Harikela () was an ancient empire located in the eastern region of the
Indian subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent is a list of the physiographic regions of the world, physiographical region in United Nations geoscheme for Asia#Southern Asia, Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian O ...
. Originally, it was a neighboring independent and independent township of ancient East Bengal, which had a continuous existence of about 500 years. The state of Harikal consisted of present-day
Tripura
Tripura (, Bengali: ) is a state in Northeast India. The third-smallest state in the country, it covers ; and the seventh-least populous state with a population of 36.71 lakh ( 3.67 million). It is bordered by Assam and Mizoram to the ea ...
state of
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
, and
Sylhet region of present-day
Bangladesh (including
Barak Valley
The Barak Valley is located in the southern region of the Indian state of Assam. The region is named after the Barak river. The Barak valley consists of three administrative districts of Assam - namely Cachar, Karimganj, and Hailakandi. The ...
of India) and
Chittagong,
Cox's Bazar, Rangamati, Bandarban and Khagrachari of Chittagong division.
History
Yiling in the seventh century mentions a kingdom of Ali-ki-lo or Harikela. The kingdom was ruled by the
Chandra dynasty
The Chandra kingdom was a Buddhist kingdom, originating from the Indian subcontinent, which ruled the Samatata region of Bengal, as well as northern Arakan. Later it was a neighbor to the Pala Empire to the north. Rulers of Chandra kingdom were ...
during the 10th century CE. They were overthrown by the
Varman Dynasty of Southeast Bengal, who were in turn overthrown by the
Deva dynasty. In the 17th century the
Mughal Empire absorbed and brought Harikela under the province of Bengal.
Geography
For a time its capital was near
Chittagong before being moved to
Munshiganj by the Candras. Arab traders recognised Harikela (known as Harkand in Arabic) as the coastal regions of
Bengal (near Chittagong) in the early period and included
Sylhet in the later period reaching as far as the ancient
Sundarbans
Sundarbans (pronounced ) is a mangrove area in the delta formed by the confluence of the Padma, Brahmaputra and Meghna Rivers in the Bay of Bengal. It spans the area from the Baleswar River in Bangladesh's division of Khulna to the Hooghly R ...
.
Notes
References
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External links
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Ancient divisions in Bengal
{{Bangladesh-stub
Medieval India