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Vaṅga was an ancient kingdom and geopolitical division within the Ganges Delta in the Indian subcontinent. The kingdom is one of the namesakes of the Bengal region. It was located in eastern and southern Bengal. Vanga features prominently in the epics and tales of ancient India as well as in the history of Sri Lanka.
Vanga was probably the centre of the Gangaridai Empire mentioned by numerous Greco-Roman writers. The exact capital of ancient Vanga kingdom could not be identified.
After the rule of the Gupta Empire, ancient Bengal was divided into two independent kingdoms – Gauda kingdom and Vanga. Kotalipara, an ancient fortified city of independent Vanga kingdom, present-day in Gopalganj district of Dhaka division, emerged as the centre of administration of Vanga kings after Gupta kingdom.
Vanga was probably the centre of the Gangaridai Empire mentioned by numerous Greco-Roman writers.Indian and Greco-Roman writers referred to the region's war elephants. In Indian history, Vanga is notable for its strong navy. There are numerous references to Vanga in the Hindu epic Mahabharata, which is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of India. The other epic, the Ramayana, mentions the kingdom as an ally of Ayodhya. For the presence of continuous archeological proof from Pre-Mauryan to Pala-Sena period Chandraketugarh is considered as a major city of Vanga kingdom. According to ancient Jain texts, Tamralipta was the capital of Vanga kingdom.
Vanga is recorded as an administrative unit in the Arthashastra written by Kautilya. It is described as a notable naval power by Kalidasa. There are also records of subdivisions within Vanga, including "Upa Vanga" (minor Vanga) which corresponds to Jessore District and forested areas corresponding to the Sundarbans and "Anuttara Vanga" (southern Vanga), denoting present-day the area of Barisal Division.
The rulers of the Vanga kingdom remain mostly unknown. After the 2nd century BCE, the territory became part of successive Indian empires, including Mauryan Empire, Gupta Empire, Shashanka's reign, Khadga dynasty, Pala Empire, Chandra Dynasty, Sena Dynasty and Deva dynasty. The term Vangala was often used to refer to the territory. For example, an inscription of the South Indian Chola dynasty referred to the region as Vangaladesha during a war with the Chandra dynasty of eastern Bengal. After the Muslim conquest of Bengal, the region was referred to as Bangalah, which may have evolved from Vangala. The names are the precursors of the modern terms Banga and Bangla.
Prince Vijaya's party of several hundred landed in Sri Lanka, were split on the journey. The men, women and children were on separate ships. Vijaya and his followers landed at a place called Supparaka; the women landed at a place called Mahiladipaka present day (Maldives), and the children landed at a place called Nagadipa. Vijaya eventually made it to the island of Lanka.
There has also been instances of Vanga settlements in Southeast Asia. Most notably in Champa (Vietnam), where a settlement was founded in Cochinchina. The settlement was named after a native Bengali name.
The Vanga kingdom encompassed the many islands of the Ganges delta and the Sundarbans mangrove forest.
The founders of Anga kingdom, Vangas, Kalingas, Pundra kingdom and Suhmas shared a common ancestry. They were all adopted sons of a king named Vali (Bali), born by a sage named Gautama Dirghatamas, who lived in Magadha kingdom close to the city of Girivraja.(1:104) (2:21) Other texts say that, because king Bali had no descendants, this deputed rishi Dirghatamaas to give birth of the children through Niyoga and thus five sons were born from the womb of the wife of Bali.
Karna captured the Angas, and the Vangas, and the Kalingas, and the Mandikas, and the Magadhas. the Karkakhandas; and also included with them the Avasiras, Yodhyas, and the Ahikshatras (3:252).
The Angas, the Vangas, the Kalingas, the Magadhas, the Kasi kingdom, the Kosala kingdom, the Vatsa kingdom, the Gargyas, the Karusha kingdom and the Paundras were mentioned to be vanquished by Vasudeva Krishna (7:11).
Arjuna defeated the countries of the Vangas, the Pundras, and the Kosalas (14:82) in his military campaign after Kurukshetra War.
Vangas sided with Duryodhana in the Kurukshetra War (8:17) along with the Kalingas. They are mentioned as part of the Kaurava army at (7:158). Many foremost of combatants skilled in elephant-fight, belonging to the Easterners, the Southerners, the Angas, the Vangas, the Pundras, the Magadhas, the Tamraliptakas, the Mekalas, the Koshalas, the Madra kingdom, the Dasarna kingdom, the Nishadas united with the Kalingas (8:22). Satyaki, pierced the vitals of the elephant belonging to the king of the Vangas (8:22).
Bhagadatta was mentioned as the ruler of the Pragjyotisha kingdom that took part in the Kurukshetra War.
Behind Duryodhana proceeded the ruler of the Vangas, with ten thousand elephants, huge as hills, and each with juice trickling down (6:92). The ruler of the Vangas (Bhagadatta) mounting upon an elephant huge as a hill, drove towards the Rakshasa, Ghatotkacha. On the field of battle, with the mighty elephant of great speed, Bhagadatta placed himself in the very front of Duryodhana's car. With that elephant he completely shrouded the car of thy son. Beholding then the way (to Duryodhana's car) thus covered by the intelligent king of the Vangas, the eyes of Ghatotkacha became red in anger. He ruled that huge dart, before upraised, at that elephant. Struck with that dart hurled from the arms of Ghatotkacha, that elephant, covered with blood and in great agony, fell down and died. The mighty king of the Vangas, however, quickly jumping down from that elephant, alighted on the ground (6:93).
Probably all these rulers had a stake in the territory of Vanga. All of them were mentioned as ruling the neighbouring kingdoms of Vanga, in other passages in Mahabharata. Bhagadatta was the ruler of Pragjyotisha kingdom to the north of Vanga. Paundraka Vasudeva ruled Pundra kingdom to the east of Vanga and Karna ruled Anga kingdom to the west of Vanga.
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