Pundravardhana: Difference between revisions

|name                  = Pundravardhana

|image_map              =  

|common_name            = Pundravardhana

|era                    = [[Iron Age]]

|government_type        =  

|year_start            = ??

|year_end              = unknown  

|s2                    = Mahajanapadas, Janapadas

|capital                =  

|common_languages      =  

|religion     = ??

|currency    =

|today       = [[Bangladesh]]<br/> [[India]] ([[West Dinajpur district]], [[West Bengal]])

'''Pundravardhana''' or '''Pundra Kingdom''' ({{lang-sa|Puṇḍravardhana}}), was an ancient kingdom during the [[Iron Age#South Asia|Iron Age]] period in India with a territory that included parts of present-day [[Rajshahi Division|Rajshahi]] and [[Rangpur Division]]s 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.<ref name = "Hossain">Hossain, Md. Mosharraf, ''Mahasthan: Anecdote to History'', 2006, pp. 69-73, Dibyaprakash, 38/2 ka Bangla Bazar, Dhaka, {{ISBN|984-483-245-4}}</ref><ref name = "Banglapedia">{{cite web | url = http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Pundravardhana | title = Pundravardhana| access-date = 10 November 2007 | last = Ghosh | first = Suchandra | work = Banglapedia | publisher = Asiatic Society of Bangladesh}}</ref><ref name = "RCMajumdar">{{cite book |last=Majumdar |first=R. C. |author-link=R. C. Majumdar |year=1971 |title=History of Ancient Bengal |location=Calcutta |publisher=G. Bhardwaj & Co. |pages=5, 13 |oclc=961157849}}</ref>

{{coord|display=title|25.50|N|81.50|E|}}[[Mahasthangarh]], the ancient capital of Pundravardhana is located 11&nbsp;km (7&nbsp;mi) north of [[Bogra District|Bogra]] on the [[Bogra District|Bogra]]-[[Rangpur District|Rangpur]] highway, with a feeder road (running along the eastern side of the ramparts of the citadel for 1.5&nbsp;km) leading to Jahajghata and site museum.<ref name = "Hossain 1">Hossain, Md. Mosharraf, pp. 14-15.</ref>

According to the epic ''[[Mahabharata]]'' (I.104.53-54) and [[puranic]] literature, ''Pundra'' was named after Prince Pundra, the founder of the kingdom, and the son of King [[Bali (Chandravanshi)|Bali]]. Bali who had no children, requested the sage, [[Dirghatamas]], to bless him with sons. The sage is said to have begotten five sons through his wife, the queen Sudesna. The princes were named [[Anga#Etymology|Anga]], [[Vanga Kingdom#References in Mahabharata|Vanga]], [[Kalinga (Mahabharata)|Kalinga]], Pundra and [[Suhma Kingdom#References in Mahabharata|Sumha]].<ref name=vayu>{{cite book|title=Cultural History from the Vāyu Purāna|year=1946|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Pub.|pages=46|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Jmnm-smZm6oC&pg=PA46 |author=Devendrakumar Rajaram Patil|isbn=9788120820852}}</ref><ref name=enHindu>{{cite book|title=Encyclopaedia of the Hindu World, Volume 1|year=1992|publisher=Concept Publishing Company|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w9pmo51lRnYC&q=Bali+Kalinga+Vanga&pg=PA18|author=Gaṅgā Rām Garg|isbn=9788170223740|page=18-20}}</ref>

The spiritual teacher of [[Chandragupta Maurya]], [[Jainism|Jain]] Ācārya [[Bhadrabahu]] was born in Pundravardhana.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Majumdar|first=R.C.|title=History of Ancient Bengal (1971 ed.)|publisher=G.Bharadwaj & Co|year=1971|location=Calcutta|pages=12, 13}}</ref>

According to ''[[Ashokavadana]]'', the Mauryan emperor [[Ashoka]] issued an order to kill all the [[Ajivika]]s (follower os [[nāstika]] or "heterodox" schools of Indian philosophy) in Pundravardhana after a non-Buddhist there drew a picture showing the [[Gautama Buddha]] bowing at the feet of [[Nirgrantha Jnatiputra]]. Around 18,000 followers of the Ajivika sect were said to have been executed as a result of this order.<ref name="John1989">{{cite book | author=John S. Strong | author-link = John S. Strong | title=The Legend of King Aśoka: A Study and Translation of the Aśokāvadāna | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Kp9uaQTQ8h8C&pg=PA232 | access-date=30 October 2012 | year=1989 | publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publ. | isbn=978-81-208-0616-0 | pages=232}}</ref><ref name="Beni2010">{{cite book | author=Beni Madhab Barua | title=The Ajivikas | url=https://archive.org/details/ajivikas00barurich | access-date=30 October 2012 | date=5 May 2010 | publisher=General Books | isbn=978-1-152-74433-2 | pages=[https://archive.org/details/ajivikas00barurich/page/68 68]–69}}</ref>

Several personalities contributed to the discovery and identification of the ruins at Mahasthangarh. F. Buchanan Hamilton was the first European to locate and visit Mahasthangarh in 1808, C. J. O’Donnell, E. V. Westmacott, and Baveridge followed. Alexander Cunningham was the first to identify the place as the capital of Pundravardhana. He visited the site in 1889.<ref name = "Hossain 2">Hossain, Md. Mosharraf, pp. 16-19</ref>