Bengal which is a region in the north-east part of the Indian sub continent has a rich historical heritage. Previously it constituted of the East Bengal and West Bengal as a whole until it was divided in the recent past. Bengal is one of the most densely populated parts of the world and its history which dates back to four millennia can be divided into ancient, medieval and modern. The history of Bengal played an important role in shaping the history of India.

Bengal has a prosperous mythological past. The Bhagavata Purana discusses the primitive people of Bengal as sinners because they were considered Dasyus and not Indo Aryans. But the Vanga and Anga in Bengal are identified as Indo-Aryans in the Jain scriptures. Early mention of Bengal can be found in the Mahabharata and in Ptolemy’s geography as well. The remains of the settlements of the Copper Age suggest that the region of Bengal dates back to four thousand years. Earliest evidences of human settlements are derived from the stone tools and such pre historic stone tools have been found in many regions of Bengal such as Medinipur, Bankura and Bardhaman. In the Mahabharata there are references of Bengali kings like Chitrasena who was defeated by Bhima. The epic also suggests that Bengal was divided among various tribes or kingdoms such as southern, northern and western Bengal. Western Bengal was a part of Magadha and thus, became a part of the Indo-Aryan civilisation by the 7th century BC. However it was under the Nanda Empire that the whole of Bengal came under the Indo Aryan rule. The southern Bengal excelled in trade activities and after the invasion of Alexander the great in 326 B.C. it rose to prominence. At that point of time the Gangaridai Empire was the most powerful kingdom of Bengal and it was for the fear of their might and power that Alexander withdrew from India. The Vanga kingdom was an influential maritime nation of Ancient India.

In the early medieval period Bengal was divided into two kingdoms namely Pushkarana and Samatata. Bengal came under the supremacy of the Gupta Empire when Chandragupta II defeated a confederacy of Vanga kings. During the 6th century the strength of the Gupta Empire weakened and the Eastern Bengal became the Vanga kingdom. The first independent Buddhist dynasty that Bengal had witnessed is the Pala Empire in the 8th century A.D. It lasted for four centuries and at this point of time Bengal experienced the creation of numerous exquisite Buddhist architectures. The Pala dynasty is regarded as the golden epoch of Bengal. Never had the Bengali people reached such height of supremacy and splendour. In the twelfth century the Sena dynasty took hold of the reigns of Bengal. Caste system was introduced in Bengal by the rulers of the Sena dynasty. Hinduism was revived and Sanskrit literature gained prominence during this time.

The medieval period of Bengal was marked by the advent of the Muslim rulers in the 13th century. The rule of the sultanate of Bengal came to an end when the Mughal rule became recognised in Bengal during the sixteenth century. The Mughal forces in Bengal were defeated by Sher Shah Suri, the Afghan ruler who had excellent administrative skills and he built the Grand Trunk Road in Bengal. After Sher Shah’s death the Mughals established their control all over again in Bengal. During Akbar’s reign Bengal witnessed a period of prosperity. Bengal under the Mughal rule was referred to as the Paradise of the Nations.

Modern era of Bengal started with the advent of the British. The British East India Company was set up in Kolkata in the year 1690. Under the British rule two devastating Famine hit Bengal in the year 1770 and 1943. After the Sepoy Mutiny in 1857, the British gained full control over Bengal. From 1850 Bengal was India’s one of the chief industrial centre. Kolkata was declared as the capital of the British Raj. In the year 1905 Bengal was divided into east and west Bengal by the British for administrative purposes. Bengal was divided into Hindu west which included Bihar and Orissa and Muslim east which includes Assam. This step by the British only enhanced the Hindu – Muslim conflict. Because of the strong agitation, the British reunited East and West Bengal in 1912 and Bihar and Orissa were made a separate province.

The Bengal renaissance is one of the most imperative segments in the history of Bengal. It started with Raja Ram Mohan Roy and ended with Rabindra Nath Tagore. Nineteenth century Bengal was an exclusive merge of religious and scholars, journalists, social reformers, literary giants, patriotic orators and scientists, all merging to form the picture of a new beginning, and marked the evolution from the ‘medieval’ period to the `modern` era. In the independence movement Bengal played a vital role. Many eminent freedom fighters like Subhas Chandra Bose, Khudiram, and Surya Sen hailed from Bengal. Bengal was also the nurturing ground for a number of prominent revolutionary organisations.

The second partition of Bengal occurred in the 20th century in the year 1947. Bengal was divided into West Bengal in India and a Muslim region of East Bengal under Pakistan and it was renamed as East Pakistan in 1958.