Do you agree with the statement ‘Bengalis shy away from business’? If you ask a Bengali today, 'What would you prefer to do, a job or business?' or if you ask any parent, 'In which profession would you like to see your child established in the future?' the majority would say 'a job'. This might be why a narrative has been created that ‘Bengalis are business-averse’. There is also a reason behind this – the economic weakness of Bengalis. Hence, when asked 'Why don’t you want to do business?' most people today would say, 'Lack of capital'. But I believe that business requires not just capital, but enthusiasm and intelligence. Which, undoubtedly, most Bengalis are lacking today. But have Bengalis always been lagging in business acumen? Our past doesn't say so. In ancient times, not just within the country, Bengali traders ventured abroad as well. And the glorious stories of those times, still audible today, were primarily born out of this trade. After all, as they say, wealth comes through trade! This discussion will delve into the ancient heritage of Bengali commerce!
Do you know any stories of Bengali trade from five hundred years ago? I think you do. We have all heard the story of Behula and Lakhindar, in brief or in detail. Therein lies the story of Chand Sadagar. Chand sailed the seven seas with seven ships for trade. After the conflict with Manasa, Chand Sadagar lost all his wealth and influence in trade. But that doesn’t nullify Chand's merchant identity. Similarly, we have heard the story of Dhanapati Sadagar in the Chandi Mangal. Stories of their trading ventures with seven ships and peacock boats are well known. We have also heard tales of merchant sons along with princes and princesses in folklore. Now the question arises, if trade was not an integral part of our past, how did these stories survive for hundreds of years in Bengali households? Stories that instill pride and joy in people are the ones that survive. When Bengalis gradually lost everything, they would tell the new generation stories of how Chand Sadagars once sailed across seven seas and thirteen rivers. Even after centuries, these stories still exist, albeit as remnants of tales! Today, we embark on a journey through those storied days.
Our Mangalkavya texts mention Bengali merchants. And if you notice, they were at the top of society. That is why deities like Manasa and Chandi sought worship from merchants, not kings. If the top merchants like Chand accepted the gods and goddesses of the lower strata of society, those deities would gain wider acceptance across all sections of society. However, the stories of the Bengali trade in Mangalkavya are somewhat exaggerated because they are memory-based. Meaning, they are set in a time when the glorious era of Bengali trade was already past. The true golden age of Bengali trade was not the medieval period but the ancient period, over a thousand years ago. Mangalkavya texts were written about five hundred years ago after the fifteenth century. As evidence, we can cite an inscription from the eighth century, found on the Dudh Pani hills in the Hazaribagh district, stating that three brothers from Ayodhya came to Tamralipta and earned a fortune. The Tamralipta port played a crucial role in the ancient Bengali trade.
In this episode, our discussion will primarily focus on the external trade of the Bengalis, that is, trade and commercial relations between Bengal and other regions and countries. While some of this trade was overland, most of it was by waterways. We haven’t heard much about the rich history of Bengali warfare. But in naval power, Bengalis dominated the Bay of Bengal. Ancient inscriptions and Sanskrit literature are replete with mentions of Bengali naval strength. In the sixth century, over 1,400 years ago, an inscription of Maukhariraj Ishanavarman called the people of Gaur ‘shelterers of the ocean’. In Kalidasa's 'Raghuvamsa', Bengalis were identified as 'prepared for naval endeavors'. Other inscriptions, such as the Gunai Ghar inscription of Vainyagupta (507-508 AD) and Dharmaditya’s (seventh century) copperplate inscriptions, mention ports and shipbuilding and repair yards. In short, to engage in trade via waterways, a fleet and naval power were necessary, which ancient Bengal possessed. And during that time, Bengali trade depended on two major ports: Tamralipta and Ganga ports.
Today, our communication networks are much improved with roads and highways. Back then, too, people created their own paths. It can be said that we still follow many of those ancient routes. In the seventh century, Xuanzang (Hiuen Tsang) traveled from Varanasi, Vaishali, Pataliputra, Bodh Gaya, Rajgir, Nalanda, Anga-Champa to North Rarh Bengal. From there, he went to Pundravardhana. Crossing a river from Pundravardhana, he traveled to Kamrup, and from there to Samatata (present-day Tripura, Dhaka, Khulna) and Barisal regions. Then from Tamralipta to Karnasuvarna (Murshidabad), and finally to Odra (Odisha) and Kalinga. These routes were likely followed for internal and external trade. Vidyapati's 'Purush Pariksha' mentions trade routes from Gaur to Gujarat. Additionally, land routes extended from Kamrup to Afghanistan and Tibet, from Chittagong to Arakan, and from Tamralipta to Odisha, Andhra, and Maharashtra. However, water routes were more prominent due to the abundance of rivers and the sea coast in Bengal. From Bengal to Sri Lanka, and from there to Malaya, Lower Burma, Suvarnadvipa, Java, Sumatra, Champa, and Cambodia, Bengali merchants traveled. There were also commercial connections with Arab, Persian, Roman, and Greek regions through the Arabian Sea, primarily via Gujarat’s Sopara port.
You might be surprised to learn that 'sopari' (betel nut) got its name from being exported from Sopara, previously known as 'gubak'. This gubak or betel nut was a significant cash crop in Bengal, alongside betel leaves and coconuts. These were not mere trivial items but were exchanged for valuable goods. Betel nuts fetched rubies in return, betel leaves brought emeralds, and coconuts were traded for conch shells. Other exports included bay leaves and long peppers, bringing substantial revenue. In the first century AD, Pliny's 'Indica' provides an idea of the economic significance, mentioning that half a pound of long pepper fetched fifteen gold coins in Rome. Pliny states that annually, one hundred thousand gold coins' worth of silk and cotton textiles were exported to Rome, much of it from Bengal.
This trade prosperity led to the rise of Pundravardhana, the development of Ganga Hridi, and the flourishing of various ancient Bengali settlements. These are our golden, untold pasts. From the pieces I’ve gathered through exploration, I've shared a bit of these stories with you. I hope you will share these stories with others by sharing this article. And if you have any additional information or stories on this topic, please send your writings to our specified address.
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