Names of Bengal


Bengal is a region in South Asia, politically split between Bangladesh and India. Due to its long history and complicated political divisions, various names have been used to refer to the region and its subsections. The name Bangla is used by both Bangladesh and West Bengal in international contexts. In the Bengali language, the two Bengals each use a different term to refer to the nominally identified nation: Bānglā and Baṅga.

Terminology in detail

  • Geography:
  • *Bengal is a region in Asia located in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Geographically it is part of the Ganges-Brahmaputra delta system, the largest river delta system in the world. The region borders the Himalayan states to its north and in the east borders Northeast India and the country of Burma.
  • *Bangla may be a transliteration of either Bengal or Bengali. It can also refer to the endonym of the region in the Bengali language or the native name of the region.
  • *Banga is a transliteration of the Bengali name of the region of Bengal as a geographical and ethno-linguistic region in South Asia.
  • Language:
  • *Bangladesh The etymology of Bangladesh can be traced to the early 20th century, when Bengali patriotic songs, such as "Namo Namo Namo Bangladesh Momo" by Kazi Nazrul Islam and "Aaji Bangladesher Hridoy" by Rabindranath Tagore, used the term. The term Bangladesh was often written as two words, Bangla Desh, in the past. Starting in the 1950s, Bengali nationalists used the term in political rallies in East Bengal province of Pakistan. The term Bangla is a major name for both the Bengal region and the Bengali language. The origin of the term Bangla is the Iron Age Vanga Kingdom. The ancient term Vangaladesa for the Bengal region is found in 11th-century South Indian records. The word "Bangāl" and "Banglā" became the most common name for the region during the Islamic period. The historian Abu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak mentions in his Ain-i-Akbari that the addition of the suffix "al" came from the fact that the ancient rajahs of the land raised mounds of earth 10 feet high and 20 in breadth in lowlands at the foot of the hills which were called "al". The Indo-Aryan suffix Desh is derived from the Sanskrit word deśha, which means "land" or "country". Hence, the name Bangladesh means "Land of Bengal" or "Country of Bengal". Alternatives to the name Bangladesh are:
Bangadesh
Bangabhumi or Banglabhumi
Bangarajya or Banglarajya
Bangarashtra or Banglarashtra

Geographical distinctions

East Bengal

East Bengal was the name used during two different periods in the 20th century for a territory that roughly corresponded to the modern state of Bangladesh. Both instances involved a violent partition of Bengal which made one half East Bengal or Bangladesh.
Historically, it referred to the fertile Bhati region of the Bengal delta, which corresponds to the modern-day Dhaka Division.

North Bengal

North Bengal is a term used for the north-western part of Bangladesh and northern part of West Bengal. The Bangladesh part includes the Rajshahi Division and Rangpur Division. Generally, it is the area lying west of Jamuna River and north of Padma River and includes the Barind Tract. The West Bengal part denotes the Jalpaiguri Division. The Bihar parts include the Kishanganj district. It also includes parts of Darjeeling Hills. Traditionally, the Hooghly River divides West Bengal into South and North Bengal, divided again into Terai and Dooars regions.

South Bengal

South Bengal is a term used for the southwestern part of Bangladesh and the southern part of West Bengal. The Bangladesh part includes the Khulna, Faridpur, and Barisal Divisions. The Bay of Bengal is located at the end of the southern part of Bangladesh. The West Bengal part includes 12 districts in the southern part of West Bengal; Kolkata, Howrah, Hooghly, Burdwan, East Midnapur, West Midnapur, Purulia, Bankura, Birbhum, Nadia, South 24 Parganas and North 24 Parganas.

West Bengal

West Bengal comprises roughly one-third of the ethno-linguistic region of Bengal. When India gained independence in 1947, Bengal was partitioned along religious lines. The western part went to the Dominion of India.

Hilly Bengal

Hilly Bengal is a term used for the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh. The area consists of Rangamati, Khagrachari and Bandarban.

Historical names

Historical names for Bengal include :Bonga – an Austric word for Sun godBang – a Bronze Age proto-Dravidian tribeVanga – a seafaring state located in the eastern part of the Indian Subcontinent comprising today's politically divided Bengal region also mentioned in Sanskrit text Mahabharata.

Adjectives

  • Bangla – the contents and attributes of the Bengali language or the country of Bangladesh.
  • Bengali – the contents and attributes of Bengal.
  • Bangiya – an adjectival prefix referring to Bengal particularly in the field of literature, e.g. Bangiya Sahitya Parishad, Bangiya Gramin Vikash Bank and Bangiya Janata Dal. Can be synonymous with Bengali.
  • Bengalese – something of, from, or related to Bengal.
  • Bangalee – until 1978 the Constitution of Bangladesh referred all citizens of Bangladesh as Bangalees, an archaic spelling for Bengali.
  • Bangladeshi – from 1978 this was a widely used term to refer to the citizens of Bangladesh.
  • Bangal – a term used by other Bengalis to refer to Bengalis from East Bengal; this term is primarily used by Ghotis of West Bengal to refer to Bengali Indians of East Bengali heritage. Bangal is also the Hindustani word for Bengal.
  • Bangabasi – peoples of Bengal.
  • Bangadesiya – something of, from, or related to Bengal or Bengalis.
  • Banga-Santan – lit: Son/ child of Bengal- an adjectival prefix referring to People of Bengal or Bengalis.
  • Banga-Lalana – lit: Daughter of Mother Bengal- an adjectival prefix referring to a girl/lady of Bengal or any Female Bengalis.
  • Bong – an Indian slang used to refer anyone from West Bengal.
  • Bongal – is a term used in Assam to refer to outsiders, primarily Bengalis. The term has a negative connotation.

Other names

  • Bengali: গঙ্গাহৃদ/ গঙ্গাঋদ্ধি/ গঙ্গারাষ্ট্র; Gangarid / Gangaridai / Ganga Rashtra – meaning Heart of Ganges / Wealth of Ganges / Nation on the River Ganges
  • Bengali: গৌড় রাজ্য; Gauṛa rajya — Gauda Kingdom; meaning radiant kingdom. Bengal is described in ancient Sanskrit texts as 'Gaud-Desh'.
  • Arabic: رحمة; Rahma — meaning Land of Mercy
  • Chinese: ;
  • German-Dutch:

Sobriquets for Bengal

In traditional Bengali culture, as well as in the Bengali Media, the land of Bengal has assumed a number of sobriquets over the centuries, including:
  • Sonar Bangla ; Golden Bengal
  • Rūpasī Bangla ; Beautiful Bengal
  • Shayamal Bangla ; Green Bengal
  • Epar Bangla ; This side Bengal, used by Bengalis for their Native Bengal.
  • Opar Bangla ; That side Bengal, used by Bengalis from both Bangladesh and West Bengal to refer to each other.
  • Bharatiya Bangla ; Indian Bengal, used by Bangladeshi media for Indian state of West Bengal.
  • Padmapar ; Bank of River Padma, used by Indian Bengali media for Republic Bangladesh.
  • Nodimatrik Desh ; Riverine country or the Country of the River, used for both Bengal and Bangladesh.
  • Hazar Nodir Desh ; the Country of the Thousand Rivers, used for Bengal.Chhoy Ritur Desh ; the Country of the Six Seasons, used for Bangladesh.