Radha or the Ancient Ganga-rastra

Summary

Focusing on the history and geography of the region known as Rāḍhā or Ganga‑rāṣṭra, this article pieces together literary, epigraphic and linguistic evidence to clarify its location. Ancient texts like the Mahābhārata and Matsya Purāṇa mention a country called Rāḍhā situated along the river banks of the Bhāgirathi. Jain and Buddhist works likewise refer to Rāḍhā as a land of ascetics. The author argues that this region corresponds to western Bengal, particularly the upland districts of Bankura and Birbhum, rather than the coastal delta. He draws attention to copper plate grants of the Pāla and Sena kings which describe land donations in ‘Gaṅgā‑rāṣṭra’ and specify boundaries including forests, villages and rivers that match the topography of the Rāṛh plateau. The article also analyses the etymology of the name: the Sanskrit gaṅgā‑rāṣṭra (‘country of the Ganga’) might have been rendered Rāḍhā in Prakrit and later evolved into the modern Bengali Rāṛh. Linguistic evidence from the Charyāpadas and early Bengali inscriptions shows that the local speech had distinctive phonetic features, supporting the idea of a separate cultural region. Furthermore, the article situates Rāḍhā within political history: during the Gupta era it was a frontier province, later forming part of the Pāla empire and eventually ruled by the Sena dynasty, whose capital was at Rāmakeli. The author contends that the decline of river channels led to isolation of the area and fostered a unique religious milieu marked by Shakta and Vaishnava traditions. By synthesising these sources, the article challenges earlier identifications of Ganga‑rāṣṭra with East Bengal and underscores the importance of regional studies for understanding the diversity of early Indian polities.