1868.] Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. 269 



No mention is made of any other events having happened on the 

 sea coast of Lower Bengal. Names of no ancient cities, except Bai- 

 cala (Arrakan) said to have been situated there, are mentioned in the 

 Mahabharata or the later Puranas. Modern Sanscrit literature is 

 peculiarly deficient, both in geographical accuracy and historical au- 

 thenticity. For authentic history we must look to the works of foreign 

 travellers. 



In Arian's account of India, this portion of Bengal is mentioned 

 in connection with the river Granges. He gives the names of its 

 several branches, and mentions two cities, which he says are situated 

 in its Delta. It is difficult to identify them now. 



Megasthenes who preceded Arian in his description of the Indians, 

 speaks very obscurely of the Granges. In Arian's list of the tributaries 

 of the Granges, we recognise the jSona in Soamus. Herodotus' account 

 of India is very general and limited to the North Western Provinces. 

 All invasions of any consequence were from the west and north- 

 west of India. So late as Manu, the lawgiver, the Ganges was 

 considered the eastern limit of the country habitable for the Aryas, 

 In the war of the Mahabharata, the king of Bengal is several times 

 mentioned, apparently to strengthen the retinue of the principal 

 warriors. We pass over some centuries without finding any notice of 

 the country. 



During the time of the Arab invasion of India (8th century of the 

 Christian era), Suiaiman came to this country. An account of his 

 travels is given in the Bulletin of the Geographical Society of Paris 

 (p. 203). His account of the Delta of the Ganges is very meagre. All 

 we can gather from him is that this part of Bengal was then in a 

 flourishing condition. There existed then many cities which traded 

 with Arrakan. The Persian Historians of the Muhammadan rule in 

 India are generally silent about Bengal, moat of them being more or 

 less connected with the court of Delhi. They have directed little or 

 no attention to the history of the secluded portions of the Emperor's 

 dominions in the East, which were always governed by one or more, 

 generally insubordinate, Viceroys. The little that was written by 

 the natives, was either neglected or suppressed by the court followers. 

 Ibn Batuta passed down the Delta of the Ganges, but he has record- 

 ed nothing regarding the SundarbaD. He generally speaks of the 



