Origin of the name 'Bengal'

Summary

In Origin of the Name ‘Bengal’, N.N. Das Gupta explores how the region known today as Bengal acquired its name. He surveys ancient texts, inscriptions and traveller accounts to trace the evolution of terms such as Vaṅga, Vaṅgāla, Vangalā and Bengal. Gupta notes that Vedic and Puranic literature mention Vaṅga as a kingdom in eastern India, inhabited by sea‑faring people. Epigraphic evidence, including inscriptions of the Gupta and Pala eras, uses the forms Vaṅga and Vaṅgāladeśa. Persian and Arabic writers later rendered the name as Bangāla or Bangala, while European merchants popularised the term Bengal. Gupta examines folk etymologies linking the name to words for ‘wetland’ or to the Bonga tribe but finds these unconvincing. Instead, he argues that the shift from Vaṅga to Bengal reflects phonetic changes as the name passed through Prakrit, Persian and European tongues. The article compares early Chinese transliterations, such as those by Xuanzang, which support the Vaṅgala form. Gupta also points out that medieval Bengali Muslim rulers styled themselves Sultans of Bangala, indicating continuity. The study concludes that the modern Bangla or Bangladesh is simply a vernacular form of Bengal and not a new political invention. By tracing linguistic and historical continuity, the author counters claims that ‘Bengal’ is an exonym or that the region lacked identity before colonial times. His critical analysis emphasises the importance of careful philological study when interpreting place names.