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Suvarna Banik
Suvarna Banik, popularly called Bene, is a mercantile group from Bengal dealing in gold and silver. During the late eighteenth century, merchants of Suvarnabanik caste became prominent in trade including salt and opium trading. Despite their depressed status, they were the most well known trading caste in Bengal as per Census of India, 1951. Origin and history Origin and early medieval period The presence and activity of mercantile groups in Bengal becomes visible in historical records from the mid-fifth century onwards, due to the so-called land sale grants issued under the Gupta provincial administration of Pundravardhana-bhukti of North Bengal. After two-and-a-half centuries of absence, merchant groups reappear in the inscriptions of Bengal and the adjoining areas from the early ninth century onwards, but they cease to appear in the inscriptions of Bengal and Bihar from the mid-twelfth century. Thirteenth century work Bṛhaddharma Puraṇa placed Suvarnabanik ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Prabhupāda
Prabhupāda is the honorific used by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) to refer to ISKCON founder A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami. Etymology ''Prabhupāda'' (প্রভুপাদ) is composed of the words ''Prabhu, prabhu'' (প্রভু) and ''Pada (foot), pāda'' (পাদ). ''Prabhu'' means "Lord," while ''pāda'' means "foot" or "feet." Interpretations * Lord's Feet * At the Lord's Feet. * One Who Sits at the Lord's Feet * He at Whose Feet All Masters Sit (—Tamal Krishna Goswami) Usage * In Gaudiya Vaishnavism, "Prabhu" usually refers to Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Caitanya "Mahā Prabhu", i.e. "Great Lord Caitanya." * In the Gaudiya Math, "Prabhupāda" is used as an honorific for the founder Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati. * In the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, ISKCON, "Prabhupāda" has been used since 1968 exclusively to refer to A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami. From 1966 to 1968, his American disciples called him "Swamiji." In 196 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bengal
Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predominantly covering present-day Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal. Geographically, it consists of the Ganges-Brahmaputra delta system, the largest river delta in the world and a section of the Himalayas up to Nepal and Bhutan. Dense woodlands, including hilly rainforests, cover Bengal's northern and eastern areas, while an elevated forested plateau covers its central area; the highest point is at Sandakphu. In the littoral southwest are the Sundarbans, the world's largest mangrove forest. The region has a monsoon climate, which the Bengali calendar divides into six seasons. Bengal, then known as Gangaridai, was a leading power in ancient South Asia, with extensive trade networks forming connections to as far away as Roman Egypt. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pundravardhana
Pundravardhana or Pundra Kingdom ( sa, Puṇḍravardhana), was an ancient kingdom during the Iron Age period in India with a territory that included parts of present-day Rajshahi and Rangpur Divisions of Bangladesh as well as the West Dinajpur district of West Bengal, India. The capital of the kingdom, then known as ''Pundranagara'' (Pundra city), was located at Mahasthangarh in Bogra District in northern Bangladesh.Hossain, Md. Mosharraf, ''Mahasthan: Anecdote to History'', 2006, pp. 69-73, Dibyaprakash, 38/2 ka Bangla Bazar, Dhaka, Geography Mahasthangarh, the ancient capital of Pundravardhana is located 11 km (7 mi) north of Bogra on the Bogra- Rangpur highway, with a feeder road (running along the eastern side of the ramparts of the citadel for 1.5 km) leading to Jahajghata and site museum.Hossain, Md. Mosharraf, pp. 14-15. Mention in ''Mahabharata'' and ''puranic'' literature According to the epic ''Mahabharata'' (I.104.53-54) and puranic literature, '' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brihaddharma Purana
The Brihaddharma Purana ( sa, बृहद्धर्म पुराण, ) is a Hindu religious text, which classified itself (I.25.26) as the last of the 18 Upapuranas. The extant text comprises three ''khaņḑa''s (parts): ''pūrvakhaņḑa'', ''madhyakhaņḑa'' and ''uttarakhaņḑa''. On the basis of its usage of Sanskrit words with unusual meaning and Sanskrit proverbs popular in Bengal, a number of modern scholars believe that this text was written in Bengal. According to R. C. Hazra, a modern scholar, this text was composed in the second half of the 13th century. He classified it as a non-sectarian ''Upapurana''. Content The ''pūrvakhaņḑa'' and ''madhyakhaņḑa'' of both the Asiatic Society and the Vangavasi edition have 30 chapters. While the ''uttarakhaņḑa'' of the Asiatic Society edition comprises 14 chapters, the Vangavasi edition comprises 21 chapters and R. C. Hazra considers these additional 7 chapters (15-21) as the essential part of the text. ''Pūr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (; born Vishvambhar Mishra) was a 15th-century Indian saint who is considered to be the combined avatar of Radha and Krishna by his disciples and various scriptures. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's mode of worshipping Krishna with ecstatic song and dance had a profound effect on Vaishnavism in Bengal. He was also the chief proponent of the Vedantic philosophy of Achintya Bheda Abheda Tattva. Mahaprabhu founded Gaudiya Vaishnavism ( the Brahma-Madhva-Gaudiya Sampradaya). He expounded Bhakti yoga and popularized the chanting of the Hare Krishna Maha-mantra. He composed the ''Shikshashtakam'' (eight devotional prayers). Chaitanya is sometimes called Gauranga or Gaura due to his molten gold–like complexion. His birthday is celebrated as Gaura-purnima. He is also called Nimai due to him being born underneath a Neem tree. Life '' Chaitanya'' means "one who is conscious" (derived from Chetana, which means "Consciousness"); ''Maha'' means "Great" and ''Prabhu' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
East India Company
The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia), and later with East Asia. The company seized control of large parts of the Indian subcontinent, colonised parts of Southeast Asia and Hong Kong. At its peak, the company was the largest corporation in the world. The EIC had its own armed forces in the form of the company's three Presidency armies, totalling about 260,000 soldiers, twice the size of the British army at the time. The operations of the company had a profound effect on the global balance of trade, almost single-handedly reversing the trend of eastward drain of Western bullion, seen since Roman times. Originally chartered as the "Governor and Company of Merchants of London Trading into the East-Indies", the company rose to account for half of the world's trade duri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar
Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar CIE ( bn, ঈশ্বর চন্দ্র বিদ্যাসাগর; 26 September 1820 – 29 July 1891), born Ishwar Chandra Bandyopadhyay, was an Indian educator and social reformer of the nineteenth century. His efforts to simplify and modernise Bengali prose were significant. He also rationalised and simplified the Bengali alphabet and type, which had remained unchanged since Charles Wilkins and Panchanan Karmakar had cut the first (wooden) Bengali type in 1780. He was the most prominent campaigner for Hindu widow remarriage, petitioning the Legislative Council despite severe opposition, including a counter petition (by Radhakanta Deb and the Dharma Sabha) which had nearly four times as many signatures. Even though widow remarriage was considered a flagrant breach of Hindu customs and was staunchly opposed, Lord Dalhousie personally finalised the bill and the ''Hindu Widows' Remarriage Act'', ''1856'' was passed . Against child marriage,e ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sanskrit College
The Sanskrit College and University (erstwhile Sanskrit College) is a state university located in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. It focuses on liberal arts, offering both UG and PG degrees in Ancient Indian and world history, Bengali, English, Sanskrit language, Linguistics, and traditional orientation learning (Advaita Vedanta) except Pali in which only UG degree is being offered. History Sanskrit College was founded on 1 January 1824, during the Governor-Generalship of Lord Amherst, based on a recommendation by James Prinsep and Thomas Babington Macaulay among others. Mahesh Chandra Nyayratna Bhattacharyya, the scholar of Sanskrit, was the principal of the college for over 18 years. He was made a Companion of the Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire (C.I.E.), and a member of the Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire. He played a crucial role in colonial Bengal's educational reformation. He revived the ''tol'' system in Sanskrit education, and introduced titles or "Upa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
International Society For Krishna Consciousness
The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), known Colloquialism, colloquially as the Hare Krishna movement or Hare Krishnas, is a Gaudiya Vaishnavism, Gaudiya Vaishnava Hinduism, Hindu religious organization. ISKCON was founded in 1966 in New York City by A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Its core beliefs are based on Hindu texts, Hindu scriptures, particularly the ''Bhagavad Gita'' and the ''Bhagavata Purana''. ISKCON is "the largest and, arguably, most important branch" of Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition, which has had adherents in India since the early 16th century and American and European Hindu devotional movements, devotees since the early 1900s. ISKCON was formed to spread the practice of Bhakti yoga, the practice of love of God in which those involved (''bhaktas'') dedicate their thoughts and actions towards pleasing Krishna, whom they consider the Svayam Bhagavan, Supreme Lord. Its most rapid expansion in membership have been within India and (after t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mutty Lall Seal
Mutty Lall Seal (also written as Mutty Loll Seal, Mati Lall Seal, or Motilal Seal) (1792 – 20 May 1854) was a businessman and philanthropist from India. Seal began his life as a bottle and cork dealer but later became very wealthy. He donated large sums of his wealth to charity and education. Seal and Ramdulal Sarkar, another shipping magnate, became part of the Bengali folklore as great merchant princes. Early life Mutty Lall Seal was born in 1792, in a Bengali Hindu family situated in Calcutta (now Kolkata). His father Chaitanya Charan Seal, a cloth merchant, died when Seal was five years old. His early education began in a ''pathshala (Indian rural school)'' which continued onto the Martin Bowl English School and the Baboo Nityananda Sen High School. In 1809, at the age of seventeen, he married Nagri Dassee, the daughter of Mohan Chand Dey from the Surtir Bagan neighbourhood of Kolkata. Seal accompanied his father-in-law on a pilgrimage to northern and western India, an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ramdulal Sarkar
Ramdulal Sarkar (also spelt Ramdulal Dey or Ramdulal Deb) (1752 – 1825) was a Bengali merchant and a foremost name in the Indo-American maritime trade during the 18th and early 19th century. Life Sarkar was born in 1752 to Balaram Sarkar in the village of Rekjani near Dum Dum, West Bengal (then Company rule in India) while his parents were on the run during the Mahratta invasion of 1751–1752. Sarkar became an orphan soon after, and maternal grandfather, Ramsundar Biswas, brought him to Calcutta. His maternal grandmother found work as a cook in the house of the wealthy merchant, Madanmohan Dutta, the Dewan of Export Warehouses. He received education along with the sons of Dutta and soon became known for his excellent penmanship and accounting. Dutta made him a ''Bill Sarkar'' for Rs. 5/month. He saved Rs. 100 and opened a timber business for his grandfather. Soon, he was promoted to the position of ''Ship Sarkar'' for Rs. 10/month. His duty included visiting Diamond Harbour ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
