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| | {{Short description|Village in Hooghly district, West Bengal}} |
| {{About|the historical port-town|its namesake present-day village|Saptagram (modern)|its namesake state assembly constituency|Saptagram (Vidhan Sabha constituency)}} | | {{About|the historical port-town|its namesake present-day village|Saptagram (modern)|its namesake state assembly constituency|Saptagram (Vidhan Sabha constituency)}} |
| {{EngvarB|date=March 2017}} | | {{EngvarB|date=March 2017}} |
| {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2017}} | | {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2017}} |
| {{Infobox ancient site | | {{Infobox ancient site |
| |name = Saptagram
| | | name = Saptagram |
| |alternate_name = Satgaon
| | | alternate_name = Satgaon |
| |image = File:সপ্তগ্রাম হুগলী তে বর্তমান সরস্বতী নদীর অবস্থা.jpg
| | | native_name = সপ্তগ্রাম |
| |alt =
| | | image = সপ্তগ্রাম হুগলী তে বর্তমান সরস্বতী নদীর অবস্থা.jpg |
| |caption = Saraswati River at Saptagram
| | | caption = Saraswati River at Saptagram |
| | map_alt =
| | | map_alt = |
| | map_type = India West Bengal#India3
| | | map_type = India West Bengal#India3 |
| | map_caption = Location of Gauḍa in West Bengal, India##Location of Gauḍa in India
| | | map_caption = Location of Gauḍa in West Bengal, India##Location of Gauḍa in India |
| | relief =
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| |coordinates = {{coord|22.9667|N|88.3833|E|source:wikidata|display=inline, title}}
| | | coordinates = {{coord|22.9667|N|88.3833|E|source:wikidata|display=inline, title}} |
| |location = [[Hooghly district]], [[West Bengal]], [[India]]
| | | location = [[Hooghly district]], [[West Bengal]], [[India]] |
| |type = Port, settlement
| | | type = Port, settlement |
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| |built = Prior to 9th century
| | | built = Prior to 9th century |
| |abandoned = Started declining 17-18th century
| | | abandoned = Started declining 17th to 18th century |
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| '''Saptagram''' (colloquially called ''Satgaon'') was a major port, the chief city and sometimes capital of southern [[Bengal]], in ancient and medieval times, the location presently being in the [[Hooghly district]] in the Indian state of [[West Bengal]]. It is about 4 km from [[Bandel]], a major rail junction. By the early twentieth century, the place had dwindled to a group of insignificant huts.<ref name = "Cotton">Cotton, H.E.A., ''Calcutta Old and New'', 1909/1980, p. 2, General Printers and Publishers Pvt. Ltd.</ref> The port had to be abandoned because of the silting up and consequent drying of the [[Saraswati River (Bengal)|Saraswati River]]. It influenced the subsequent development and growth of [[Kolkata]]. [[H. E. A. Cotton]] writes, "Here then may be traced nucleus of the future city of [[Calcutta]], and as time went on the silting up of the river opposite Satgaon still further favoured her fortunes."<ref name = "Cotton"/> | | '''Saptagram''' (colloquially called ''Satgaon'') was an ancient major port, the chief city and sometimes capital of southern [[Bengal]], in ancient and medieval times of [[Bengal]], the location presently being in the [[Hooghly district]] in the Indian state of [[West Bengal]]. It is about 4 km from [[Bandel]], a major rail junction. By the early twentieth century, the place had dwindled to a group of insignificant huts.<ref name = "Cotton">Cotton, H.E.A., ''Calcutta Old and New'', 1909/1980, p. 2, General Printers and Publishers Pvt. Ltd.</ref> The port had to be abandoned because of the silting up and consequent drying of the [[Saraswati River (Bengal)|Saraswati River]]. |
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| ==Etymology== | | ==Etymology== |
| The word ''Saptagram'' means seven villages. These are identified as [[Bansberia]], Kristapur, Basudebpur, Nityanandapur, Sibpur, Sambachora and Baladghati.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.hindubooks.org/temples/bengal/hooghly/page18.htm | | The word ''Saptagram'' means seven villages. These are identified as [[Bansberia]], Kristapur, Basudebpur, Nityanandapur, Sibpur, Sambachora and Baladghati.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.hindubooks.org/temples/bengal/hooghly/page18.htm |
| |title = Temples of Bengal | access-date = 5 August 2007 | work = Saptagram | publisher = hindubooks.org}}</ref> | | |title = Temples of Bengal | access-date = 5 August 2007 | work = Saptagram | publisher = hindubooks.org}}</ref><ref name = "Patree">{{cite book |last=Patree |first=Purnendu |author-link=Purnendu Patri |year=1995 |orig-year=First published 1979 |title=Purano Kolkatar Kathachitra |publisher=Dey's Publishing |language=bn |pages=65–71 |isbn=81-7079-751-9}}</ref> |
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| There is a mythological story attached to the name. King Priyabanta of [[Kannauj]] had seven sons – Agnitra, Medhatithi, Bapusman, Jyotisman, Dutisman, Saban and Bhabya. They were not happy with the royal life and so they set out in search of a place where they could carry out their meditation. When they came to the confluence of the Ganges, Jamuna and Saraswati, they liked the place and settled down in seven villages to a hermit's life. Thus grew Saptagram around the seven villages.<ref name = "Patree">{{cite book |last=Patree |first=Purnendu |author-link=Purnendu Patri |year=1995 |orig-year=First published 1979 |title=Purano Kolkatar Kathachitra |publisher=Dey's Publishing |language=bn |pages=65–71 |isbn=81-7079-751-9}}</ref>
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| ==Geography==
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| {{OSM Location map | | {{OSM Location map |
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| |mark-coord9={{coord|22|57|0|N|88|24|30|E}}| label9=Hooghly River| label-color9 = #77A1CB| label-angle9=85| label-pos9=top| label-size9=10| mark-size9=0| mark-title9 =none}} | | |mark-coord9={{coord|22|57|0|N|88|24|30|E}}| label9=Hooghly River| label-color9 = #77A1CB| label-angle9=85| label-pos9=top| label-size9=10| mark-size9=0| mark-title9 =none}} |
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| The [[Saraswati River]] used to take off from [[Hooghly River]] at [[Tribeni, Hooghly|Tribeni]], 50 km north of Kolkata, ran parallel to the [[Hooghly River]] on its west.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Gupta |first1=Das |last2=Prasad |first2=Siva |year=1995 |chapter=The Site of Calcutta: Geology and Physiography |editor1-last=Chaudhuri |editor1-first=Sukanta |editor-link=Sukanta Chaudhuri |title=Calcutta, the Living City |publisher=Oxford University Press |volume=Vol. I |page=17 |isbn=978-0-19-563696-3}}</ref><ref name= "Banglapedia">{{cite book |last=Ray |first=Aniruddha |year=2012 |chapter=Satgaon |chapter-url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Satgaon |editor1-last=Islam |editor1-first=Sirajul |editor1-link=Sirajul Islam |editor2-last=Jamal |editor2-first=Ahmed A. |title=Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh |edition=Second |publisher=[[Asiatic Society of Bangladesh]]}}</ref> Saraswati started drying up from the 17th century and ships, which navigated up the river, could no longer do so.<ref name = "Patree"/>
| | [[File:Sayed Jamaluddin Mosque in Saptagram 08.jpg|left|thumb|[[Sayed Jamaluddin Mosque]] at Adi Saptagram]] |
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| Around the time when [[Ikhtiyar Uddin Muhammad Bin Bakhtiyar Khalji|Bakhtiyar Khilji]] (1204–1206) came to Bengal, the region was divided into five parts – [[Rarh region|Rarh]], Bagri, Vanga, Barendra and [[Mithila (ancient)|Mithila]]. Vanga was further subdivided into three parts – [[Gaur, West Bengal|Lakhanabati]], Subarnagram and Saptagram. When the frontiers of Bengal were expanded during [[Mughal Empire|Mughal rule]], there were three prominent administrative zones in the area – Sirkar Satgaon, Sirkar Selimabad and [[Gar Mandaran|Sirkar Mandaran]].<ref name = "Patree"/>
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| ==History== | | ==History== |
| According to [[Binoy Ghosh]], [[Tamralipta]], the ancient port, started declining from the 8th century, owing to river silting, and Saptagram possibly started gaining in importance as a port from the 9-10th century. Saptagram port, along with its business centre, had become important in the pre-Muslim era, during the rule of the [[Pala Empire|Palas]] and [[Sena dynasty|Senas]]. In the Muslim era, Saptagram was an important administrative centre right from the beginning, and the period 14th to 16th century was considered the golden age of Saptagram. In the 17th century, Hooghly-Bandel-Chinsurah started gaining in importance. From the 18th century, Kolkata started emerging as the main business and cultural centre of Bengal.<ref name=binoyghosh>Ghosh, Binoy, ''Paschim Banger Sanskriti'', {{in lang|bn}}, part II, 1976 edition, pages 312-316 , Prakash Bhaban, Kolkata.</ref>
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| {{Quote box|quote=When the merchant [[Chand Sadagar]] goes for trade in his many ships he passes through Saptagram.|source=In ''Manasamangal'' by 15th-century poet [[Bipradas Pipilai]]|align=right|width=30%|quoted=1}}
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| {{quote box|quote=Where doesn't the merchant from Saptagram go?|source=from ''Chandimangal'' by 16th-century poet Mukundaram<ref name= "Patree"/>|align=right|width=30%|quoted=1}}
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| These are some of the highlights of Saptagrm:<ref name=binoyghosh/>
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| *During the rule of [[Muhammad bin Tughluq]], in 1328, the three important administrative centres of Bengal were Satgaon, [[Gauḍa (city)|Lakhanabati]] and [[Sonargaon]].
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| *[[Ibn Battuta]], the Moroccan scholar, landed at Satgaon port in 1345-46.
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| *[[Chaitanya Bhagavata]] has a description of Saptagram in 1530-40.
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| *From 1537-38 onwards Satgon finds a mention in Portuguese descriptions.
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| *There is a description of Saptagram, during 1574-1604, in [[Chandimangal]]kavya of [[Kabikankan Mukundaram Chakrabarti|Mukundaram]].
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| [[File:Sayed Jamaluddin Mosque in Saptagram 08.jpg|thumb|Sayed Jamaluddin Mosque in Saptagram]]
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| Earliest record suggests that the Muslim ruler [[Bahram Khan]] was first appointed the governor of Saptagram during 1324–1328 by Delhi Sultan [[Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq]].<ref name=banglaBahramKhan>{{cite book |last=Khan |first=Muazzam Hussain |year=2012 |chapter=Tatar Khan |chapter-url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Tatar_Khan |editor1-last=Islam |editor1-first=Sirajul |editor1-link=Sirajul Islam |editor2-last=Jamal |editor2-first=Ahmed A. |title=Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh |edition=Second |publisher=[[Asiatic Society of Bangladesh]]}}</ref><ref>[[Rakhaldas Bandyopadhyay|Bandopadhyay, Rakhaldas]], ''Banglar Itihas'' (History of [[Bengal]]), 1971, {{in lang|bn}}, p. 8, Naba Bharat Publishers, 72 [[Mahatma Gandhi]] Road, Kolkata.</ref> He had built a mosque at Saptagram collecting materials from many Hindu and Buddhist temples, thereby indicating the prosperity of Saptagram in the earlier Hindu and Buddhist periods.<ref>Bandopadhyay, Rakhaldas, pp. 66–67</ref> It is the oldest mosque in Bengal.<ref name= "Telegraph">{{cite news |last=Sengupta |first=Somen |date=23 October 2005 |title=Next weekend you can be at... Tribeni |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1051023/asp/calcutta/story_5387045.asp
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| |newspaper=The Telegraph |access-date=8 August 2007}}</ref> There is another mosque named [[Sayed Jamaluddin Mosque]] which was built with [[terracotta]] ornamentation.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.outlookindia.com/outlooktraveller/see/story/44299/the-terracotta-mosques-of-bengal|title=The Terracotta Mosques of Bengal|access-date=November 30, 2018}}</ref>
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| === Independence from [[Delhi Sultanate]] ===
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| When Bahram Khan was transferred to [[Sonargaon]], [[Izzuddin Yahya]] was made the next governor of Saptagram in 1328. After his death in 1338, his deputy [[Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah]] took control and declared independence from Delhi.<ref name=bpediaIlyas>{{cite book |last=Ahmed |first=ABM Shamsuddin |year=2012 |chapter=Ilyas Shah |chapter-url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Iliyas_Shah |editor1-last=Islam |editor1-first=Sirajul |editor1-link=Sirajul Islam |editor2-last=Jamal |editor2-first=Ahmed A. |title=Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh |edition=Second |publisher=[[Asiatic Society of Bangladesh]]}}</ref> Ilyas Shah annexed [[Gauḍa (city)|Lakhnauti]] in 1342 and Sonargaon in 1352 to his kingdom. Thus Saptagram became a part of whole unified Bengal for the first time in history.<ref name=bpediaIlyas/>
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| === Bengal Sultanate ===
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| ===Portuguese settlement===
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| The Portuguese called Saptagram ''Porto Pequeno'' (Little Haven); on the contrary [[Chittagong]] was ''[[Portuguese settlement in Chittagong|Porto Grande]]'' (Great Haven). In 1533, the Portuguese [[Afonso de Melo]] arrived with five ships and a hundred men. They presented lavish gifts to the [[Bengal Sultanate#List of Sultans|Sultan]]. However, instead of being pleased the Sultan put the Portuguese behind bars, because the gifts were stolen materials. A conflict situation arose. Messages were sent to the Portuguese governor at [[Goa]]. [[Chittagong]] port was set on fire. [[Diano Rebelo]] arrived at Saptagram with a force. Many thought that Sultan [[Ghiyasuddin Mahmud Shah]] would give a big fight. He did not. He released the Portuguese prisoners and granted them permission to trade at Chittagong and Saptagram. He had his own reasons; he wanted the support of the Portuguese in the internal struggle that was just unfolding<ref name = "Patree"/> and also feared the attack by the Afghan [[Sur Empire|Sur]] emperor, [[Sher Shah Suri]].
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| By 1535, the Portuguese were well settled in Saptagram. When Sher Shah Suri attacked Saptagram, the Portuguese fought for the Sultan, but they withdrew their forces in 1538. The same year Sultan [[Ghiyasuddin Mahmud Shah]] was defeated. It was only after Sher Shah Suri's death and the decline of Afghan supremacy that the Portuguese returned to Saptagram by around 1550.<ref name = "Patree"/>
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| ===Travelers account===
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| Traveler [[Ibn Battuta]] visited Satgaon in 1350.<ref>Bandopadhyay, Rakhaldas, p. 81</ref> From various records it is noted that local traders did not go abroad for trading but [[Arab]], [[Persian people|Persian]] and [[Turkish people|Turkish]] traders came to Saptagram for the purpose. The [[Portuguese people|Portuguese]] started coming to Saptagram from the early 16th century.<ref name = "Patree"/> [[Caesar Frederick]], a [[Venice|Venetian]] who had travelled in the East from 1563 to 1581 and has left behind an account about some important cities, ports and business centres of India and of Bengal, mentions thirty to thirty five ships loaded with goods at Saptagram. [[Tomé Pires]], a Portuguese traveller, did not visit Bengal but his work ''Suma Oriental'' written during 1512–1515 in India and Malacca gave an account of contemporary Bengal. He wrote, "It is a good city and rich where there are many merchants. It must have ten thousand inhabitants." [[Ralph Fitch]], an English traveller and trader, mentioned "Satgaon is a fairy city of the Moors, and very plentiful of all things." In 1591, he thrilled London with the magnificent possibilities of Eastern commerce.<ref name = "Patree"/><ref name= "Banglapedia"/>
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| ==Decline==
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| The silting of the river was taking its toll. [[Adi Ganga]] or present Tolly's Nullah was the outlet to the sea. The river was easily navigable for ocean-going ships up to Adi Ganga, beyond that only country boats operated. Betore on the western bank of the river had come up as a roaring trading centre. Many traders had started shifting to [[Hugli-Chuchura|Hooghly]]. Gobindasharan Datta Chowdhury (also Raja Gobindasharan Dutta) made his way to the eastern bank of the river from [[Andul]], and set up the village of [[Gobindapur, Kolkata|Gobindapur]], from 'Bada Rusa'. It was much later that [[Job Charnock]] came and landed at [[Sutanuti]].<ref name = "Cotton"/> As the curtain wrung down over Saptagram, [[Kolkata]] started unfolding as a major metropolis.
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| Now, it is an all quiet riverside, partly urbanised with an occasional factory chimney belching smoke in the distance. The Ishwar Gupta Setu, opened in 1989, linking [[Bandel]] with [[Kalyani, West Bengal|Kalyani]] offers a view of the Hooghly River.<ref name= "Telegraph"/>
| | [[File:Silver Tanka of the Delhi Sultan Ghiyath al-din Jalal Shah, struck in Satgaon.jpg|thumb|Silver Tanka of the Delhi Sultan [[Ghiyasuddin Jalal Shah|Ghiyath al-din Jalal Shah]], struck in Arshah Satgaon (Saptagram) mint]] |
| | According to [[Binoy Ghosh]], [[Tamralipta]], the ancient port, started declining from the 8th century, owing to river silting, and Saptagram possibly started gaining in importance as a port from the 9th to 10th century. The Saptagram port, along with its business centre, had become important in the pre-Muslim era, during the rule of the [[Pala Empire|Palas]] and [[Sena dynasty|Senas]]. In the Muslim era, Saptagram was an important administrative centre right from the beginning, and the period 14th to 16th century was considered the golden age of Saptagram. In 1565, Maharaja [[Rudranarayan]] of [[Bhurshut]] annexed it from the [[Pathans in India|Pathans]]. In 1592, Saptagram was recaptured by the Pathans. In the 17th century, [[Bandel]]-[[Hooghly-Chinsurah]] started gaining in importance. From the 18th century, [[Kolkata]] started emerging as the main business and cultural centre of Bengal.<ref name=binoyghosh>Ghosh, Binoy, ''Paschim Banger Sanskriti'', {{in lang|bn}}, part II, 1976 edition, pages 312–316, Prakash Bhaban, Kolkata.</ref> |
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| ==See also== | | ==See also== |
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| ==External links== | | ==External links== |
| * [http://wikimapia.org/130917/ Wikimapia satellite view of Iswar Gupta Setu and surrounding areas] | | * [https://wikimapia.org/130917/ Wikimapia satellite view of Iswar Gupta Setu and surrounding areas] |
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| {{Non-extant Bengal places}} | | {{Non-extant Bengal places}} |
| {{Hooghly District}} | | {{Hooghly District}} |
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| [[Category:History of Bengal]]
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| [[Category:Ancient divisions in Bengal]] | | [[Category:Ancient divisions in Bengal]] |
| [[Category:Hooghly district]] | | [[Category:Hooghly district]] |
| [[Category:Cities and towns in Hooghly district]]
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| [[Category:Neighbourhoods in Kolkata]]
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| [[Category:Kolkata Metropolitan Area]]
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