This book examines the social and cultural history of Bengal through two major themes the intellectual and cultural dimension, and the socio-economic changes from the ancient to the postcolonial. Essays by major scholars highlight and analyse major debates as well as little known aspects of the region. From currency in ancient Bengal to the establishment of Calcutta, from the social history of Rahr to the challenges of writing history of mediaeval Bengal, from modern medicine to man-made famines, this book brings to the fore the diverse socio-cultural threads that constitute this region.
The volume will be of great interest to scholars and researchers of Indian history and culture and South Asian studies.
Foreword.?Bhaskarda Personal Reminiscences of a gentle teacher, scholar and soul.?Introduction.?Part I:?Aspects of Society, Economy, and Religion of Pre-modern Bengal?1.?Currency in Early Bengal?2.?Archaeological Sites in a Constructed Landscape: Case Histories from Rarh Bengal?3.?Perspectives of Historical Biographies in Early India?4.?The act of Dna or Deyadhamma: Patronage to Buddhist monasteries in early Bengal (c.5th?cent. CE to 13th?cent. CE)?5.?Confluence of Creativity and Spirituality: A Study of Some Arabic Inscriptions of the Bengal Sultanate?6.?Challenges in Studying Social History of Medieval Bengal?7.?Medical Literature from Early Medieval Bengal: Making of a Regional Tradition?Part II: Exploring Life and Culture in Modern Bengal?8.?Three Overlapping Frontiers in Early Modern Bengal: Religion, Agrarian, Imperial?9.?The Cultural Dynamics of Rahr: Defiance and Decline.?10.?Who Oló'