Karatoya : North Bengal University journal of History, Vol. 10

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://ir.nbu.ac.in/handle/123456789/3886

Note from the Editor-in-Chief

On behalf Of the Department of History, University of North Bengal It is my privilege to present to the readers the Volume 10 (2017) of the Karatoya: North Bengal University Journal of History. The journal has incorporated the research papers from ancient Indian History, Medieval Indian History and Modern Indian History and contemporary as well. The Volume 10 is being published after all the articles having been refereed and peer reviewed and with the ISSN 2229-4880. The Karatoya: North Bengal University Journal of History is a UGC Approved Journal of Arts and Humanities with Serial No. 42512

The editor of the journal do not judge for the facts stated, opinions expressed and conclusions reached, it is entirely that of the authors concern and the editor of the journal accepts no responsibility for the same.

It is my solemn duty to express my gratitude to our Honorable Vice Chancellor, Registrar, Finance Officer for their generous concern on Academic Endeavour. I am thankful to my colleagues of the Department of History for their warm encouragement and necessary cooperation for publishing this journal. Mr. Varun Kr. Roy, associate editor of this volume deserved huge appreciation for his constant help in publishing this volume.

I am also grateful to all the contributors for providing valuable research papers. Last but not least, the Officials and the Staffs of the North Bengal University Press deserved heartiest thanks for their cooperation in printing the journal within limited span of time.

Dr. sudash Lama
Editor-in-Chief

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Now showing 1 - 20 of 20

Open Access
Role of Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in Combating Women Trafficking in Darjeeling Hills
(University of North Bengal, 2017-03) Bhui, Ujjwal; Mukhia, Persis
Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) perform a variety of humanitarian services. Different NGOs cater solutions to different kinds of social issues and their focuses are on a wide range scale ranging from human rights to improving health, providing education to the underprivileged, spreading awareness on environment, upliftment of women and children, combating human trafficking and so on. Several NGOs in Darjeeling Hills are working to combat women and girl trafficking. The existing article aims to analyze empirically the roles play by these NGOs to prevent and control the trafficking of women.
Open Access
Buddhists and Buddhist legacies in Modern Bengal
(University of North Bengal, 2017-03) Datta, Karubaki
In the ancient period Bengal used to be a seat of Buddhism. The archaeological ruins and the accounts of the foreign travellers bear testimony to the expansion and richness of this heritage in ancient Bengal. Yet it was not before long that the religion degenerated and became almost extinct. There was hardly any trace of Buddhist practices and heritage in the medieval period when Bengal was ruled by Muslim rulers. There has been a revival and resurgence of Buddhism in modern period almost all over India and it has found its reflection in Bengal as well....
Open Access
A Glance on the Movement for Democracy in Sikkim (1947-1975)
(University of North Bengal, 2017-03) Lepcha, Anira Phipon
The Indian struggle for independence from the British Raj had an indelible mark on the democratic movement in Sikkim. The institution of kazi and thekadar survived under the patronage of the Chogyals since 1642 became more and more corrupt. They exploited/subjugated masses through various means. Although people were fuming because of the exploitation of the kazis and the thikadars, they didn't voice it loud until stimulated by the Indian Independence in 1947. A document named 'A few facts about Sikkim State, ' which was published in 1947 can be regarded as an spark for the movement that followed later, which led to the merger of Sikkim with India, which many claim, was against the will of the majority of people who for all intents and purposes desired for democracy. This paper is an attempt to look into the episodes of the movement of democracy in Sikkim post 1947. Attempt has also been made to highlight the role of the Lepcha leaders, Ruth Lepcha in particular.
Open Access
Sarojini Naidu and the Cause of Indian Women
(University of North Bengal, 2017-03) Rai, Roshani
Sarojini Naidu symbol of Indian womanhood and a great freedom fighter was born at the time wherein the woman's role was cast in narrow mould, hemmed in with all sorts of restrictions. 1 However Sarojini Naidu "through her eloquent oratory and strategic campaign against British domination and for sexual equality, actively proved to her traditionally male oriented society that women as well as men could be leaders and responsible citizens in times of turmoil and in times of peace. " Though there were some women who took up the cause of women to fight for their rights, it was Sarojini Naidu who provided the thrust which was needed to advance the treatment of women in India. Being a modern 'liberated' woman, she made relentless efforts for the cause of women 's emancipation.
Open Access
Partition and the Saga of Uprooted Women in West Bengal: A Review
(University of North Bengal, 2017-03) Mitra Guha, Madhuparna
The partition of Indian subcontinent in 1947 was a shaping event which caused one of the greatest human convulsions of history. The partition of British India and subsequent creation of two antagonist countries was not just a surgical allegory or an operation; it was a line of division inside our heads and hearts too. The dark legacies of partition have thrown a long shadow on the lives of the people of India and Pakistan. If an elaborate analysis of Partition of India is made then it can safely be concluded that the miserable plight of women centering round the event of partition had long been neglected and ignored, though they were the worst victims of the Partition.
Open Access
From Obscurity to a Sub-Divisional Headquarter: Siliguri in Colonial Period
(University of North Bengal, 2017-03) Kumari, Minakshee
Siliguri is a city which spans across the Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri districts in the Indian state of West Bengal. The city is located on the banks of the Mahananda River and the foothills of the Himalayas. Siliguri is known for its "4T": Tea, Timber, Tourism and Transport and is one of the fastest developing and growing metropolis of the state and also of the country. This city with sky scrapers, big hotels, many residential townships, three Railway stations and airports is boosted as the "Uncrowned capital of North Bengal" by the newspapers. However, a hundred years before this metropolis was only a small village. This research article tries to trace the colonial history of Siliguri, the conduct it received from the colonial rulers and the reasons for its quick unprecedented development.
Open Access
History of Buddhism: Its Advent and Spread in Darjeeling Hills
(University of North Bengal, 2017-03) Lama, Sudash; Lepcha, Gyamit
The religious blending of North Bengal and the Himalayan countries held themselves together from the seventh century. In Tibet Buddhism developed into a state religion after the days of Guru Padmasambhava 's visit. From then onwards Tibetan Buddhis"! spread to Sikkim, Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Bhutan, Subsequently after the decline of the Palas and the Senas, the Buddhism disappeared from Bengal and the main land of India but Tibet preserved and developed Buddhism. It spreads towards Himalayan states of Sikkim and Darjeeling areas.
Open Access
Crime, Criminality and Punishment in Colonial Darjeeling District
(University of North Bengal, 2017-03) Bhattacharya, Dahlia
Crime is behaviour against the rules of the society by which it achieves the status of crime and individual is treated as criminal. In the pre-colonial period the concept of crime and criminality existed in an elaborate form in texts and scriptures. But the legal perception of crime and criminality in the British period is essentially a colonial construction. They adopted a new method of identifying crime and criminality and of punishment in colonial India. In this article the crimes and criminality in Darjeeling and the methods of imprisonment is highlighted.
Open Access
Situating the Historical Chronicles of Tripura in Traditional Indian Historiography
(University of North Bengal, 2017-03) Chakraborty, Deepayan
The sub-discipline of history named historiography is concerned with the history of history writing. India had more than one genres of traditional history-writing before the establishment of the Colonial British rule in the Subcontinent. Though initially not taken up seriously by the scholars of the new ruling class, some from within that group soon found them useful for studying the ancient and medieval history of the country. Situated in the southernmost corner of North East India, the province of Tripura too can boast of a strong tradition of historiography. Mostly written . in Bengali language, they are essential for undertaking any research on the history of the Medieval Kingdom of Tripura, particularly from its formation in c. I J1h Century CE up to the end of the 18th Century CE. This paper tries to locate the traditional historiography of Tripura within the earlier'-mentioned Pan-Indian Traditional Historiography. It will also try to bring out the unique features of the historical chronicles of Tripura.
Open Access
Fifty Years of Naxalbari Uprising: Looking Back
(University of North Bengal, 2017-03) Pain, Swapan Kumar
The Naxalbari uprising was an event of great significance not only in the history of the agrarian movements but also in the subsequent movements also. After this movement the name 'Naxalbari ' became a well-known place in the political atlas in India and abroad The present paper is an attempt to look back on the problem of peasant mobilization in pre-Naxalbari days in the light of recent available documents after five decades.
Open Access
Exploring Roots of Ethnic Convergence of the Indigenous and the Exogenous Hill People: A Historical Study of Colonial Darjeeling
(University of North Bengal, 2017-03) Sarkar, Tahiti
The Article posits that the mid-nineteenth to mid- twentieth century colonial material imperatives had congealed impacts on the indigenous people and the exogenous hill people settled in colonial Darjeeling. The study explores how the dialectics of such transformations gave rise to ethnocide of the indigenous population at the one end, and strong ethnic consolidation of the hill populations on the other. The idea of 'Other' being different from the people living in the plains was purposefully injected in the minds of the hill people by the colonizers which produced synergic effects. Throughout the colonial period, Darjeeling was administered differently. This idea of separate administration injected aspiration in the minds of the hill people who consolidated under a single umbrella of Nepali language as the lingua franca of the majority hill people. The hill people preferred Gorkha ethnic consolidation in place of Nepali to distinguish them from Nepalis of Nepal. The Article establishes that such ethnic consolidation has had its deep-seated roots in the nature of colonial governability.
Open Access
Historical Assessment of Floral and Faun al Representation of Ancient Indian Sculpture
(University of North Bengal, 2017-03) Lama, Sudas; Choudhury, Anamika
The Sculptural art of India occupies the foremost place in the history of world art. The artist in India had attained a high degree of excellence at a very early period and specimens produced by him are truly marvels of human industry and skill. One finds in them an intensity of feeling, a revelation of the powers of the unseen which is not approached in the art elsewhere in the world. The success of artistic production depends on the intensity of the artist 's realization of his beauty and his ability to interpret his experience to others.
Open Access
Meghnad Saha: Scientist and Crtique
(University of North Bengal, 2017-03) Lama, Gourav
The paper will attempt to look at Meghnad Saha 's involvement in scientific discourses with Jawaharlal Nehru and his contemporary scientist Dr. Homi J Bhabha. The idea is to understand the contestation over knowledge production within scientific discourse in India. Meghnad Saha a leading scientist of 1940s in a series of letters to Nehru and Bhabha, expressed his views that reflected both his vision, perceptions and dissatisfaction over the Indian Atomic Program.
Open Access
Comparative Study of Nagara and Vesara / Chalukyan Style of Temple Architecture
(University of North Bengal, 2017-03) Acharjee, Arka
The origin of Indian temple goes back to the pre Christian era and its evolution into a monument of great architectural merit is marked by conscious efforts on the part of several ruling dynasties from the 4th to 17th centuries, making it an institution of enduring importance in the social, economic and political integration of the sub-continent. There are several regional variations in the process of its development as a symbol of Indian culture. Undoubtedly its historical past, therefore, makes a charming study. As a centre for worship, the temple is mainly a creation as well as a visual medium of the puranic tradition. Hindu myths, legends and beliefs are selected and put together in texts, collectively called the Puranas. The Hindu Pantheon of gods originated from the texts of two Brahmanical sects, the Vaishnava and the Saiva, which with other minor religious system are part of the Puranic tradition, under what is known as Hinduism. The Hindu temple, in more than one sense, represents the multiple facets and complex process , of this development through its architecture. So through this article one attempt has been made to ventilate the views about the comparative study of Nagara and Vesara/Chalukyan style of temple architecture (from ancient to early medieval period).
Open Access
Nashya Sheikhs of North Bengal in Historical Perspectives: A Study of Ethnicity & 95 Identity Dynamic
(University of North Bengal, 2017-03) Md Nabiul Islam
North Bengal comprises of Maida, North Dinajpur, South Dinajpur, Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Cooch Behar, Alipurduar and Kalimpong districts. The residential Muslim population is one of the most important indigenous people of this region and all together as per census encompasses 25 percent of the total population in North Bengal. In this context the Muslims are the most important minority religious group in this region. They have been living in this region, even before their conversion to Islam and a large portion of indigenous Hindu population converted to Islam in 15th to J 8th century. This research paper deals with the Nashya Sheikh of North Bengal with special reference to their ethnicity-and Identity dynamics.
Open Access
Colonial Penetration, Land Revenue Reforms and Transition of Cooch Behar from a Benevolent to a Predatory State 1772-1923
(University of North Bengal, 2017-03) Das, Shelly
Cooch Behar a native state of India in Colonial terminology is situated in the North-Eastern part of India. The territory of modern Cooch Behar originally formed part of the ancient kingdom of Kamrup, and had no separate existence of its own as a district principality before the division of that country between the King Nara Narayan and his brother Sukladwaj, commonly known as Chila Rai, in the middle of the 16th century. CoochBehar became feudatory state ' to the English East India Company by virtue of the Treaty of 1773. It as because of colonial penetration and the Land Revenue Reforms that totally metamorphosed the Cooch Behar State.
Open Access
Lepcha-Bhutia Relations in Sikkim from mid-Seventeenth Century to mid-Nineteenth Century: A Study of its Historiography
(University of North Bengal, 2017-03) Sarkar, Rupan
A study of historiography of an incident, in the sense that it is the history of history of the incident induces a new dimension in the discourse. The centrality of the study is shifted from narratives to synchronicity and dia-chronicity and to ideology and culture. Taking the example of Lepcha-Bhutia relations in Sikkim which has meandered through both cordiality and discord I propose to argue in the following pages that the historical construction is not singular.
Open Access
Urbanisation, Trade and Markets in Colonial 6engal: A Case Study of Murshidabad (C. 1757-1857)
(University of North Bengal, 2017-03) Roy, Varun Kumar
City planning is not a colonial or modern invention. A tightly executed plan is vividly discernible in the scores of unearthed ruins of the Harappan Civilisation that flourished more than four millennia ago. Its cities and townships had grid patterned streets. uniform rows of brick housing, plumbing, public baths, drainage, granaries and other public spaces and amenities that strongly presume an efficient and well-endowed, if somewhat unimaginative municipal ' administration.1 The earliest connection of the East India Company with this district was marked by the establishment of a factory at Kasimbazar
Open Access
Islamization of the Kamarupa Text 'Amritkunda'
(University of North Bengal, 2017-03) Adhikary, Chanchal
It is an acknowledged fact that, Sufism prescribes not only ascetic rituals but also provides a model of social practice. On Sufism various researches have been done so far in various parts of India and elsewhere, those researches particularly articulated that, Sufism was Indian in origin; side by side it also argued that, from the first appearance of the term in European languages 'Sufism' was characterized as essentially different from the dry Semitic religion of Islam. For example we can mention the work of William James in 1902, who observed that, 'Sufism must have been inoculated into Islam by Hindu influences'. Though some opines that, in India as in Islam, music, poetry and the dance are spiritual exercises. Whatever may be the debate, which is also not the part of this article but this present article will examine an another issue, that, how a yogic text known as Amritkunda, which was authored by a Kamarupa scholar Bhojar Brahman, influenced the Islamic world with the translations and how the translators made deliberate Islamization of the Yogic text.
Open Access
Bengal-Bihar Merger Movement of 1956: A Glance of West Dinajpur, A District of West Bengal
(University of North Bengal, 2017-03) Ghosh, Arun
The proposed study is on Bengal-Bihar merger movement of 1956, and the district of West Dinajpur of West Bengal. In the eve of independence of India and partition of Bengal in 1947, the northern part of West Bengal or North Bengal was separated from the rest of West Bengal. Along with this, there was demand of incorporation of Bengali speaking area of Bihar with West Bengal. In 1953, the States Reorganisation Commission was formed to examine this issue on linguistic line. After forming that Commission, West Bengal put forwarded memorandum, claiming partition of land of Bihar. But there was protest in Bihar against that. Then the Chief Minister of West Bengal and Bihar decided to merge Bengal and Bihar. But movement started against this merger proposal. Then they withdraw the merger proposal and a portion of land of Bihar added within West Bengal by the recommendation of States Reorganisation Commission, which effects on demography, economy, culture of that area of West Dinajpur district of West Bengal and which evoked separatist trend in form of political movements.