Saptagram
Encyclopedia
Saptagram (colloquially called Satgaon) was a major port, the chief city and sometimes capital of southern Bengal
, in ancient and medieval times, the location presently being in the Hooghly district
in the India
n state
of West Bengal
. It is about 4 km from Bandel
, a major rail junction. By the early twentieth century, the place had dwindled to a group of insignificant huts. The port had to be abandoned because of the silting up and consequent drying of the Saraswati River
. It had an impact on the subsequent development and growth of Kolkata
. H. E. A. Cotton
writes, “Here then may be traced nucleus of the future city of Calcutta, and as time went on the silting up of the river opposite Satgaon still further favoured her fortunes.”
, Kristapur, Basudebpur, Nityanandapur, Sibpur, Sambachora and Baladghati.
There is an interesting mythological story attached to the name. King Priyabanta of Kannauj
had seven sons – Agnitra, Medhatithi, Bapusman, Jyotisman, Dutisman, Saban and Bhabya. They were not happy with the royal life and so they set out in search of a place where they could carry out their meditation. When they came to the confluence of Ganga, Jamuna and Saraswati, they liked the place and settled down in seven villages to a hermit’s life. Thus grew Saptagram around the seven villages.
, 50 km north of Kolkata, ran parallel to the Hooghly River on its west.It is believed that the Saraswati used to flow on the bed of the Rupnarayan River
on which stood the port of Tamralipta
. Since the end of the 7th century, the Saraswati had begun to move towards the present course of the Hughli river.
By the early twelfth century, the Saraswati had moved to a position when it flowed out of the Hooghly River at the Triveni junction (of the Ganges, the Saraswati and the Jamuna) and after a movement towards the west turned to the southeast to meet the Hooghly River again at Betore opposite present Garden Reach, thus forming a loop. Saptagram was situated on the upper part of the loop on the southern bank. Saraswati started drying up from the 17th century and ships, which navigated up the river, could no longer do so.
Around the time when Bakhtiyar Khilji came to Bengal, the region was divided into five parts – Rarh
, Bagri, Vanga, Barendra, and Mithila
. Vanga was further subdivided into three parts – Lakhanabati
, Subarnagram and Saptagram. When the frontiers of Bengal were expanded during Mughal rule
, there were three prominent administrative zones in the area – Sirkar Satgaon, Sirkar Selimabad and Sirkar Mandaran.
(15th century), when the merchant Chand Sadagar
goes for trade in his many ships he passes through Saptagram. In Chandimangal by Mukundaram (16th century) there is a line, “Where doesn’t the merchant from Saptagram go?”
Not much is noted about Saptagram in recorded ancient history. The first mention probably was that of the conquest of Saptagram by Baharam Itgin Zaffar Khan, the former ruler of Devkot
, in 1298. Zaffar Khan had built a mosque at Saptagram collecting materials from many Hindu and Buddhist temples, thereby indicating the prosperity of Saptagram in the earlier Hindu and Buddhist periods.It is the oldest mosque in Bengal.
A major event during the rule of Tuglaqs
(Bengal rule:1336-1358) was the visit to Saptagram of Ibn Battuta
in 1350.From various records it is noted that local traders did not go abroad for trading but Arab
, Persian
and Turkish
traders came to Saptagram for the purpose. The Portuguese
started coming to Saptagram from the early 16th century.
Afonso de Melo arrived with five ships and a hundred
men. They presented lavish gifts to the Sultan
. However, instead of being pleased the Sultan put the Portuguese behind bars, because the gifts were stolen materials. A conflict situation arose. Messages were sent to the Portuguese governor at Goa
. Chittagong
port was set on fire. Diano Rebelo arrived at Saptagram with a force. Many thought that Sultan Ghiasuddin Mahmud Shah would give a big fight. He did not. He released the Portuguese prisoners and granted them permission to trade at Chittagong and Saptagram. He had his own reasons; he wanted the support of the Portuguese in the internal struggle that was just unfolding.
By 1535, the Portuguese were well settled in Saptagram. When Sher Khan
attacked Saptagram, the Portuguese fought for the Sultan, but they withdrew their forces in 1538. The same year Sultan Ghiasuddin Mahmud Shah was defeated. It was only after Sher Shah’s
death and the decline of Afghan supremacy that the Portuguese returned to Saptagram by around 1550.
Travelers visiting Saptagram presented glowing descriptions of the trade and commerce. Caesar Frederick, a Venetian
who had travelled in the East from 1563 to 1581 and has left behind an account about some important cities, ports and business centres of India and of Bengal, mentions thirty to thirty five ships loaded with goods at Saptagram. Tomé Pires
, a Portuguese traveller, did not visit Bengal but his great work Suma Oriental written during his tenures in India and Malacca (1512-1515) gives a valuable account of contemporary Bengal. He wrote, “It is a good city and rich where there are many merchants. It must have ten thousand inhabitants. Ralf Fitch, an English traveller and trader, found “Satgaon is a fairie city for a city of the Moors, and very plentiful of all things. In 1591, he thrilled London with the magnificent possibilities of Eastern commerce.
The Portuguese called Saptagram Porto Pequeno or Little Haven, Chaittagong was Porto Grande or Great Haven. The silting of the river was taking its toll. Adi Ganga
or present Tolly’s Nullah was the outlet to the sea. The river was easily navigable for ocean-going ships up to Adi Ganga, beyond that only country boats operated. Betore on the western bank of the river had come up as a roaring trading centre. Many traders had started shifting to Hooghly
. The Sheths and Basacks made their way to the eastern bank of the river, and set up the village of Gobindapur
. It was much later that Job Charnock
came and landed at Sutanuti
.As the curtain wrung down over Saptagram, Kolkata
started unfolding as a major metropolis.
Now, it is all quiet riverside, partly urbanised with an occasional factory chimney belching smoke in the distance. The Ishwar Gupta Setu, opened in 1989, linking Bandel
with Kalyani
offers a majestic view of the Hooghly River.
In saptagram there is Raghunath Das Goswami's akhra. Also a rural library named Raghunath Das Goswami Pathagar - a Govt. sponsored library.
Professor Narayan Ch Ghosh was administrator of said rural library.
Bengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
, in ancient and medieval times, the location presently being in the Hooghly district
Hooghly District
Hooghly district is one of the districts of the state of West Bengal in India. It can alternatively be spelt Hoogli or Hugli. The district is named after the Hooghly River.The headquarters of the district are at Chinsura...
in the India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n state
States and territories of India
India is a federal union of states comprising twenty-eight states and seven union territories. The states and territories are further subdivided into districts and so on.-List of states and territories:...
of West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
. It is about 4 km from Bandel
Bandel
Bandel , founded by Portuguese settlers, is a gram panchayat in Chinsurah-Mogra block in Chinsurah subdivision of Hooghly district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is under Chinsurah police station. A major junction station of Eastern Railway, it is 40 km from Howrah station...
, a major rail junction. By the early twentieth century, the place had dwindled to a group of insignificant huts. The port had to be abandoned because of the silting up and consequent drying of the Saraswati River
Saraswati River (Bengal)
Saraswati River refers to a river, that was a distributary of the Bhagirathi and is now no more there but was active till around the 16th century AD. The course and condition of the Saraswati has played an important role in the development and decline of river port towns in Bengal...
. It had an impact on the subsequent development and growth of Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
. H. E. A. Cotton
H. E. A. Cotton
Sir Harry Evan Auguste Cotton CIE was a barrister, administrator, journalist, historian and writer...
writes, “Here then may be traced nucleus of the future city of Calcutta, and as time went on the silting up of the river opposite Satgaon still further favoured her fortunes.”
Origin of name
The word ‘Saptagram’ means seven villages. These are identified as BansberiaBansberia
Bansberia is a town and a municipality in Hooghly district in the state of West Bengal, India. It is under Mogra/ Chinsurah police stations in Chinsurah subdivision. It is at the western end of the Kalyani Bridge, and a part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority...
, Kristapur, Basudebpur, Nityanandapur, Sibpur, Sambachora and Baladghati.
There is an interesting mythological story attached to the name. King Priyabanta of Kannauj
Kannauj
Kannauj , also spelt Kanauj, is a city, administrative headquarters and a municipal board or Nagar Palika Parishad in Kannauj district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The city's name is traditionally derived from the term Kanyakubja . Kannauj is an ancient city, in earlier times the capital...
had seven sons – Agnitra, Medhatithi, Bapusman, Jyotisman, Dutisman, Saban and Bhabya. They were not happy with the royal life and so they set out in search of a place where they could carry out their meditation. When they came to the confluence of Ganga, Jamuna and Saraswati, they liked the place and settled down in seven villages to a hermit’s life. Thus grew Saptagram around the seven villages.
Geography
Saraswati River, which used to take off from Hooghly River at TribeniTribeni
Tribeni is a small town in Hooghly in the state of West Bengal, India. It was an old holy place for the Hindus. The Muslims took over it during early phases of their conquest of Bengal.-Geography:Tribeni is located at ....
, 50 km north of Kolkata, ran parallel to the Hooghly River on its west.It is believed that the Saraswati used to flow on the bed of the Rupnarayan River
Rupnarayan River
The Rupnarayan River is a river in India. It begins as the Dhaleswari in the Chhota Nagpur plateau foothills northeast of the town of Purulia. It then follows a tortuous southeasterly course past the town of Bankura, where it is known as the Dwarakeswar river. Near the town of Ghatal it is...
on which stood the port of Tamralipta
Tamralipta
Tamralipta or Tamralipti was the name of an ancient city on the Bay of Bengal believed by scholars to be on the site of Tamluk in modern-day India.-References:...
. Since the end of the 7th century, the Saraswati had begun to move towards the present course of the Hughli river.
By the early twelfth century, the Saraswati had moved to a position when it flowed out of the Hooghly River at the Triveni junction (of the Ganges, the Saraswati and the Jamuna) and after a movement towards the west turned to the southeast to meet the Hooghly River again at Betore opposite present Garden Reach, thus forming a loop. Saptagram was situated on the upper part of the loop on the southern bank. Saraswati started drying up from the 17th century and ships, which navigated up the river, could no longer do so.
Around the time when Bakhtiyar Khilji came to Bengal, the region was divided into five parts – Rarh
Rarh region
Rarh region of West Bengal is the region that lies between the Western plateau and high lands and the Ganges Delta...
, Bagri, Vanga, Barendra, and Mithila
Mithila
Mithila was a city in Ancient India, the capital of the Videha Kingdom. The name Mithila is also commonly used to refer to the Videha Kingdom itself, as well as to the modern-day territories that fall within the ancient boundaries of Videha...
. Vanga was further subdivided into three parts – Lakhanabati
Gaur, West Bengal
Gour, or Gaur , as it is spelt mostly in modern times, or Lakhnauti is a ruined city, in the Malda district of West Bengal, India, on the west bank of the Ganges river, 40 kilometers downstream from Rajmahal.-History:...
, Subarnagram and Saptagram. When the frontiers of Bengal were expanded during Mughal rule
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
, there were three prominent administrative zones in the area – Sirkar Satgaon, Sirkar Selimabad and Sirkar Mandaran.
History
Saptagram is mentioned in old Bengali literature, testifying its popularity in earlier times. In Manasamangal by Bipradas PipilaiBipradas Pipilai
Bipradas Pipilai , was a 15th century poet. He was the son of Mukunda Pipilai, the family hailed from Badurya-Batagram in 24 Parganas, now in the Indian state of West Bengal.-The Manasa Vijay:...
(15th century), when the merchant Chand Sadagar
Chand Sadagar
Chand Sadagar, , , was a rich and powerful merchant of Champak Nagar in ancient India. Bipradas Pipilai gave an account in his Manasamangal about the merchant ship of the trader Chand Saudagar proceeding to the sea, passing through Saptagram and Tribeni, the tri junction of the Ganges, Saraswati...
goes for trade in his many ships he passes through Saptagram. In Chandimangal by Mukundaram (16th century) there is a line, “Where doesn’t the merchant from Saptagram go?”
Not much is noted about Saptagram in recorded ancient history. The first mention probably was that of the conquest of Saptagram by Baharam Itgin Zaffar Khan, the former ruler of Devkot
Devkot
Devkot was an ancient city which was the administrative centre of Kotivarsha Vishaya , itself part of the wider administrative unit of Pundravardhana Bhukti, which had Mahasthangarh as its capital in the period of Chandras, Varmans and Senas...
, in 1298. Zaffar Khan had built a mosque at Saptagram collecting materials from many Hindu and Buddhist temples, thereby indicating the prosperity of Saptagram in the earlier Hindu and Buddhist periods.It is the oldest mosque in Bengal.
A major event during the rule of Tuglaqs
Tughlaq dynasty
The Tughlaq dynasty of north India started in 1321 in Delhi when Ghazi Malik assumed the throne under the title of Ghiyath al-Din Tughluq. The Tughluqs were a Muslim family of Turkic origin...
(Bengal rule:1336-1358) was the visit to Saptagram of Ibn Battuta
Ibn Battuta
Abu Abdullah Muhammad Ibn Battuta , or simply Ibn Battuta, also known as Shams ad–Din , was a Muslim Moroccan Berber explorer, known for his extensive travels published in the Rihla...
in 1350.From various records it is noted that local traders did not go abroad for trading but Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
, Persian
Persian people
The Persian people are part of the Iranian peoples who speak the modern Persian language and closely akin Iranian dialects and languages. The origin of the ethnic Iranian/Persian peoples are traced to the Ancient Iranian peoples, who were part of the ancient Indo-Iranians and themselves part of...
and Turkish
Turkish people
Turkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania...
traders came to Saptagram for the purpose. The Portuguese
Portuguese people
The Portuguese are a nation and ethnic group native to the country of Portugal, in the west of the Iberian peninsula of south-west Europe. Their language is Portuguese, and Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion....
started coming to Saptagram from the early 16th century.
Europeans at Saptagram
In 1533, the PortuguesePortugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
Afonso de Melo arrived with five ships and a hundred
Hundred
Hundred usually refers to the number 100It may also refer to:* Hundred , historically a number not necessarily 100* Hundred , a mostly obsolete geographic term...
men. They presented lavish gifts to the Sultan
Sultan
Sultan is a title with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", and "dictatorship", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who...
. However, instead of being pleased the Sultan put the Portuguese behind bars, because the gifts were stolen materials. A conflict situation arose. Messages were sent to the Portuguese governor at Goa
Goa
Goa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...
. Chittagong
Chittagong
Chittagong ) is a city in southeastern Bangladesh and the capital of an eponymous district and division. Built on the banks of the Karnaphuli River, the city is home to Bangladesh's busiest seaport and has a population of over 4.5 million, making it the second largest city in the country.A trading...
port was set on fire. Diano Rebelo arrived at Saptagram with a force. Many thought that Sultan Ghiasuddin Mahmud Shah would give a big fight. He did not. He released the Portuguese prisoners and granted them permission to trade at Chittagong and Saptagram. He had his own reasons; he wanted the support of the Portuguese in the internal struggle that was just unfolding.
By 1535, the Portuguese were well settled in Saptagram. When Sher Khan
Sher Shah Suri
Sher Shah Suri , birth name Farid Khan, also known as Sher Khan , was the founder of the short-lived Sur Empire in northern India, with its capital at Delhi, before its demise in the hands of the resurgent Mughal Empire...
attacked Saptagram, the Portuguese fought for the Sultan, but they withdrew their forces in 1538. The same year Sultan Ghiasuddin Mahmud Shah was defeated. It was only after Sher Shah’s
Sher Shah Suri
Sher Shah Suri , birth name Farid Khan, also known as Sher Khan , was the founder of the short-lived Sur Empire in northern India, with its capital at Delhi, before its demise in the hands of the resurgent Mughal Empire...
death and the decline of Afghan supremacy that the Portuguese returned to Saptagram by around 1550.
Travelers visiting Saptagram presented glowing descriptions of the trade and commerce. Caesar Frederick, a Venetian
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
who had travelled in the East from 1563 to 1581 and has left behind an account about some important cities, ports and business centres of India and of Bengal, mentions thirty to thirty five ships loaded with goods at Saptagram. Tomé Pires
Tomé Pires
Tomé Pires was an apothecary from Lisbon who spent 1512 to 1515 in Malacca immediately after the Portuguese conquest, at a time when Europeans were only first arriving in South East Asia...
, a Portuguese traveller, did not visit Bengal but his great work Suma Oriental written during his tenures in India and Malacca (1512-1515) gives a valuable account of contemporary Bengal. He wrote, “It is a good city and rich where there are many merchants. It must have ten thousand inhabitants. Ralf Fitch, an English traveller and trader, found “Satgaon is a fairie city for a city of the Moors, and very plentiful of all things. In 1591, he thrilled London with the magnificent possibilities of Eastern commerce.
The Portuguese called Saptagram Porto Pequeno or Little Haven, Chaittagong was Porto Grande or Great Haven. The silting of the river was taking its toll. Adi Ganga
Adi Ganga
Adi Ganga , also known as Gobindapur creek, Surman’s Nullah and Tolly’s Nullah, was the main flow of the Hooghly River from the 15th to 17th century but has subsequently virtually dried up.-History:...
or present Tolly’s Nullah was the outlet to the sea. The river was easily navigable for ocean-going ships up to Adi Ganga, beyond that only country boats operated. Betore on the western bank of the river had come up as a roaring trading centre. Many traders had started shifting to Hooghly
Hugli-Chuchura
Hugli-Chuchura is a city in the state of West Bengal, India. It lies on the Hooghly River, 35 km north of Kolkata . It is located in the district of Hugli and is home to the district headquarters. Chuchura houses the Commissioner of the Burdwan Range...
. The Sheths and Basacks made their way to the eastern bank of the river, and set up the village of Gobindapur
Gobindapur
Gobindapur was one of the three villages which were merged to form the city of Kolkata in India. The other two villages were Kalikata and Sutanuti...
. It was much later that Job Charnock
Job Charnock
Job Charnock was a servant and administrator of the English East India Company, traditionally regarded as the founder of the city of Calcutta.-Early life and career:...
came and landed at Sutanuti
Sutanuti
Sutanuti was one of the three villages which were merged to form the city of Kolkata in India. The other two villages were Gobindapur and Kalikata. Job Charnock, an administrator with the British East India Company is traditionally credited with the honour of founding the city...
.As the curtain wrung down over Saptagram, Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
started unfolding as a major metropolis.
Now, it is all quiet riverside, partly urbanised with an occasional factory chimney belching smoke in the distance. The Ishwar Gupta Setu, opened in 1989, linking Bandel
Bandel
Bandel , founded by Portuguese settlers, is a gram panchayat in Chinsurah-Mogra block in Chinsurah subdivision of Hooghly district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is under Chinsurah police station. A major junction station of Eastern Railway, it is 40 km from Howrah station...
with Kalyani
Kalyani, West Bengal
Kalyani is a city and a municipality in Nadia district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is a part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority....
offers a majestic view of the Hooghly River.
In saptagram there is Raghunath Das Goswami's akhra. Also a rural library named Raghunath Das Goswami Pathagar - a Govt. sponsored library.
Professor Narayan Ch Ghosh was administrator of said rural library.
External links
See also
- European colonies in India
- Saptagram (Vidhan Sabha constituency)Saptagram (Vidhan Sabha constituency)Saptagram is an assembly constituency in Hooghly district in the Indian state of West Bengal. As a consequence of the orders of the Delimitation Committee Bansberia ceases to exist from 2011 and a new constituency comes in to being at Saptagram.-Extent:As per orders of the Delimitation...