, Dutch in Chinsura, French in Pondicherry and the English founded Calcutta. The Maratha Invasion of Bengal badly affected the economy of Bengal and it is estimated that 400,000 Bengali Muslims were butchered.

The untold story of battle of Plassey–

In 1757, the British East India Company defeated the local Indian Muslim rulers, Siraj-ud-daula in the battle of Plassey and established British Rule in the subcontinent. The battle was fought on 23^rd June, 1757 between British solders headed by Col Robert Clive. Robert clive having soldiers  in the tune of 800 Nos. The majority were Indians. The Army of Nawab, Siraj-ud-daula, having almost 10000 soldiers.

The Nawab lost the battle due the defiance of His military Chief, Mir Jaffar, who was negotiated by the Personal of the East India Company, to betray the Nawab. He not only betrayed his Nawab for his greed of becoming the emperor but also assassinated Siaj-ud-daula. This battle also resulted in the loss of French Power, in the region.

British Raj and The impact of Battle of Plassey on India 

This  was the turning Point of the Indian History and initiated the advent of the East India Company. Robert Clive was designated to Commander-in-chief- Bengal. He made Calcutta, as the capital. Eventually Calcutta grew into one of the world’s greatest ports. Tea from Calcutta was off-loaded by American separatists in the American War of Independence in the 1770s.

In the 19th century, Calcutta’s traders and merchants traded with the rest of the British Empire, continental Europe, the United States and China. Indentured Indian labourers from Bihar, sailed to new homes in Fiji, Mauritius, Guyana, Surinam and South Africa.

East India Region and Independence Movements

India’s independence movement had strong roots in imperialistic working methodology of East India company. The feudal land system, established through the Permanent Settlement of Bengal, was unpopular among the peasant cultivators.  They started creeping against the laid approach. Further the numerous agricultural labourers found all over Bihar and Bengal (Khetmazdoors)  became dissentient .

The Indian Rebellion of 1857 started in Bengal. This was primarily against the imperialism of British Raj. The use of Cow Beef in the cartridges to be used by the Indian soldiers can be attributed as the main reason. The imposition of feudal system and various other Political and Social causes led to this rebellion.

Eventually the British prevailed, and Calcutta remained capital of Britain’s Asian dominions until 1911. During Gandhi’s independence movement, the Bihari village of Champaran was an important supporter of non-violent resistance.

Great poets of the stature of Rabindranath Tagore championed the movement for self-rule.

The partition of India and the Eastern India from the Pages of East and Northeast History of India  

The Partition also had its roots in undivided Eastern India. The Muslim League was founded in Dhaka in 1906. In the 1937 provincial elections, it came to power in Bengal in alliance with the Krishak Praja Party. in 1944, it gained an absolute majority in the Bengal Assembly, and Hussein Suhrawardy became the Chief Minister.

History reveals that the contemporary Viceroy and other designated Britishers wanted to divide India in many parts. This led to the rise of Mohmmad Ali Jinna who for his personal desire rose to power and played a Major role in formation of Pakistan.

After widespread communal violence during the Direct Action Day protests in Calcutta, leading to further communal violence across British India, the creation of Pakistan became inevitable. In 1947, further communal violence displaced millions as independence and partition of British India occurred. Some Bihari and Bengali Muslims fled to the newly created East Pakistan. Most East Bengal Hindus fled to India.