Pundra
Pundra, 1908
This article has been extracted from THE IMPERIAL GAZETTEER OF INDIA , 1908. OXFORD, AT THE CLARENDON PRESS. |
Note: National, provincial and district boundaries have changed considerably since 1908. Typically, old states, ‘divisions’ and districts have been broken into smaller units, and many tahsils upgraded to districts. Some units have since been renamed. Therefore, this article is being posted mainly for its historical value.
Ancient kingdom in Eastern Bengal, which, according to Sir A. Cunningham, has given its name to Pabna District. It was bounded on the north-east by Pragjyotisha or Kamarupa, on the west by the Mahananda river, on the east by the Karatoya, and on the south by the kingdom of Banga ; and it comprised parts of the modern Districts of Rangpur, Dinajpur, Purnea, Malda, Rajshahi, Bogra, and Pabna. The capital may have been at MAHASTHAN or PANDUA (1). This kingdom was in existence in the third century B.C., and Asoka's brother found shelter there in the guise of a Buddhist monk. It was still flourishing in the seventh century, when Hiuen Tsiang travelled in India; and it is mentioned as a powerful kingdom in the eighth century, and as a place of pilgrimage in the eleventh. King Ballal Sen gave it the name of Barendra, and it is the traditional home of the Pod caste.
