Saptagram (colloquially called ''Satgaon'') was an ancient major port, the chief city and sometimes capital of southern

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 ...

, in ancient and medieval times of

, the location presently being in the

Hooghly district Hooghly district () is one of the districts of the Indian state of West Bengal. It can alternatively be spelt ''Hoogli'' or ''Hugli''. The district is named after the Hooghly River. The headquarters of the district are at Hooghly-Chinsurah (' ...

in the Indian state 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 ...

. It is about 4 km from

Bandel Bandel is a city in the Hooghly district of the Indian state of West Bengal. It was founded by Portuguese Empire, Portuguese settlers and falls under the jurisdiction of Chandernagore Police Commissionerate. It is a part of the area covered by ...

, a major rail junction. By the early twentieth century, the place had dwindled to a group of insignificant huts.Cotton, H.E.A., ''Calcutta Old and New'', 1909/1980, p. 2, General Printers and Publishers Pvt. Ltd. The port had to be abandoned because of the silting up and consequent drying of the

Saraswati River The Sarasvati River () is a deified mythological river first mentioned in the Rigveda and later in Vedic and post-Vedic texts. It played an important role in the Vedic religion, appearing in all but the fourth book of the Rigveda. As a phys ...

Etymology

The word ''Saptagram'' means seven villages. These are identified as

Bansberia Bansberia is a city and a municipality of Hooghly district in the Indian States and territories of India, state of West Bengal. It is about away from Kolkata, at the western end of the Iswar Gupta Setu (Kalyani, West Bengal, Kalyani-Bansberia) ...

, Kristapur, Basudebpur, Nityanandapur, Sibpur, Sambachora and Baladghati.

History

According to Binoy Ghosh, Tamralipta, the ancient port, started declining from the 8th century, owing to river silting, and Saptagram possibly started gaining in importance as a port from the 9th to10th century. Saptagram port, along with its business centre, had become important in the pre-Muslim era, during the rule of the

Palas A ''palas'' () is a German term for the imposing or prestigious building of a medieval '' Pfalz'' or castle that contained the great hall. Such buildings appeared during the Romanesque period (11th to 13th century) and, according to Thompson ...

and Senas. In the Muslim era, Saptagram was an important administrative centre right from the beginning, and the period 14th to 16th century was considered the golden age of Saptagram. In 1565 Maharaja

Rudranarayan Rudranarayan Ray Mukuti () was a Hindu King of Bhurishrestha 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 ...

of Bhurshut conquered it from pathans . In 1592 AD Saptogram was captured and looted by the Pathans. In the 17th century, Hooghly-Bandel-Chinsurah started gaining in importance. From the 18th century, Kolkata started emerging as the main business and cultural centre of Bengal.Ghosh, Binoy, ''Paschim Banger Sanskriti'', , part II, 1976 edition, pages 312–316, Prakash Bhaban, Kolkata.

References

External links

Wikimapia satellite view of Iswar Gupta Setu and surrounding areas
{{Hooghly District Ancient divisions in Bengal Hooghly district

Etymology

History

See also

References

External links