Gauda

Gauda may refer to:

See also

Gauḍa (region)

Gauda (Bengali: গৌড়), was a territory located in Bengal in ancient and medieval times, as part of the Gauda Kingdom.

Location and extent

The Arthashastra of Chanakya (around 350–-283 BC) refers to it along with Vanga, Pundra and Kamarupa. This geographical idea continues with some of the ancient texts. Gauda and Vanga are sometimes used side by side.

Shashanka, the first important king of ancient Bengal who is believed to have ruled between 590 AD to 625 AD, had his capital at Karnasubarna, 9.6 kilometres (6.0 mi) south-west of Baharampur, headquarters of Murshidabad district. The Chinese monk, Xuanzang (Hiuen Tsang) travelled from the country of Karnasubarna to a region in Orissa ruled by Shashanka. There is mention of Pundravardhana being part of Gauda in certain ancient records.

Evidence seems to be discrepant regarding links of Gauda with the Rarh region. While Krishna Mishra (eleventh or twelfth century AD), in his Prabodha-chandrodaya, mentions that Gauda rashtra includes Rarh (or Rarhpuri) and Bhurishreshthika, identified with Bhurshut, in Hooghly and Howrah districts, but the Managoli inscription of the Yadava king Jaitugi I distinguishes Lala (Rarh) from Gaula (Gauda).

Gauḍa (city)

Gauḍa, Gaur, or Gour (Bengali: গৌড়), also known as Lakhnauti, is a ruined city on the India-Bangladesh border, most of the former citadel is located in present-day the Malda district of West Bengal, India, while a smaller part is located in Nawabganj District of Bangladesh. This city was on the east bank of the Ganges river, 40 kilometers (25 mi) downstream from Rajmahal, 12 km south of Malda. Howeverver, the current course of the Ganges is far away from the ruins.

History

Lakshmanavati or Lakhnauti gathered prominence during the Sena dynasty, with the name of the city, often attributed to the Sena king Lakshman Sena. Prior to the accession of the Sena dynasty, Gauda region was under the control of the Pala dynasty and, in all probability, Karnasuvarna, the capital of Shashanka, served as the administrative headquarter. For example, the Khalimpur copperplate inscription of Dharmapal, refers to the monarch as Gaudeshwar (lord of Gauda). It is possible that, the Sena dynasty, that supplanted the Pala dynasty in Bengal proper (and to Gauda region) felt the need for a new administrative capital, to reduce the Pala influence. It is possible that the process might have been started by Vijay or Ballal Sena - but given the final shape by Lakshmana Sena. In fact Lakshmanasena had the administrative capital at Lakhnauti while a lesser capital (more likely a retreat in his later days) at Nadia. It was in the later capital, possibly less defended, that he was surprised by Ikhtiyar-ud-din Mohammad ibn Bakhtiyar Khalji.