Overview
Ancient eastern Bengal polity; maritime links and part of early Gangetic-Bengal networks.
Vanga (ancient kingdom)
Ancient deltaic polity of eastern Bengal, attested in the Mahabharata, Buddhist Jatakas, and Puranic king-lists. No individual Vanga rulers are securely attested in contemporary sources prior to Mauryan absorption (c. 4th century BCE). The late phase (300–550 CE) includes the independently-attested copperplate-issuing rulers Gopachandra and Dharmaditya.
Territory Phases
Vanga600 BCE – 305 CE
Ancient deltaic polity of eastern Bengal in the lower Ganges-Brahmaputra delta. Known for maritime trade links with Southeast Asia, riverine networks, and integration into broader Gangetic-Bengal interactions. Mentioned alongside Anga, Kalinga, and Suhma in Vedic and epic literature. Often associated with the port of Tamralipta.
Vanga300 CE – 550 CE
Late Vanga — continuity of the deltaic polity under Gupta-era imperial umbrella and later as independent rulers. Gopachandra, Dharmaditya, and Samacharadeva issued copperplates as lords of Vanga in the 6th century CE. The region maintained its maritime and agricultural identity.
Sources
- Majumdar, R.C. (1943) History of Bengal, Vol. I
- Sircar, D.C. (1971) Studies in the Geography of Ancient and Medieval India