• ISBN13: 9789355725318
• Binding: Hardcover
• Subject: History
• Publisher: Ratna Sagar
• Publisher Imprint: PrimusBook
• Publication Date: December 10, 2023
• Pages: N/A
• Original Price: INR 3150.0
• Language: English
• Edition: N/A
• Item Weight: 1400 grams

Early North Bengal: From Puṇḍravardhana to Varendra, c.400 BCE‒1150 CE reconstructs the history of a land named Puṇḍravardhana, an eponym of Puṇḍra, a group of people who resided in the northern part of Bengal. Situated to the east of the Ganga and directly connected with the Tista on the north, the Puṇḍras could communicate with their western, northern and eastern neighbours through the riverine routes. The book covers a long time period connecting several turns in the temporal and cultural history of the region with varying outcomes. The advancing stages of archaeological excavations and material remains reveal of adaptive processes between the local bodies and organized administrative machinery of varied denominations, synthesis of ideas and concepts, rise of local deities, local aspirations, social formations and monetization. The early medieval period marked a phase of excellence in cultural life and heralded some significant changes in society. It remained eventful and interspersed with some struggles to capture political power. The information required in order to weave the narratives of these aspects came from both textual and archaeological sources. The methodology in this book reveals that sculptures, conventionally confined to the domain of art history may shed valuable information on sociocultural and even political history. The motifs, attributes, and human figures on image sculptures are not mute elements, rather they can provide significant details about the making of early historical and early medieval micro areas where they originated. It signifies the importance of fieldwork for the collection of material evidence as well as gathering reminiscences from locals for an integrated view of history of the region.