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Bengali Hindus

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Bengali Hindu

Total population

85,000,000 worldwide

Regions with significant populations

India 68,000,000[1]

Bangladesh 15,726,800[2]

Myanmar 56,808[3]

United Kingdom 30,000[4]

United States 30,000[1]

Nepal 23,600[5]

Canada 12,130[6]

Australia 3,000[7]

Malaysia 2,500[8]

Thailand 1,584

Sweden 1,500[9]

Languages

Bengali

Religion

MainlyShaktaandVaishnavatraditions ofHinduism.

MinorityShaiva,andatheists.

Bengali Hindus(Bengali: ) are ethnicBengaliadherents ofHinduism, belonging totheIndo-Aryanpeople native to theBengalregion of theIndian Subcontinent. The BengaliHindus along with other relatedethno-linguisticgroups constitute the vast majority of

Hindus.[citation needed]

Bengali Hindus speakBengali, which is classified as a part of theIndo-Aryan

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language family and adhere to theShaktaandVaishnavatraditions of their native religion

Hinduism.[citation needed]

Around 8th century,Bengalibranched off fromMagadhi Prakrit, a derivative fromSanskritthat

was prevalent in the eastern region of theIndian Subcontinentat that time.[citation needed]

During the

Palaand theSenaperiod the Bengali culture developed into a distinct culture within theHinducivilization. In the subsequent centuries of foreign occupation and struggle for independence, the

Bengali Hindu culture remained dormant, only to revive itself in the 19th century in the form of

Bengal Renaissance. However, as a consequence of the extended periods of foreign occupation, acommunity ofBengalispeaking Muslims evolved, socially and culturally different from the

Bengali Hindu people.[10]

The Bengali Hindus fought for the independence ofIndiafrom the

British rulealongside the Bengali Muslims.[11][12]

The province of Bengal waspartitioned

between Bengali Hindus and Bengali Muslims intoWest BengalandEast Bengal. Millions ofBengali HindusmigratedfromEast Bengal(laterBangladesh) and settled inWest Bengaland

other states of India. The migration continued in waves through the fifties and sixties, especially

during the genocides of 1950 and 1964. During the Bangladesh Liberation War, an estimated

2.4 million Bengali Hindus were massacred by thePakistaniarmy.

[13]

The Bengali Hindu population is mainly concentrated in theIndian stateofWest BengalandBangladesh. While in theIndian statesofWest BengalandTripurathey are in majority, in the

otherIndian stateslikeAssam, Meghalaya,Jharkhandand theUnion TerritoryofAndaman and

Nicobar Islandsthey form a significantlinguistic minority. The Bengali Hindus thus constitute a

minorityethnic group[14]

both inIndiaandBangladesh, forming less than 10% of the populationin both the countries. From the sixties, the Bengali Hindus began to emigrate to the West, mostly

to pursue higher studies and later to the Middle East, in search of lucrative careers. This gave rise

to a sizeableexpatriateBengali Hindu population in the West and the Middle East.

Contents

1 Ethnonym 2 Ethnology 3 History

o 3.1 Ancient periodo 3.2 Medieval periodo 3.3 Early Modern Periodo 3.4 Renaissance Periodo 3.5 Inter-partition Periodo 3.6 Post-partition Period

4 Cultureo 4.1 Literatureo 4.2 Arto 4.3 Festivals

5 Religion 6 See also 7 Notes 8 References

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaktahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaktahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaktahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaishnavahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaishnavahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaishnavahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_neededhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_neededhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_neededhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magadhi_Prakrithttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magadhi_Prakrithttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magadhi_Prakrithttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanskrithttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanskrithttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanskrithttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Subcontinenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Subcontinenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Subcontinenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_neededhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_neededhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_neededhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pala_Empirehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pala_Empirehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sena_dynastyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sena_dynastyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sena_dynastyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengal_Renaissancehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengal_Renaissancehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#cite_note-10http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#cite_note-10http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#cite_note-10http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Rajhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Rajhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#cite_note-11http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#cite_note-11http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#cite_note-11http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partition_of_Bengal_%281947%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partition_of_Bengal_%281947%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partition_of_Bengal_%281947%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Bengalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Bengalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Bengalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Bengalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Bengalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Bengalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_migrationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_migrationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_migrationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Bengalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Bengalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Bengalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangladeshhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangladeshhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangladeshhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Bengalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Bengalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Bengalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakistanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakistanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakistanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#cite_note-gumaste-13http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#cite_note-gumaste-13http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#cite_note-gumaste-13http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/States_and_territories_of_Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/States_and_territories_of_Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/States_and_territories_of_Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Bengalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Bengalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Bengalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangladeshhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangladeshhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/States_and_territories_of_Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/States_and_territories_of_Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/States_and_territories_of_Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Bengalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Bengalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Bengalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tripurahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tripurahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tripurahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/States_and_territories_of_Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/States_and_territories_of_Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/States_and_territories_of_Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assamhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assamhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assamhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jharkhandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jharkhandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jharkhandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Territoryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Territoryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Territoryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andaman_and_Nicobar_Islandshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andaman_and_Nicobar_Islandshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andaman_and_Nicobar_Islandshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andaman_and_Nicobar_Islandshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linguistic_minorityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linguistic_minorityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linguistic_minorityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnic_grouphttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnic_grouphttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#cite_note-togawa-14http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#cite_note-togawa-14http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#cite_note-togawa-14http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangladeshhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangladeshhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangladeshhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expatriatehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expatriatehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expatriatehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#Ethnonymhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#Ethnonymhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#Ethnologyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#Ethnologyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#Historyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#Historyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#Ancient_periodhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#Ancient_periodhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#Medieval_periodhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#Medieval_periodhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#Early_Modern_Periodhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#Early_Modern_Periodhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#Renaissance_Periodhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#Renaissance_Periodhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#Inter-partition_Periodhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#Inter-partition_Periodhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#Post-partition_Periodhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#Post-partition_Periodhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#Culturehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#Culturehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#Literaturehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#Literaturehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#Arthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#Arthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#Festivalshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#Festivalshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#Religionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#Religionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#See_alsohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#See_alsohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#Noteshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#Noteshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#Referenceshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#Referenceshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#Referenceshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#Noteshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#See_alsohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#Religionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#Festivalshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#Arthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#Literaturehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#Culturehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#Post-partition_Periodhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#Inter-partition_Periodhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#Renaissance_Periodhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#Early_Modern_Periodhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#Medieval_periodhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#Ancient_periodhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#Historyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#Ethnologyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#Ethnonymhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expatriatehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangladeshhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#cite_note-togawa-14http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnic_grouphttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linguistic_minorityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andaman_and_Nicobar_Islandshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andaman_and_Nicobar_Islandshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Territoryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jharkhandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assamhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/States_and_territories_of_Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tripurahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Bengalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/States_and_territories_of_Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangladeshhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Bengalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/States_and_territories_of_Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#cite_note-gumaste-13http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakistanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Bengalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangladeshhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Bengalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_migrationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Bengalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Bengalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partition_of_Bengal_%281947%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#cite_note-11http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#cite_note-11http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Rajhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#cite_note-10http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengal_Renaissancehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sena_dynastyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pala_Empirehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_neededhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Subcontinenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanskrithttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magadhi_Prakrithttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_neededhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaishnavahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shakta

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9 Bibliography

Ethnonym

The Hindus are a religious group,[15]native to theIndian subcontinent, speaking a broad range of

Indo-AryanandDravidian languagesand adhering to the native belief systems, rooted in the

Vedas. The word Hindu is popularly believed to be aPersianexonymfor the people native to theIndian subcontinent. The word is derived fromSindhu,

[16]theSanskritname for the riverIndus

and it initially referred to the people residing to the east of the river. The Hindus are constituted

into variousethno-linguisticsubgroups, which in spite of being culturally diverse, share acommon bond of unity.

The word Bengali is an Englishexonymfor the nativeBengaliword bangali. The English word

Bengali denoting the people as well as the language is derived from the English wordBengaldenoting the region, which itself is derived ultimately from theBengaliwordVangawhich was

one of the five historical kingdoms of Eastern India. According toHarivamsa,Bali, the king of

theasurashad five sons from his wife Sudeshna through sage Dirghatama. The five sons namelyAnga, Vanga,Kalinga,PundraandSumhawent on found five kingdoms of the same name in the

eastern region of theIndian subcontinent. In ancient times Vanga proper consisted of the deltaic

region betweenBhagirathi,PadmaandMadhumati, but later on extended to include the regionswhich now roughly comprise of the Indian state ofWest BengalandBangladesh.

The Bengali Hindu people belong to the broaderHindupeople. InBengali, the Bengali Hindus

are described asjati meaning anethnic groupor a nation, that form an inseparable part of theHindumahajati or great nation. The Bengali Hindus constitute of the constituent ethnic groups

of the Hindu nation.

InIndia, they tend to identify themselves asBengalis[17]

while inBangladeshthey tend to

identify themselves asHindus.[18]

In the global context, the terms Indian Bengali[19][20]

andBangladeshi Hindu

[21][22]are respectively used. In India,Bengaligenerally refers to Bengali

Hindus,[23]

a notion widely accepted by the otherethnic groups.[24]

The other is usually

identified as non-Bengali, a term that generically refers to the Indian people who are not

Bengali speaking, but sometimes specifically used to denote theHindispeaking population.

Ethnology

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#Bibliographyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#Bibliographyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#cite_note-tagore1-15http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#cite_note-tagore1-15http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#cite_note-tagore1-15http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_subcontinenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_subcontinenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_subcontinenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indo-Aryan_languageshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indo-Aryan_languageshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dravidian_languageshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dravidian_languageshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dravidian_languageshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vedahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vedahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persian_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persian_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exonymhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exonymhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exonymhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_subcontinenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_subcontinenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sindhuhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sindhuhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#cite_note-16http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#cite_note-16http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#cite_note-16http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanskrithttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanskrithttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanskrithttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indushttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indushttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indushttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethno-linguistichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethno-linguistichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethno-linguistichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exonymhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exonymhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exonymhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanga_Kingdomhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanga_Kingdomhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanga_Kingdomhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harivamsahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harivamsahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harivamsahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahabalihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahabalihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahabalihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asurahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asurahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asurahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalinga_%28India%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalinga_%28India%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalinga_%28India%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pundrahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pundrahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pundrahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suhma_Kingdomhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suhma_Kingdomhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suhma_Kingdomhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_subcontinenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_subcontinenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_subcontinenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hooghly_Riverhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hooghly_Riverhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hooghly_Riverhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Padma_Riverhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Padma_Riverhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Padma_Riverhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madhumati_Riverhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madhumati_Riverhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madhumati_Riverhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Bengalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Bengalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Bengalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangladeshhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangladeshhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangladeshhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_peoplehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_peoplehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_peoplehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnic_grouphttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnic_grouphttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnic_grouphttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_peoplehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_peoplehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_peoplehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_peoplehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangladeshhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangladeshhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangladeshhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#cite_note-18http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#cite_note-18http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#cite_note-18http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#cite_note-19http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#cite_note-19http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#cite_note-19http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#cite_note-21http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#cite_note-21http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_peoplehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_peoplehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_peoplehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#cite_note-23http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#cite_note-23http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#cite_note-23http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnic_grouphttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnic_grouphttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#cite_note-24http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#cite_note-24http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#cite_note-24http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bengali_Swastika.pnghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#cite_note-24http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnic_grouphttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#cite_note-23http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_peoplehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#cite_note-21http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#cite_note-21http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#cite_note-19http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#cite_note-19http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#cite_note-18http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangladeshhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_peoplehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_peoplehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnic_grouphttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_peoplehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangladeshhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Bengalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madhumati_Riverhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Padma_Riverhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hooghly_Riverhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_subcontinenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suhma_Kingdomhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pundrahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalinga_%28India%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asurahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahabalihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harivamsahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanga_Kingdomhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exonymhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethno-linguistichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indushttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanskrithttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#cite_note-16http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sindhuhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_subcontinenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exonymhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persian_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vedahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dravidian_languageshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indo-Aryan_languageshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_subcontinenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#cite_note-tagore1-15http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#Bibliography

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The Bengali Hindu Swastika

The Bengali Hindus constitute of numerousendogamouscastes, which are sometimes further

subdivided intoendogamoussubgroups. Thecaste systemevolved over centuries and became

more and more complex with time. In the medieval period, severalcasteswereboycottedby theruling classes from time to time and this isolation continued till the 19th century. These social

boycottswere somewhat discriminatory in nature.Untouchabilityalso exists in the society,

especially in west Bengal.[25]

After theRenaissance, the rigidity of thecaste systemceased to agreat extent, so much so that the first celebrated intercaste marriage took place as early as in

1925.

The Bengali Hindu families arepatriarchalas well aspatrilocaland traditionally follow a joint

family system. However, due to thePartitionand subsequent urbanization, thejoint familieshave

given way to thenuclear families. The Bengali Hindus were traditionally governed by the

Dyabhgaschool of law, as opposed to theMitkarschool of law, which governed the other

Hinduethno-linguisticgroups. InIndia, after the promulgation of theHindu code bills, theBengali Hindus along with otherHindusare being governed by a uniformHindu law.

There are two major social subgroups among the Bengali Hindustheghotisand thebangals.

The Bengali Hindus who emigrated fromPakistanat the wake of thePartitionand settled inWest Bengal, came to known as thebangals, while the native Bengali Hindus of West Bengal

came to known asghotis. These two social subgroups possess marked difference in their accents

and their rivalry is manifested in almost every sphere of life, most notably in the support for thefootball clubs ofEast BengalandMohun Baganrespectively.

History

Ancient period

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endogamyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endogamyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endogamyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endogamyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endogamyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caste_system_in_Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caste_system_in_Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caste_system_in_Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boycotthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boycotthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boycotthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boycotthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boycotthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Untouchabilityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Untouchabilityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Untouchabilityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#cite_note-25http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#cite_note-25http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#cite_note-25http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengal_Renaissancehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengal_Renaissancehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengal_Renaissancehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caste_system_in_Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caste_system_in_Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caste_system_in_Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patriarchyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patriarchyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patriarchyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrilocal_residencehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrilocal_residencehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrilocal_residencehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partition_of_Bengal_%281947%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partition_of_Bengal_%281947%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partition_of_Bengal_%281947%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_joint_familyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_joint_familyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_joint_familyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_familyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_familyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_familyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C4%81yabh%C4%81gahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C4%81yabh%C4%81gahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mit%C4%81k%E1%B9%A3ar%C4%81http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mit%C4%81k%E1%B9%A3ar%C4%81http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mit%C4%81k%E1%B9%A3ar%C4%81http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mit%C4%81k%E1%B9%A3ar%C4%81http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mit%C4%81k%E1%B9%A3ar%C4%81http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethno-linguistichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethno-linguistichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethno-linguistichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_code_billshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_code_billshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_code_billshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_Hindu_lawhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_Hindu_lawhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_Hindu_lawhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghotishttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghotishttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghotishttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Pakistanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Pakistanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Pakistanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partition_of_Bengal_%281947%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partition_of_Bengal_%281947%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partition_of_Bengal_%281947%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Bengalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Bengalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghotishttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghotishttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghotishttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingfisher_East_Bengal_FChttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingfisher_East_Bengal_FChttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingfisher_East_Bengal_FChttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohun_Bagan_AChttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohun_Bagan_AChttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohun_Bagan_AChttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ganesh_(mus%C3%A9e_d'art_asiatique_de_Berlin).jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bengali_Swastika.pnghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ganesh_(mus%C3%A9e_d'art_asiatique_de_Berlin).jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bengali_Swastika.pnghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohun_Bagan_AChttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingfisher_East_Bengal_FChttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghotishttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Bengalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partition_of_Bengal_%281947%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Pakistanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghotishttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_Hindu_lawhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_code_billshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethno-linguistichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mit%C4%81k%E1%B9%A3ar%C4%81http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C4%81yabh%C4%81gahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_familyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_joint_familyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partition_of_Bengal_%281947%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrilocal_residencehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patriarchyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caste_system_in_Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengal_Renaissancehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#cite_note-25http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Untouchabilityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boycotthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boycotthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caste_system_in_Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endogamyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endogamy

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Dancing Ganesha sculpture from North Bengal, 11th century AD, Asian Art Museum of Berlin

(Dahlem)

In the ancient times, the Bengali Hindus were aseafaringpeople as evident from Vijay Singha's

naval conquest ofLanka,

[26][27]

the tales of merchants likeChand Sadagarand DhanapatiSaudagor whose ships sailed to far off places for trade and establishment of colonies inSouth

East Asia. By the 3rd century B.C.E. they were united into a powerful state, known to theGreeks

asGangaridai, whose military prowess demoralizedAlexanderfrom further expedition to theeast. later the region of Bengal came underMaurya,SungaandGuptarule. In the 7th century,

Shashankabecame the independent Bengali Hindu ruler ofGauda. He successfully fought

against his adversariesHarshavardhanaandBhaskaravarmanaand protected thesovereigntyof

the people.

Medieval period

In the middle of the 8th century, the Bengali Hindu nobility democratically electedGopalaas theruler ofGauda, a historic event that ushered an era of peace and prosperity inBengal, ending

almost a century of chaos and confusion. ThePalarulers unifiedBengalinto a single political

entity and expanded it into an empire, conquering a major portion ofNorth India. During thistime, the Bengali Hindus excelled in art, literature, philosophy, mathematics, sciences and

statecraft. The first scriptures in Bengali Charyapada was composed during the Pala rule. The

Palawere followed by the Senas who made far reaching changes in the social structure ofBengali Hindus, introducing 36 newcastesand orthodox institutions like kulinism.

The literary progress of the Pala and Sena period came to a halt after the Turkish conquest in theearly 13th century. Except for Haridas Datta'sManasar Bhasan no significant literary work was

composed for about a century after the conquest.

[28]

Even though the ruling classes resisted theinvaders,Gauda, the centre ofBengalpolity, fell to the Mohammedans. During this period

hundreds of temples and monasteries were desecrated. The next attack on the society came fromthe Islamicmissionaries. Local chieftains likeAkananda, Dakshin Ray and Mukut Ray, resisted

the missionary activities.

ThePathanoccupation ofBengalwas limited to the region ofGauda, the rest of which was held

in sway by different Bengali Hindu rulers. In the early 15th century, thePathanrule was

overthrown by the Bengali Hindu nobility under the leadership ofGanesha. When theMughalsinvadedBengal, the Bengali Hindu chiefs along with some Bengali Muslims consolidated

themselves into confederacies and resisted the Mughals. After the fall of the confederacies, the

Mughals a major part ofBengaland constituted asubah. Independent Bengali Hindu kingdomslike Tripura and Koch Bihar continued to maintain their sovereignty.

Early Modern Period

After the fall of theMughal Empire, during the reign ofAlivardi Khanthe inhuman taxation and

frequentMaratha Empireraids made the life miserable for the ordinary Bengali Hindu people.[29]

A section of the Bengali Hindu nobility actively helped theBritish East India Companyin

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Hindus#cite_note-29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#cite_note-29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#cite_note-29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_East_India_Companyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_East_India_Companyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_East_India_Companyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ganesh_(mus%C3%A9e_d'art_asiatique_de_Berlin).jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_East_India_Companyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#cite_note-29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maratha_Empirehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alivardi_Khanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mughal_Empirehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mughal_Empirehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raja_Ganeshahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pashtun_peoplehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gau%E1%B8%8Da_regionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pashtun_peoplehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akananda_and_Bakanandahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missionaryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gau%E1%B8%8Da_regionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#cite_note-28http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caste_system_in_Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pala_Empirehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pala_Empirehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gau%E1%B8%8Da_regionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gopalahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sovereigntyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhaskaravarmanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harshavardhanahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gau%E1%B8%8Da_regionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shashankahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gupta_Empirehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunga_Empirehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mauryahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_the_Greathttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gangaridaihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Greekhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_East_Asiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_East_Asiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chand_Sadagarhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#cite_note-26http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#cite_note-26http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lankahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seafaring

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overthrowing theSiraj ud-Daulahregime. After obtaining the revenue rights, theEast India

Companyimposed more oppressive taxation that led to the famine of 1770, in which

approximately one third of the Bengali Hindu population died of starvation.[30]

However, theBritishbegan to face stiff resistance in conquering the semi-independent Bengali

Hindu kingdoms outside the pale of Muslim occupied Bengal. Even when their rulers have beencaptured or killed, the ordinary people began to carry on the fight. These resistances took the

form ofBhumij(Chuar is a deragatory term used by the English to denote the Bhumij) and Paik

rebellion. These warring people were later listed ascriminal tribesand barred from recruitmentin the Indian army. In 1766, theBritishtroops were completely routed by thesanyasis or the

warrior monks atDinhata, where the latter resortedguerilla warfare.Bankimchandra Chatterjee's

Anandamath is based on the Famine and consequential Sanyasi Revolt.[31]

Renaissance Period

In the 19th century, the Bengali Hindu people underwent radicalsocial reformsand rapid

modernization; the phenomenon came to be known as theBengal Renaissance. By the turn ofhalf a century, the Bengali Hindus turned from one of the mostorthodoxto one of the most

progressivecommunities inIndia. It was during this time that their identity came to be

established with the help of modern virtues like press and railway.

Riding on the renaissance, they began to take early lessons of patriotism in the late sixties and bythe turn of the 20th century, they were envisioning a modernnation state. Public media likepress

and theatres had become vents of nationalist sentiments, apolitical organizations had given way

to political platforms, secret revolutionary societies had emerged and the society at large had

become restive.

In order to keep the rising Bengali Hindu aspirations at bay, the British rulers conspired to strikeat the root of their strength, theirpreeminentposition in theBengal, the most prosperousprovince ofBritish India, where in spite of being in marginal minority in Bengal, they dominated

each and every sphere of public life. TheBritisherspartitioned the province in 1905 and along

with some additional restructuring came up with two provincesEastern Bengal & Assam andBengal itself, in each of which the Bengali Hindus were reduced to minorities. The incident

triggered the Bengali Hindus into swift action and within a span of six years they coerced the

Britishers to undo thePartition.

Inter-partition Period

TheBengal Renaissancegave birth to a new generation of highly educated, spirituallyenlightened and politically restive Bengali Hindus. The Britishers sensed imminent danger at the

rise of nationalist aspirations among the Bengali Hindus, which they considered a threat to their

imperialisthegemony. In order to keep the rising Bengali Hindus at bay,Curzondivided the

Bengal Presidencyinto twoa western part called Bengal and an eastern part called EasternBengal and Assam, with the net effect that the Bengali Hindus being reduced to minorities in

both the provinces. The Bengali Hindus, however, opposed to thePartitiontooth and nail,

embarked on a political movement ofSwadeshi,boycottand revolutionary nationalism. On 28

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September 1905, the day ofMahalaya, 50,000 Bengali Hindus resolved before theMotherat

Kalighatto boycott foreign goods and stop employing foreigners.[32][33]

The power of Bengali

Hindu resistance forced theBritish imperialiststo finally annul thePartitionon 1911. Theimperialists however, carved out Bengali Hindu majority districts likeManbhum, Singbhum,

Santal Pargana andPurniaawarding them toBiharand others likeCacharthat were awarded to

Assam, which effectively made the Bengali Hindus a minority in the united province of Bengal.The Britishers also transferred the capital fromKolkatato New Delhi.

The revolutionary movement gained momentum after the Partition. After the first phase hadended with the martyrdom of Kshudiram, the Bengali Hindu revolutionaries collaborated with

theGermansduring theWarto liberateBritish India. Later the revolutionaries defeated the

Britisharmy in the Battle of Jalalabad and liberatedChittagong. During theQuit India

Movement, the Bengali Hindus liberated theTamlukandContaisubdivision ofMidnaporedistrict fromBritish ruleand established the Tamralipta National Government.

Bengali Hindus who constituted 44% of the province, were awarded less than a third of therepresentation in the legislature.

The Britishers, unable to control the revolutionary activities, decided to strangulate the BengaliHindu people through administrative reforms. TheGovernment of India Act 1919introduced inthe 144 member Bengal Legislative Assembly, 46 seats for the Muslims, 59 for the institutions,

Europeans & others and left the rest 39 as General,[N 1]where the Bengali Hindus were toscramble for a representation. The situation worsened with theCommunal Awardof 1932, wherein the 250 member Bengal Legislative Assembly a disproportionate 119 seats were reserved for

the Muslims, 17 for Europeans,Anglo-Indians&Indian Christians, 34 for the institutions, and

the rest 80 were left as General.[34]

TheCommunal Awardfurther divided the Hindus intoScheduled Caste Hindus and Caste Hindus.

[34]Out of the 80 General seats, 10 were reserved for

theScheduled Castes.[N 2]

In response the leading Bengali Hindulandholders, lawyers and

professionals signed the Bengal Hindu Manifesto on 23 April 1932 rejecting the justification ofreservation of separate electorates for Muslims in the Bengal Legislative Assembly.

[35]

In 1946, theMuslim Leaguegovernment resorted to large scale massacre of the Hindu

population ofKolkatain the name ofDirect Action Day, which escalated into the bloodiestethnic conflictof modernIndia. After two days of suffering, the Bengali Hindus resorted to a

violentreprisalthat resulted in heavy casualties on the other side, finally forcing the government

to stop the mayhem. Later in the year, the Muslim League government orchestrated the infamousNoakhali genocide, where the modesty and honour of the Bengali Hindu women were violated at

the point of the sword.[36]

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prisalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reprisalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noakhali_genocidehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noakhali_genocidehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#cite_note-sd218-38http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#cite_note-sd218-38http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#cite_note-sd218-38http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Communal_Award_in_Bengal_1932.pnghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Communal_Award_in_Bengal_1932.pnghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Communal_Award_in_Bengal_1932.pnghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Communal_Award_in_Bengal_1932.pnghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#cite_note-sd218-38http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noakhali_genocidehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reprisalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnic_conflicthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct_Action_Dayhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kolkatahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All-India_Muslim_Leaguehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#cite_note-37http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landholderhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#cite_note-36http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scheduled_Castehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#cite_note-goiact1935-35http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communal_Awardhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#cite_note-goiact1935-35http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Christianhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-Indianhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communal_Awardhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#cite_note-34http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government_of_India_Act_1919http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midnaporehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contaihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamlukhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quit_India_Movementhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quit_India_Movementhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chittagonghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_Ihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germanshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kolkatahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assamhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cacharhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biharhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purniahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manbhumhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partition_of_Bengal_%281905%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Rajhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#cite_note-32http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#cite_note-32http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalighathttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahalaya

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TheDirect Action Dayand theNoakhali genocideprompted the Bengali Hindu leadership to

move for the creation of a Bengali Hindu majority province by partitioning Bengal. At that time,

the movement for creation ofPakistanwas in full swing andBengalwas supposed to form one ofits constituent provinces. After the failure of United Bengal plan when it became evident that

Bengal would as a whole go to Pakistan, the Bengali Hindus voted for thePartition of Bengal.[37]

On 23 April 1947, the Amrita Bazar Patrika published the results of an opinion poll, in which98.3% of the Bengali Hindus favoured the creation of a separate homeland.[38][39]

The proposalfor thePartition of Bengalwas moved in the Legislative Assembly on 20 June 1947, where the

Hindu members voted 5821 in favour of thePartitionwith two members abstaining.[N 3]

The Boundary Commission awarded the Bengali Hindus a territory far less in proportion to their

population which was no less than 46% of the population of the province, awarding the Bengali

Hindu majority district of Khulna to Pakistan. However, some Bengali Muslim majority districtslikeMurshidabadandMaldawere handed over to India.

Post-partition Period

After thePartition, the majority of the urban middle class Bengali Hindu population ofEast

Bengalimmigrated toWest Bengal. The ones who stayed back belonged to two categoriesones

who had significant landed property and believed that they would be able to lead a normal life inanIslamic Stateand others who were illiterate and backward and therefore had no other option

left. However after the genocide of 1950, Bengali Hindus fledEast Bengalin thousands and

settled inWest Bengal. In 1964, tens of thousands of Bengali Hindus were massacred inEastPakistanand most of the Bengali Hindu owned businesses were permanently destroyed.

[40]

During theliberation war of Bangladesh, an estimated 2.4 million Bengali Hindus were

massacred inBangladesh.[13]

The Enemy Property Act of thePakistanregime which is still in

force in the new incarnation ofVested Property Act, has been utilized by successive

governments to seize the properties of theHinduminorities left the country during thePartitionof IndiaandBangladesh liberation war. According to Professor Abul Barkat ofDhaka

University, the Act has been used to misappropriate 2,100,000 acres (8,500 km2) of land from

the Bengali Hindus, roughly equivalent to the 45% of the total landed area owned by them.[41]

Therefugeerehabilitation became an acute crisis and hundreds of refugees were rehabilitated inthe inhabitable terrains ofOrissa,Chattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh and theAndamans. Apart from that

thousands of Bengali Hindus had also immigrated toAssam, Tripura and other regions of the

North East. In theBarak Valleyregion ofAssam, where the Bengali Hindus were in a majoritybecause of the inclusion of Sylhet into Pakistan, and subsequent immigration of Bengali Hindus

fromSylhetintoCachar, an impasse was arrived at on the question of language. The government

ofAssamhad unilaterally imposedAssameseas the sole medium of education. In response, theBengali Hindus began peaceful demonstrations demandingBengalias the optional medium ofprimary education in theBarak Valley region. The situation took an ugly turn on 19 May 1961,

when eleven Bengali Hindu protesters including a minor girl were gunned down by the police at

theSilcharrailway station.[42][43][44]

Subsequently, theAssamgovernment allowedBengalias themedium of education inBarak Valley.

[42]However, the rise of ethnic militancy in the eighties

and nineties once again made the Bengali Hindus vulnerable in the North East. TheUnited

Liberation Front of Asom,National Democratic Front of Bodoland,Muslim United Liberation

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ndus#cite_note-40http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#cite_note-40http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#cite_note-39http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partition_of_Bengal_%281947%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakistanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noakhali_genocidehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct_Action_Day

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Tigers of AssamandNational Liberation Front of Tripuramilitantshave selectively targeted the

Bengali Hindu people, prompting the latter to form the Bengali Tiger Force.[45]

Discrimination against Bengali Hindu population is not limited to theNorth East. InJharkhand,

the Bengali Hindu demand of makingBengalithe second official language has not been met, in

spite of the fact that the Bengali Hindu population forms the second largest linguistic group inthe state. InBihar, the Bengali Hindu refugees are denied land owning rights and caste

certificates.[46]

InOrissa, the Bengali Hindu refugees are served quit India notices in spite of

having valid documents.[47][48]

On the other hand massive infiltration toBangladeshhassubstantially altered thedemographyin West Bengal so much so that Bengal Hindus have been

reduced to minorities in the border regions.[49]

Culture

See also:Culture of Bengal

Literature

The properBengaliliterary history begins with the earlyVaishnavaliterature like the

Shreekrishna Kirtanaand theVaishnava padavalisfollowed by translation literatures likeRamayanaand Srikrishna Vijaya. In the medieval period literary works on the life and teachings

ofChaitanya Mahaprabhuwere composed. This period saw the emergence ofShakta padavalis.

The characteristic feature of Bengali Hindu literature in the middle age are themangalkavyas,that glorify variousHindugods and goddesses often using folkloristic backgrounds.

The early modern period saw a flurry in the literary activity especially after the emergence of theBengali press. The first Bengali proseRaja Pratapaditya Charitra was written during this time.

TheRenaissancesaw a rapid development in modern Bengali literature. Most of the epics,poems, novels, short stories and dramas of the modern classical literature were written duringthis period. The Bengal Literary Society that later came to be known asBangiya Sahitya

Parishadwas founded. The literary development during the Renaissance culminated in

Rabindranath'sNobel prizefor literature.

In the Post-Partition period, the Bengali Hindus pioneered theHungry generation,Natun Kabita

and thelittle magazinemovements. Of late, some of them have made their mark in contemporary

English literature.

Art

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muslim_United_Liberation_Tigers_of_Assamhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muslim_United_Liberation_Tigers_of_Assamhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Liberation_Front_of_Tripurahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Liberation_Front_of_Tripurahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Militant_%28disambiguation%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Militant_%28disambiguation%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Militant_%28disambiguation%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#cite_note-ie1-48http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#cite_note-ie1-48http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#cite_note-ie1-48http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northeast_Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northeast_Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northeast_Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jharkhandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jharkhandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jharkhandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biharhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biharhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biharhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#cite_note-49http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#cite_note-49http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#cite_note-49http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orissahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orissahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orissahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#cite_note-50http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#cite_note-50http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#cite_note-50http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangladeshhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangladeshhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangladeshhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengali_Hindus#cite_note-52http: