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Culture of Bengal
Bengali New Year
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People Bangladeshi Culture Culture of West Bengal Kolkata culture Culture of Bankura district Culture of Birbhum
Languages Script Dialects Vocabulary Grammar Bengali language movement
Traditions Bengali wedding Bengali Hindu wedding Bhadralok Panjika
Mythology and folklore
Cuisine
Festivals Pohela Boishakh Nabanna Poush Mela Bhadu Fairs in Birbhum
Religion Buddhism Hinduism Sikhism Islam
Art ARCHITECTURE Pala school of Architecture ART Bengal school of art Kalighat painting
Literature Poetry Charyapada Mangalkavya Vaishnava Padavali Novels Science fiction Folk literature Tarja Literary institutions Literary awards History
Music and performing arts MUSIC Agamani-Vijaya Band Baul Bhatiali Bhawaiya Bishnupur Gharana Dhaki Gombhira Hason Raja Kavigan Lalon Maimansingha Gitika Nazrul Sangeet Rabindra Sangeet DANCE Alkap Chhau THEATER Jatra Gerasim Lebedev Group Theater IPTA
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v t e

The culture of Bengal encompasses cultures in the Bengal region, which today consists of the independent nation of Bangladesh (East Bengal), and the Indian federal republic's constitutive state of West Bengal. The two geographical entities share many cultural traits which root from their historical association.

Religion[link]

Pohela Baishakh celebration in Dhaka

Ancient Bengal was the seat of Buddhism. During the Mauryan period, Pundravardhana, corresponding northern Bengal, was the seat of culture and political activities; and in the third century B.C. both of Buddhism and Jainism were prevalent in northern Bengal. This Buddhist tradition continued for centuries up to the end of the Pala period.The period was marked by the establishment of some Buddhist colleges and universities, the remains of one of which still can be found at Paharpur. From the twelfth century, under royal patronage of the Sena rulers, there was the revival of Brahmanical Hinduism; and because of the introduction of Kulinism and torture on the Buddhists and Yogis, the path was made ready for the spread of Islam from the thirteenth century onward. With the elapse of time, Shaktism became very prominent in Bengal; and from the end of the fifteenth century, Vaishnavism also grew to be popular under the leadership of Shri Chaitanya.^[1] Centuries after the demise of Chaitanya, Bhakti Vedantaswami Prabhupada made Bengal's Vaishnavism a factor of Krishna consciosuness all over the world. There are many bhajans (devotional prayers to Bhagavan, Supreme Personality of Godheadm Krsna, and his devotees), which are written in Bengali language.

Literature[link]

The Bengali language boasts a rich literary heritage. Bengal has a long tradition in folk literature, evidenced by the Charyapada, Mangalkavya, Shreekrishna Kirtana, Maimansingha Gitika, Thakurmar Jhuli, and stories related to Gopal Bhar. Bengali literature in the medieval age was often either religious (e.g. Chandidas), or adaptations from other languages (e.g. Alaol). In the nineteenth and twentieth century, Bengali literature was modernized in the works of authors such as Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, Michael Madhusudan Dutt, Rabindranath Tagore, Kazi Nazrul Islam and Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay. Bengali culture took a revolutinary turn with the advent of about 30 writers, poets, dramatists and artists in 1960s who were called as the Hungryalists.

Music[link]

Baul singers at Basanta-Utsab, Shantiniketan

The Baul tradition is a unique heritage of Bengali folk music, which has also been influenced by regional music traditions.^[2] Other folk music forms include Gombhira, Bhatiali and Bhawaiya. Folk music in Bengal is often accompanied by the ektara, a one-stringed instrument. Other instruments include the dotara, dhol, flute, and tabla. The region also has an active heritage in North Indian classical music. Gurusaday Dutt did a lot for the revival of folk art and folk dances of Bengal in the early twentieth century.

Rabindra Sangeet, songs by Rabindranath Tagore, use Indian classical music and traditional folk-music as sources. In Bengali cultural life they have a strong influence. Nazrul Geeti, songs by Kazi Nazrul Islam, are also of great significance in Bengali culture.^[3]

Food[link]

Rice and fish are traditional Bengali staple diet, leading to a saying that in Bengali, machhe y bhate bangali, that translates as "fish and rice make a Bengali".^[4] Meat production has increased significantly in recent years.^[5] Bengalis make distinctive sweetmeats from milk products, including rôshogolla, chômchôm, kalojam and several kinds of pitha. Bengal's vast repertoire of fish-based dishes includes hilsa preparations, a favorite among Bengalis.ros malay,,,,,

Attire[link]

Bengali women commonly wear the shaŗi , often distinctly designed according to local cultural customs. In urban areas, many women and men wear Western-style attire. Men also wear traditional costumes such as the panjabi with dhuti. As time goes by the lungi, a kind of long skirt has replaced the dhuti, and now lungi is widely worn by Bangladeshi men.

Festivals[link]

The two Eids, Eid ul-Fitr and Eid ul-Azha are the largest festivals in Bangladesh. Durga Puja in October is the most popular festival in the West Bengal.^[6] Pohela Baishakh (the Bengali New Year), Rathayatra, Dolyatra or Basanta-Utsab, Nobanno, Poush parbon (festival of Poush), Kali puja, Laxmi puja are other major festivals.

• "Bhaiphota": After "Kali puja"

Wedding[link]

A bride dressed in red sari

Bengali wedding includes many rituals and ceremonies that can span several days. Although Muslim and Hindu marriages have their distinctive religious rituals, there are many common Bengali rituals in weddings across both West Bengal and Bangladesh.^[7][8] Main rituals include Gaye Holud (lit. "yellowing the body"), the wedding ceremony, and the reception (Bodhu Boron and Bou Bhaat or Walima).

Cinema and media[link]

Bengali cinema is made both in Kolkata and Dhaka. Mainstream Hindi films of Bollywood are also quite popular in West Bengal and Bangladesh. The Bengali film industry is also known for art films. Its long tradition of filmmaking has produced acclaimed directors like Satyajit Ray, Tanvir Mokammel, Mrinal Sen and Ritwik Ghatak. Contemporary directors include Buddhadev Dasgupta, Goutam Ghose, Aparna Sen, Tarek Masud and Rituparno Ghosh. Around 200 dailies are published in Bangladesh, along with more than 1800 periodicals. However, regular readership is low, about 15% of the population.^[9] West Bengal had 559 published newspapers in 2005,^[10] of which 430 were in Bengali.^[10] Ananda Bazar Patrika, published from Kolkata with 1,130,167 daily copies, has the largest circulation for a single-edition, regional language newspaper in India.^[10]

Sports[link]

Cricket and football are popular sports in the Bengal region. Kolkata is one of the major centers for football in India. Sourav Ganguly is an internationally known cricketer from West Bengal.^[11] Local games include sports such as Kho Kho and Kabaddi, the latter being the national sport of Bangladesh.

See also[link]

• Culture of Bangladesh
• Culture of West Bengal
• Bengali people
• Bangla house

Notes[link]

v t e  Bangladesh topics History History of Bengal Rulers of Bengal Magadha Legendary kings of Magadha Pradyota Shishunaga Nanda Maurya Sunga Kanva Gupta Kamboja Pala Sena Islamic rulers in India Delhi Sultanate Khilji dynasty Mughal Empire Battle of Plassey Black Hole of Calcutta Bengal Renaissance Partition of Bengal (1905) Partition of Bengal (1947) East Bengal Indian independence movement Muslim League Lahore Resolution Direct Action Day Partition of India East Pakistan Language Movement Six point movement Bangladesh Liberation War Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Ziaur Rahman Cyclones of 1970 / 1991 / 2007 Politics Government Constitution Elections Foreign relations Political parties Awami League Bangladesh Nationalist Party Drishtipat Bangladesh Police Rapid Action Battalion Armed Police Battalion (APBn) Human rights LGBT rights National Assembly (Parliament) Supreme Court Foreign Relations President Prime Minister Military Army Infantry Regiment Navy Air Force Bangladesh Rifles Subdivisions Districts Geography Sundarbans Cox's Bazar Bay of Bengal Ganges Delta Bengal Fan Ganges Basin Chittagong Hill Tracts Jat Area Rivers Cities National parks Mountains Islands Lakes Water supply and sanitation Economy Bangladeshi taka Dhaka Stock Exchange Chittagong Stock Exchange Bangladesh Bank Asia Energy Bangladesh Companies Bangladesh Academy for Rural Development Communications Biman Bangladesh Airlines Port of Chittagong Transport Culture Bengali language Architecture of Bangladesh Literature Cuisine Music Sports Architecture Theatre wedding Holidays Bengali calendar Pohela Boishakh Baul TV and radio Channels Bangladesh national cricket team Bangladesh national football team Bangladeshi kabaddi team Islam Hinduism Buddhism Bangladeshi people Symbols Flag Coat of arms Nymphaeaceae Hilsa Amar Shonar Bangla Jatiyo Smriti Soudho Jatiyo Sangshad Bhaban Shaheed Minar Baitul Mukarram Dhakeshwari Temple Jamuna Bridge Categories Archaeological sites Communications Culture Economy Education Geography Government History Media Military People Politics Religion Science and technology Society Sports Subdivisions Transport Bangladesh stubs Portal

Bengalis

[
1st: Atish Dipankar • Rabindranath Tagore • Kazi Nazrul Islam 2nd: Raja Ram Mohan Roy • Swami Vivekananda • Satyendra Nath Bose 3rd: Satyajit Ray • Muhammad Yunus • Subhash Chandra Bose
Total population
300,000,000 (as of the year 2008)
Regions with significant populations
~ Diaspora populations only of Bangladeshis
Bangladesh 156,050,883 [1]  India 70,000,000 [2]  Pakistan 2,000,000 [3]  Saudi Arabia ~ 1,000,000  United Arab Emirates ~ 600,000 [4]  United Kingdom ~ 500,000 [5]  Malaysia ~ 230,000 [6]  Kuwait ~ 150,000 [7]  United States ~ 143,619 [8]  South Korea ~ 130,000 [9]  Bahrain ~ 120,000  Oman ~ 115,000 [9]  Canada ~ 24,595 [10]  Italy ~ 35,000 [11]  Nepal ~ 23,000 [12]  Australia ~ 20,000 [13]  Japan ~ 11,000 [14]
Languages
Bengali (includes dialects of Sylheti and Chittagonian)
Religion
Islam - Bangladesh 88%, India 21%[15] Hinduism - India 78%, Bangladesh 11% Buddhism and Christianity - 1% [16][17]
Related ethnic groups
Bangladeshi diaspora, Indo-Aryan, Dravidian, Tibeto-Burman,Sinhalese,Austro-Asiatic, Mongolo-Dravidians, Proto-Australoid

The Bengali people are an ethnic community native to the historic region of Bengal (now divided between Bangladesh and India) in South Asia. They speak Bengali (বাংলা Bangla), which is an Indo-Aryan language of the eastern Indian subcontinent, evolved from the Magadhi Prakrit and Sanskrit languages. In their native language, they are referred to as বাঙালী (pronounced Bangali). They primarily belong to Indo-Aryan and Mongolo-Dravidian stock,and are closely related to Austro-Asiatic, Dravidian, Assamese, Sinhalese, Munda, and Tibeto-Burman linguistic/ethnic stocks. As such, Bengalis are a homogeneous but considerably diverse ethnic group with heterogeneous origins. They are the second largest single ethnic group in the world^{[citation needed]}.

They are mostly concentrated in Bangladesh and the states of West Bengal and Tripura in India. There are also a number of Bengali communities scattered across North-East India, New Delhi, and the Indian states of Assam, Jharkhand, Bihar, Maharastra, Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Orissa. In addition, there are significant Bengali communities beyond South Asia; some of the most well established Bengali communities are in the United Kingdom and United States. Large numbers of Bengalis (mainly from Sylhet) have settled in Britain, mainly living in the East boroughs of London, numbering from around 300,000;^[18] in the USA there are about 150,000 living across the country, mainly in New York.^[19] There are also millions living across the Gulf States, majority of whom are living as foreign workers. There are also many Bengalis in Pakistan, Malaysia, South Korea, Canada, Japan, Australia and many other countries (see Bangladeshi diaspora).

History[link]

Ancient history[link]

Mahasthangarh is the oldest archaeological site in Bangladesh. It dates back to 700 BCE and was the ancient capital of the Pundra Kingdom.

Remnants of civilisation in the greater Bengal region date back 4,000 years,^[20][21] when the region was settled by Dravidian, Tibeto-Burman and Austro-Asiatic peoples. The exact origin of the word Bangla or Bengal is unknown, though it is believed to be derived from the Dravidian-speaking tribe Bang that settled in the area around the year 1000 BCE.^[22]

After the arrival of Indo-Aryans, the kingdoms of Anga, Vanga and Magadha were formed in and around Bengal and were first described in the Atharvaveda around 1000 BCE. From the 6th century BCE, Magadha expanded to include most of the Bihar and Bengal regions. It was one of the four main kingdoms of India at the time of Buddha and was one of the sixteen Mahajanapadas. Under the Maurya Empire founded by Chandragupta Maurya, Magadha extended over nearly all of South Asia, including parts of Persia and Afghanistan, reaching its greatest extent under the Buddhist emperor Ashoka the Great in the 3rd century BCE. One of the earliest foreign references to Bengal is the mention of a land ruled by the king Xandrammes named Gangaridai by the Greeks around 100 BCE. The word is speculated to have come from Gangahrd (Land with the Ganges in its heart) in reference to an area in Bengal.^[23] Later from the 3rd to the 6th centuries CE, the kingdom of Magadha served as the seat of the Gupta Empire.

Middle Ages[link]

Pala Empire under Dharmapala		Pala Empire under Devapala

One of the first recorded independent king of Bengal was Shashanka, reigning around the early 7th century.^[24] After a period of anarchy, Gopala came to power in 750 by democratic election.^[25] He founded the Bengali Buddhist Pala Empire which ruled the region for four hundred years, and expanded across much of Southern Asia, from Assam in the northeast, to Kabul in the west, to Andhra Pradesh in the south. Atisha was a renowned Bengali Buddhist teacher who was instrumental in revival of Buddhism in Tibet and also held the position of Abbot at the Vikramshila university. Tilopa was also from Bengal region.

The Pala dynasty was later followed by a shorter reign of the Hindu Sena Empire. Islam was introduced to Bengal in the twelfth century by Sufi missionaries. Subsequent Muslim conquests helped spread Islam throughout the region.^[26] Bakhtiar Khilji, an Afghan general of the Slave dynasty of Delhi Sultanate, defeated Lakshman Sen of the Sena dynasty and conquered large parts of Bengal. Consequently, the region was ruled by dynasties of sultans and feudal lords under the Delhi Sultanate for the next few hundred years. Islam was introduced to the Sylhet region by the Muslim saint Shah Jalal in the early 14th century. In the early 17th century, Mughal general Islam Khan conquered Bengal. However, administration by governors appointed by the court of the Mughal Empire gave way to semi-independence of the area under the Nawabs of Murshidabad, who nominally respected the sovereignty of the Mughals in Delhi. After the weakening of the Mughal Empire with the death of Emperor Aurangzeb in 1707, Bengal was ruled independently by the Nawabs until 1757, when the region was annexed by the East India Company after the Battle of Plassey.

Bengal Renaissance[link]

Raja Ram Mohan Roy is regarded as the "Father of the Bengal Renaissance."

Rabindranath Tagore is Asia's first Nobel laureate and a versatile genius, also composer of Jana Gana Mana the national anthem of India as well as Amar Shonar Bangla the national anthem of Bangladesh.

Swami Vivekananda is considered a key figure in the introduction of Vedanta and Yoga in Europe and America[27] and is also credited with raising interfaith awareness, bringing Hinduism to the status of a world religion during the end of the 19th century.[28]

Jagadish Chandra Bose was a Bengali polymath: a physicist, biologist, botanist, archaeologist, and writer of science fiction.[29] He pioneered the investigation of radio and microwave optics, made very significant contributions to plant science, and laid the foundations of experimental science in the Indian subcontinent.[30] He is considered one of the fathers of radio science,[31] and is also considered the father of Bengali science fiction.

Satyendra Nath Bose was a Bengali physicist, specializing in mathematical physics. He is best known for his work on quantum mechanics in the early 1920s, providing the foundation for Bose-Einstein statistics and the theory of the Bose-Einstein condensate. He is honoured as the namesake of the boson.

The Bengal Renaissance refers to a social reform movement during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries in the region of Bengal in undivided India during the period of British rule. The Bengal renaissance can be said to have started with Raja Ram Mohan Roy (1775-1833) and ended with Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941), although there have been many stalwarts thereafter embodying particular aspects of the unique intellectual and creative output.^[32] Nineteenth century Bengal was a unique blend of religious and social reformers, scholars, literary giants, journalists, patriotic orators and scientists, all merging to form the image of a renaissance, and marked the transition from the 'medieval' to the 'modern'.^[33]

Independence movement[link]

See also: Freedom fighters from Bengal

Subhash Chandra Bose s one of the most prominent leader and highly respected freedom fighters from Bengal in the Indian independence movement against the British Raj.

Sri Aurobindo is one of the most respected freedom fighters from Bengal and also a poet, philosopher, and yogi.

Bengal played a major role in the Indian independence movement, in which revolutionary groups such as Anushilan Samiti and Jugantar were dominant. Bengalis also played a notable role in the Indian independence movement. Many of the early proponents of the freedom struggle, and subsequent leaders in movement were Bengalis such as Chittaranjan Das, Khwaja Salimullah, Surendranath Banerjea, Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, Titumir (Sayyid Mir Nisar Ali), Prafulla Chaki, A. K. Fazlul Huq, Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani, Bagha Jatin, Khudiram Bose, Surya Sen, Binoy-Badal-Dinesh, Sarojini Naidu, Aurobindo Ghosh, Rashbehari Bose and many more. Some of these leaders, such as Netaji, did not subscribe to the view that non-violent civil disobedience was the best way to achieve Indian Independence, and were instrumental in armed resistance against the British force. Netaji was the co-founder and leader of the Indian National Army (distinct from the army of British India) that challenged British forces in several parts of India. He was also the head of state of a parallel regime, the Arzi Hukumat-e-Azad Hind, that was recognized and supported by the Axis powers. Bengal was also the fostering ground for several prominent revolutionary organisations, the most notable of which was Anushilan Samiti. A large number of Bengalis were martyred in the freedom struggle and many were exiled in Cellular Jail, the much dreaded prison located in Andaman.

Partitions of Bengal[link]

Bangladesh Liberation War[link]

Religion[link]

Main articles: Demographics of Bangladesh, Demographics of West Bengal, Demographics of Tripura, and Demographics of Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Baitul Mukarram in Dhaka is the National Mosque of Bangladesh.

Dakshineswar Kali Temple in Kolkata, West Bengal, India.

Two major religions practiced in Bengal are Islam and Hinduism. In Bangladesh 88.3% of the population follow Islam (US State Department est. 2007) while 9.2% follow Hinduism. In West Bengal, Hindus are the majority with 71% of the population while Muslims comprise 27%. Other religious groups include Buddhists and Christians.^[17]

Culture[link]

Satyajit Ray is regarded as one of the greatest auteurs of 20th century cinema.

Ravi Shankar A multi time Grammy Winner.

Noted Bengali saints, authors, scientists, researchers, thinkers, music composers, painters and film-makers have played a significant role in the development of Bengali culture . The Bengal Renaissance of the 19th and early 20th centuries was brought about after the British introduced Western education and ideas. Among the various Indian cultures, the Bengalis were relatively quick to adapt to the British rule and actually use its principles (such as the judiciary and the legislature) in the subsequent political struggle for independence. The Bengal Renaissance contained the seeds of a nascent political Indian nationalism and was the precursor in many ways to modern Indian artistic and cultural expression.

The Bengali poet and novelist, Rabindranath Tagore, became the first Nobel laureate from Asia when he won the 1913 Nobel Prize in Literature. Other Bengali Nobel laureates include Amartya Sen (1999 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences) and Muhammad Yunus (2006 Nobel Peace Prize). Other famous figures in Bengali literature include Ram Mohan Roy, Kazi Nazrul Islam, Arundhati Roy, Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak and Bangla science fiction writers such as Muhammed Zafar Iqbal, Humayun Ahmed, Jagadananda Roy and Roquia Sakhawat Hussain (Begum Rokeya). Famous Bengali musicians include Ravi Shankar, Sachin Dev Burman, Rahul Dev Burman and Norah Jones; Famous Bengali singers include Kishore Kumar, Abbas Uddin, Runa Laila, Heamanta Mukherjee, Manna Dey, Shyamal Mitra, Geeta Dutt, Nachiketa, Shreya Ghoshal, Shaan, Bappi Lahiri, Abhijeet, Kabir Suman and Rezwana Chowdhury Banya. Famous Bengali scientists include Megh Nad Saha, Prafulla Chandra Roy, Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis, Amal Kumar Raychaudhuri, Jagadish Chandra Bose and Satyendra Nath Bose; famous Bengali engineers include Fazlur Khan and Amar Bose; famous Bengali filmmakers include Satyajit Ray, Bimal Roy, Mrinal Sen, Ritwik Ghatak, Zahir Raihan, Aparna Sen and Tareque Masud; and famous Bengali entrepreneurs include Sake Dean Mahomed, Amar Bose, Jawed Karim and Subrata Roy.

See also[link]

Bengal portal

• List of Bengalis
• List of Bangladeshis
• List of people from West Bengal
• Rohingya people
• Bangladeshi diaspora
  • British Bangladeshi
  • Bangladeshi American
  • Bangladeshis in Pakistan

Notes[link]

This article contains Indic text. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks or boxes, misplaced vowels or missing conjuncts instead of Indic text.