Sonargaon

Author:Laxman Burdak, IFS (R)

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Map of Bangladesh

Sonargaon (Hindi:सोनारगांव, Bengali: সোনারগাঁও) is a historic city in central Bangladesh. Suvarnagrama (सुवर्णग्राम) was its ancient name mentioned in the Gupta inscriptions.

Location

Sonargaon is located near the old course of the Brahmaputra River. To the north of Sonargaon are the Wari-Bateshwar ruins, which archaeologists have considered to be the emporium (trading colony) of Sounagoura mentioned by Greco-Roman writers. It corresponds to the Sonargaon Upazila of Narayanganj District in Dhaka Division.

Origin

Sonargaon meanns Golden Hamlet or village.

Variants

• Svarnagrama स्वर्णग्राम = Suvarnagrama सुवर्णग्राम दे. सोनारगांव (AS, p.1004)
• Suvarnagrama सुवर्णग्राम (AS, p.979)
• Sonaraganva सोनारगांव (AS, p.988)
• Sonārgaon सोनारगांव

History

Suvarṇagrāma (सुवर्णग्राम) is a place name ending in grāma mentioned in the Gupta inscriptions. Suvarṇagrāma is also known as Sonārgaon in the way that grāma is changed to gaon.

Sonargaon is one of the old capitals of the historic region of Bengal and was an administrative center of eastern Bengal. It was also a river port. Its hinterland was the center of the muslin trade in Bengal, with a large population of weavers and artisans. According to ancient Greek and Roman accounts, an emporium was located in this hinterland, which archaeologists have identified with the Wari-Bateshwar ruins. The area was a base for the Vanga, Samatata, Sena, and Deva dynasties.

Sonargaon gained importance during the Delhi Sultanate. It was the capital of the sultanate ruled by Fakhruddin Mubarak Shah and his son Ikhtiyaruddin Ghazi Shah. It hosted a royal court and mint of the Bengal Sultanate. Sonargaon became one of the most important townships in Bengal. Many immigrants settled in the area. The Sultans built mosques and tombs. It was later the seat of the Baro-Bhuyan confederacy that resisted Mughal expansion under the leadership of Isa Khan and his son Musa Khan. Sonargaon then became a district of Mughal Bengal. During British colonial rule, merchants built many Indo-Saracenic townhouses in the Panam neighborhood. Its importance was eventually eclipsed by the nearby Port of Narayanganj which was set up in 1862.

Sonargaon draws many tourists each year in Bangladesh. It hosts the Bangladesh Folk Arts and Crafts Foundation, as well as various archaeological sites, Sufi shrines, Hindu temples, and historic mosques and tombs.

सुवर्णग्राम

विजयेन्द्र कुमार माथुर ने लेख किया है.... 1. सुवर्णग्राम (AS, p.979) = सोनार गाँव

2. सुवर्णग्राम (AS, p.979) = गंधार (युन्नान) के पूर्व और श्याम (थाईलैंड) के पश्चिम में स्थित प्राचीन भारतीय उपनिवेश जिसका उल्लेख श्याम के प्राचीन पाली इतिहास ग्रंथों में है इसके उत्तर में खेमराष्ट्र स्थित था.

सोनारगांव

सोनारगांव (AS, p.988): सोनारगाँव एक ऐतिहासिक स्थल जो बांग्लादेश में ढाका के निकट स्थित है। 1200 ई. में गौड़ नरेश लक्ष्मणसेन ने, जिसकी राजधानी लखनौती थी, गोरी के एक सरदार इख्तियारुद्दीन-बिन-बख्तियार खलजी द्वारा अचानक आक्रमण किये जाने पर, लखनौती को छोड़कर सोनारगाँव को अपनी राजधानी बनाया था। सेनवंशीय शासको की यह 13 वीं शताब्दी तक राजधानी रहा।