Karatoya : North Bengal University journal of History, Vol. 14

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://ir.nbu.ac.in/handle/123456789/4848

FROM THE EDITORIAL DESK

We, on behalf of the Department of History, University of North Bengal, are extremely pleased to have this opportunity and honour to present to the readers the Volume 14(2021) of the Karatoya: North Bengal University Journal of History (ISSN 2229-4880) which is a UGC Approved Journal of Arts and Humanities with Serial No. 42512. In the present Volume, we have included multiple research papers covering various themes, issues and recent trends across the discipline of History and related sub-disciplines like Ideas in History, Bengal famine, social conflicts in Colonial India, ancient statecraft, History of Eastern Himalayan and sub-Himalayan region, nature of Mughal defence, etc. In this regard, we would like to appreciate the concerned authors for an enriching and well researched contribution of their research papers to the present Volume. The Karatoya Volume 14 is refereed, blind peer reviewed, and rigorously edited and reviewed at each point in the process of its publication.

First and foremost, we take this opportunity to extend our sincere gratitude to our Honourable Vice Chancellor, Registrar, Finance Officer for their constant support and guidance for accomplishing this academic task. In addition to this, we also extend our appreciation and gratitude to our colleagues of the Department of History for all their advice and cooperation for ensuring a smooth publication of this journal.

We also extend our token of appreciation and thanks to all the officials and the staff of the North Bengal University Press for their cooperation and constant involvement in a time bound printing of the journal.

 

Prof. Bijoy Kumar Sarkar (Editor-in-Chief)

Verma Priyadarshini, Ph.D. (Associate Editor)



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End date: 2021

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    Agrarian Structure and Social Change: Cooch Behar
    (University of North Bengal, 2021-03) Das, Shelly
    Cooch Behar has been transformed from an earlier kingdom to a State and from a State to the present status of a district. By colonial intervention (1772) the state was transformed into a quasi-feudal State. Several settlements had occurred by the East-India Company in the consecutive years. It fabricated a new social order in terms of caste hierarchies and caste differences. A group of people who migrated from the adjacent state of Cooch Behar to hold the lease of Land as well as administrative posts. This phenomenon created a complexity in the society where the best parts of Rajbashi were marginalized.
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    Caste, Untouchability and Social Conflict in Nineteenth Century Bengal
    (University of North Bengal, 2021-03) Chowdhury, Chanchal
    Caste system and untouchability were an integral part of social life among the Hindus and Muslims of pre-Plassey Bengal. These two customs were deeply rooted in selfsufficient villages where people lived with their fellow caste-men adopting their hereditary occupations. The social conflict, generated due to the hierarchical division of the caste system, was felt in the society just like mild waves. East India Company servants ruined the self-sufficient village economy of Bengal through their ruthless exploitation of artisans and craftsmen. Consequently, they had to move from their village abodes and adopt alternative occupations generated under the Company’s rule. Very soon, some ambitious individuals with low social backgrounds amassed huge wealth and began to claim higher social status for their castes. Leaders of many castes began to lodge protests against their low social position, and petitions were submitted before British authorities for approval of higher precedence of their castes on the social ladder. As a result, intensified caste conflict was produced in the society of nineteenth century Bengal.
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    Situating Crime and Administration of Law and Order in Colonial Bengal: A Study of Jalpaiguri (1869-1947)
    (University of North Bengal, 2021-03) Barman, Tushar Kanti
    Crime and violence manifests in many ways and various factors have been responsible for crime and violence. Jalpaiguri has been a late history to the development of administrative changes and in the formative years of colonial administration, the district had witnessed widespread crime and criminal activities in miscellaneous forms; such as dacoity, murder, theft, burglary, and affray, riots etc. To prevent such types of crime the administrators as well the society have followed different techniques. Henceforth, police and judicial administration had played a crucial role for maintaining law and order. The present paper aims to study the nature of crime, criminals and the system of law and order in colonial Jalpaiguri.
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    Anglo-Indian Community in Darjeeling Hills: Study of the Growth of Educational Institutions (1835-1900)
    (University of North Bengal, 2021-03) Biswas, John
    Anglo-Indian community is among the minority communities recognized by the Indian constitution. This mixed-race community has a rich history of nearly 500 years. The history of the Anglo-Indian community begins from the first European settlement in Bengal. The community found a new home in Darjeeling after this region was acquired by the British. This paper aims to find out a vivid picture of the Anglo-Indian community in Darjeeling and makes a study of the educational institutions that were established for the European and Anglo- Indian children. This paper also aims to find out why Darjeeling was chosen for establishing institutions such as schools and orphanages for European and Anglo- Indian children. This paper also looks into the active role and involvement of the Christian Missionaries for all-around development of Anglo-Indians. Missionaries also played an important role in establishing Girl’s schools.
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    Rites and Rituals in the Life and Death Cycle of the Mangar
    (University of North Bengal, 2021-03) Mangar, Asudha
    history of origin of Mangar or Magar in India is shrouded in obscurity. Some scholars emphasized on the fact that the Magars or Mangars, are one of the aborigines of Sikkim and Nepal, belong to the Kirata community of the Eastern Himalayas. They are one of the oldest tribes of Sikkim. Rajesh Verma has reasonably stated that the Kiratis include Rai, Limbu, Gurung, Mangar and Tamang tribe of Sikkim. S.R. Timsina has also mentioned that the Mangars, Limbus and Lepcha are the earliest settlers of ancient Sikkim. J.D. Hooker has also described them as the aborigines of Sikkim. Hence, the rites and rituals of Mangars settlers of Sikkim, Darjeeling or sub- Himalayan region has a close affinity and can be found with similarity with other castes, yet holding its uniqueness and ethnic values. The paper here tries its best to bring out expansively the prevailing rites and rituals of Mangar among the inhabitants of Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri districts in respect of life and death cycle.
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    Rent Question and its Impact on the Peasants of Rarh Bengal (1820-1860)
    (University of North Bengal, 2021-03) Sen, Arundhuti
    history of peasants form an interesting theme in the agrarian studies of Bengal.The central theme of peasant studies revolves on the notion of ‘rent’ which is the root cause of their exploitation. Research works on the origin of rent, their circulation in the economy is well known discourse in Bengal. However, research work on the imposition and operations of rent laws, its impact on the agrarian structure, at intra-regional level is less known. Based on this concept, the present paper seeks to explore the notion of rent, its variation, its circulation in the economy, and finally the background that necessitated formulation of rent Act X of 1859 and its immediate consequences on the peasantry in the select districts of Rarh Bengal.(Burdwan, Bankura, Midnapore). While extrapolating the issue, the paper also tries to bring the inner strife between the occupancy and non-occupancy tenure of the peasants, their role in safeguarding their rights and finally the consequences of the rent legislation on them during 1820-1860.
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    Great Famine of 1943 and North Bengal: Revisiting its Genesis and its Impact
    (University of North Bengal, 2021-03) Bhattacharya, Dhananjoy
    Most catastrophic event which took a heavy death-toll in Bengal was the great famine of 1943. It shattered the socio-economic foundations of the then Bengali society. The people of North Bengal also went through this calamity which became very acute in the districts of Dinajpur, Jalpaiguri and Rangpur. Millions of people suffered from hunger, mal-nutrition, epidemics etc. which altogether accelerated the mortality rate during 1943-1944. Their age-old professions were at stake and they lost the capacity to purchase the foodgrains and other essential commodities from the open markets which practically went in the hands of the black marketeers. Peoples’ sufferings were further multiplied with the outbreak of the ‘cloth famine’ at different places of North Bengal. Thus the famine of 1943 dealt a heavy blow on the life and livelihood of the people of North Bengal and led them into an ‘existential crisis’.
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    Dynamics of Religious Transformation of the Tamang Community of the Sub-Himalaya: Historical Perspective
    (University of North Bengal, 2021-03) Lama, Sudash
    Study of religion and cultural change has always cherished the historian and ethnologist. The Tamang have been the subject of study for historians, ethnologists and philologists for many decades. The cultural peculiarity and ethnographic distinctiveness has attracted the scholar. The present paper intends to highlight the imbibed religious transformative character of animism to Buddhism. It also attempted to explore the reasons for the cultural shift of the tamang from animism to Buddhism.
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    Magh Raiders and the Mughals in the First Half of Seventeenth Century Bengal
    (University of North Bengal, 2021-03) Roy, Varun Kumar
    This research article tries to understand the nature of Mughal defence against the Arakanese rulers in the first half of the seventeenth century. The atrocities of the magh raids in the various parts of medieval Bengal could not be countered by the Mughals because they were very weak at river warfare. The occupation of Chittagong by the Arakanese, making it a strong base for raids and keeping the Portuguese pirated as their front line of defence as well as attack kept the Arakanese rules at upper hand. It was only after the Fort of Chittagong was brought under Mughal rule; they could tame the Pirates and stop the raids
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    Inter-state Relations in Kautilya’s Arthashastra
    (University of North Bengal, 2021-03) Kumar, Rajeev
    The western world has been plagued with a wilful misconception that ancient India was uninformed or rather oblivious of elements such as statecraft, strategy, or administration. They intended to colour India’s past as one having no historical sense even though the ancient Indian treatises and epics spoke volumes about vast kingdoms, their war strategies and administrative skills and about major battles that were fought. Such vast treasures on ancient skills in strategizing warfare and defining inter-state relations could not have been possible without a fine sense of policy-making and application. They, in fact, further the very idea of ancient Indian wisdom in statecraft and related aspects. Some 2300 years ago, Kautilya described the principles of statecraft, diplomacy and interstate relations. He described the principles of inter-state relations as Mandala theory. The strategic thinking in Kautilyan grand strategic design becomes evident through the six measures of foreign policy, also known as Shadagunya theory, which was closely related to the strength and weakness of the state. The present study will make an effort to interpret the Kautilyan ideas and concepts with respect to inter-state relations and will try to explore Kautilya’s significance and relevance in the present Indian and global context.