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Chand Sadagar ( Assamese: চান্দ সদাগৰ,
Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...
: চাঁদ সদাগর) was an Indian sea merchant of Champaknagar in Eastern India. This merchant has been claimed by both the Assamese and
Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...
people of India to be associated with their respective states and communities. Medieval Bengali poet
Bipradas Pipilai Bipradas Pipilai was a 15th-century poet. He was the son of Mukunda Pipilai, the family hailed from Baduria-Batagram in 24 Parganas, now in the Indian States and territories of India, state of West Bengal. Sengupta, Subodh Chandra and Bose, Anjali ...
mentioned in his ''"
Manasamangal Kāvya ''Manasamangal Kāvya'' () is recognized as the oldest of the Bengali language, Bengali Mangal-Kāvyas, chronicling the establishment of the snake-goddess Manasa's worship in Bengal. The goddess holds alternative names such as Bisahari, Janguli, ...
"'' (or "Manasa Vijay") that merchant ship of Chand Sadagar used to proceed to the sea from ancient Champaknagar after passing through Tribeni, situated at the junction of
Saptagram Saptagram (colloquially called ''Satgaon'') was an ancient major port, the chief city and sometimes capital of southern Bengal, in ancient and medieval times of Bengal, the location presently being in the Hooghly district in the Indian state o ...
and the confluence of
Ganges The Ganges ( ; in India: Ganga, ; in Bangladesh: Padma, ). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international which goes through India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China." is a trans-boundary rive ...
,
Saraswati Saraswati (, ), also spelled as Sarasvati, is one of the principal Devi, goddesses in Hinduism, revered as the goddess of knowledge, education, learning, arts, speech, poetry, music, purification, language and culture. Together with the godde ...
and
Jamuna River The Jamuna River () is one of the three main rivers of Bangladesh. The two other major rivers in Bangladesh are the Padma and the Meghna. The Jamuna is the lower stream of the Brahmaputra River, which originates in Tibet as Yarlung Tsangpo, ...
of modern-day
West Bengal West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...
. Narayan Dev in the scriptures gave an account in his ''Manasamangal'' about the merchant ship of the trader Chand Saudagar proceeding to the sea from ancient Champaknagar passing through
Saptagram Saptagram (colloquially called ''Satgaon'') was an ancient major port, the chief city and sometimes capital of southern Bengal, in ancient and medieval times of Bengal, the location presently being in the Hooghly district in the Indian state o ...
and Tribeni, the tri-junction of the Ganges, Saraswati and Jamuna River. In the ''Padma Puran'' (Hindu Scripture), account of Chand Bania (Sadagar) is specifically mentioned.


Champaknagar


Bengali version

According to the local folklore of
West Bengal West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...
''Champaknagari'', or Kasba-Champainagari, situated in the
Purba Bardhaman district Purba Bardhaman district is in the Indian state of West Bengal. Its headquarters is in Bardhaman. It was formed on 7 April 2017 after the division of the previous Bardhaman district. Great revolutionary Rash Behari Bose was born in village Suba ...
of
West Bengal West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...
is the Champak Nagar of ancient Bengali merchant Chand Sadagar. The locals believe that the place is associated with Ma Manasa and Chand Sadagar. In "
Ain-i-Akbari The ''Ain-i-Akbari'' (), or the "Administration of Akbar", is a 16th-century detailed document regarding the administration of the Mughal Empire under Emperor Akbar, written by his court historian, Abu'l Fazl, in the Persian language. It forms ...
" also the name of Champainagari Pargana under Sarkar Madaran has been mentioned, which was located in the present Purba Bardhaman district of West Bengal. Kasba-Champainagari is located on the north bank of
Damodar River Damodar River (Pron: /ˈdʌmoˌdaː/) is a river flowing across the Indian states of Jharkhand and West Bengal. The valley is rich in mineral resources and is known for large-scale mining and industrial activity. It was also known as the Sorrow o ...
, approx. 32 miles west of
Bardhaman Bardhaman (, ), officially Bardhaman Sadar, is a city and municipality in the state of West Bengal, India. It is the headquarters of Purba Bardhaman district, having become a district capital during the period of British rule. Burdwan, an a ...
city and south of Budbud. We know from the story of Manasamangal that Chand Sadagar was a staunch Shaivite and he even built a Shiva temple in his house. According to the local folklore of this village, the two Shivalingas (one of which is Rameshwar Shivalinga) resting in two ancient Shiva Temples situated in this village of Purba Bardhaman were established by Chand Sadagar himself. There is a beautiful Shiva temple on a high mound situated to the south of the DVC canal. The Shiva temple, located next to a huge Ashwattha tree, has a huge Shivalinga (without the Gauri Patta), known as Rameshwar Shivalinga. There are also two high mounds in the village, one of which is believed to be the ruins of Behula's Basarghar (Sati-Tirtha) and Chand Sadagar's house. Another place in
Bengal Bengal ( ) is a Historical geography, historical geographical, ethnolinguistic and cultural term referring to a region in the Eastern South Asia, eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. The region of Benga ...
, associated with the bridal chamber of Behula and lakshindar is
Gokul Medh Gokul Medh is an archaeological site in Bangladesh. It is an excavated mound in the village of Gokul in Bogra Sadar Upazila, Bogra, about 2 km southwest of Mahasthangarh. It is also known as ''Lakshindar Medh,'' as it is known in local Be ...
in present-day
Bogra district Bogra District, officially Bogura District (), is a district in the northern part of Bangladesh, in Rajshahi Division. Bogra is an industrial city where many small and mid-sized companies are sited. Bogra was a part of the Pundravardhana terri ...
, Bangladesh. The high mound of Bogura is popularly known in local Bengali folklore as the Basarghar (bridal chamber) of Behula. Sundarban Tiger Reserve of West Bengal, is associated as the place where Neti, foster mother of Ma Manasha, lived and worked as a washerwoman. A temple at
Howrah Howrah (; ; alternatively spelled as Haora) is a city in the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal. Howrah is located on the western bank of the Hooghly River, opposite to its twin city of Kolkata. Administratively ...
, a
Kolkata Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...
neighborhood, is believed to have been built by Chand Sadagar. Between the citadel and the eastern embankment at
Gaur The gaur (''Bos gaurus''; ) is a large bovine native to the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia, and has been listed as Vulnerable species, Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1986. The global population was estimated at a maximum of 21,000 ...
, a ruined structure, is claimed to be the house of Chand Sadagar.


Assamese version

According to Assamese folklore, Champaknagar is placed in Chaygaon, Kamrup, about 30–40 km from Guwahati, Assam. Champaknagar is still there in Chaygaon area of Kamrup dist in Assam. There are remains of ancient structures and also a statue of Devi Kali there. It is also known as Mer ghar. Locals believe that it is that house or place where Behula and Lakhindhar spend the first night after marriage and there Lakhindhar was bitten by a Snake send my Manasa Devi. To escape from the plight of Ma Manasa, Lakhindhar and Behula escaped to a place called
Gokul Medh Gokul Medh is an archaeological site in Bangladesh. It is an excavated mound in the village of Gokul in Bogra Sadar Upazila, Bogra, about 2 km southwest of Mahasthangarh. It is also known as ''Lakshindar Medh,'' as it is known in local Be ...
, 3 km south of
Mahasthangarh Mahasthangarh is the earliest urban archaeological sites discovered thus far in Bangladesh. The village Mahasthan in Shibganj upazila of Bogra District contains the remains of an ancient city which was called Pundranagara or Paundravardha ...
and 9 km north of
Bogra Bogra (), List of renamed places in Bangladesh, officially Bogura, is a city located in Bogra District, Rajshahi Division, Bangladesh. The city is a major commercial hub in North Bengal, Northern Bangladesh. It is the second largest city in te ...
town, 1 km from the Bogra-Rangpur road of modern
Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...
after Behula's Basarghar or Lakhinder's Medh. During excavations here in 1934–36, 162 rectangular abattoirs were found in a lined courtyard. It was built in the sixth or seventh century AD. According to local folklore, this place is associated with Behula and Lakhinder. The remains of a temple have been found 800 meters west of the north-west corner of the ruins at Chengispur village in Mahasthangarh. It is called Khullana mound. The Karatoya River, which flows through the region, is now narrow but is known to have been huge in the past.There is a region in Dhubri district of Assam, much north of Bogra, the area is believed to be reminiscent of Mansa's companion leader Netai Dhubuni. Netai Dhubuni is known as the divine washerwoman who washed the cloths of Gods. There is also a rock associated to her near Netai Dhubuni park in Dhubri town. The name of Dhubri town is also named after Netai Dhubni. There is also a hillock named Chandardinga in Dhubri dist of Assam the people there believe that the boat of Chand Sadagar crashed and sank down at that place.


In popular culture

* In 1927, Manmatha Roy wrote the mythological Bengali play ''Chand Saudagar'', portraying the title character. * In 1934, Prafulla Roy directed a Bengali film ''Chand Saudagar'' in which Dhiraj Bhattacharya played the role of Lakshmindara, Ahindra Choudhury that of Chand Sadagar, Devbala of Manasa, Sefalika Devi of Behula, Jahar Ganguli of Kalu Sardar, Indubala of a singer, Niharbala of Neta Dhobani, Padmabati of Sanaka and Usharani of Amala. It was written by Manmatha Roy. Film editing was by Akhil Neogi. * In 2010,
STAR Jalsha Star Jalsha is an Indian Bengali language general entertainment pay television channel owned by JioStar, a joint venture between Viacom18 and Disney India. It primarily broadcasts family dramas, comedies, reality shows and films. It launched ...
created a Bengali serial "Behula", based on Chand Sadagar's daughter in law. * Amitav Ghosh's novel ''Gun Island'' deals with Chand Sadagar. * 2022 Bangladeshi film '' Hawa'' is loosely based on this myth.


References

{{reflist Bengali folklore Assamese folklore Legendary Asian people