Shows / The Hidden History of Bengal: Kingdoms, Empires, and Revolution — Fexingo History
The Hidden History of Bengal: Kingdoms, Empires, and Revolution — Fexingo History
Bengal's history is far more than a footnote in the British Raj. This podcast explores the region's ancient kingdoms—from the Gauda and Pala empires to the Bengal Sultanate—and its pivotal role as a crossroads of trade, culture, and rebellion. Lucas and Luna guide listeners through the rise and fall of dynasties like the Senas and the Mughal subahdars, the flourishing of Bengali literature under the Sultanate, and the catastrophic Bengal Famine of 1770. They delve into the Battle of Plassey…
Episodes
The Hidden History of Bengal: Kingdoms, Empires, and Revolution — Fexingo HistoryThe Jagannath Temple Raid: Bengal's 17th Century Pirate Attack
In 1608, a fleet of Portuguese pirates and Magh raiders sailed up the Hooghly River and attacked the Jagannath Temple near present-day Kolkata. This episode…
- The Hidden History of Bengal: Kingdoms, Empires, and Revolution — Fexingo History
Siraj-ud-Daulah's Reforms: Bengal's Last Nawab Before Plassey
In this episode of The Hidden History of Bengal, we explore the brief but transformative reign of Siraj-ud-Daulah, the last independent Nawab of Bengal. Often…
- The Hidden History of Bengal: Kingdoms, Empires, and Revolution — Fexingo History
Mughal Bengal's Merchant Prince: Hiranand Sahu of Cossimbazar
While the Jagat Seths dominate the history of Bengal's banking dynasties, this episode turns to Hiranand Sahu, the merchant who financed Shah Shuja's…
- The Hidden History of Bengal: Kingdoms, Empires, and Revolution — Fexingo History
The Sena Dynasty's Forgotten Capital: Bikrampur's Golden Age
Lucas and Luna take a deep dive into Bikrampur, the ancient capital of the Sena dynasty in Bengal, which flourished from the 11th to 13th centuries. They…
- The Hidden History of Bengal: Kingdoms, Empires, and Revolution — Fexingo History
The Last Nawab of Bengal: Siraj-ud-Daulah's Forgotten Reforms
Before the Battle of Plassey, Siraj-ud-Daulah was more than just the doomed nawab who lost Bengal to the British. This episode explores his early reforms: his…
- The Hidden History of Bengal: Kingdoms, Empires, and Revolution — Fexingo History
Cossimbazar's Fabulous Wealth: Bengal's Lost Banking Dynasty
In this episode of The Hidden History of Bengal, Lucas and Luna explore the rise and fall of the Jagat Seth family, the fabulously wealthy bankers of…
- The Hidden History of Bengal: Kingdoms, Empires, and Revolution — Fexingo History
Bengal's Famine of 1943: Churchill, War, and Colonial Neglect
In 1943, as World War II raged, Bengal was hit by a famine that killed an estimated 2 to 3 million people. This episode explores the complex causes: not just a…
- The Hidden History of Bengal: Kingdoms, Empires, and Revolution — Fexingo History
Mughal Prince Shah Shuja: Bengal's Rebel Governor
In this episode of The Hidden History of Bengal, Lucas and Luna explore the forgotten story of Shah Shuja, the Mughal prince who ruled Bengal from 1639 to…
- The Hidden History of Bengal: Kingdoms, Empires, and Revolution — Fexingo History
Bengal's Buddhist Pala Empire: Patronage, Art, and Decline
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the Pala Empire of Bengal, a Buddhist dynasty that flourished from the 8th to 12th centuries. They discuss the founding…
- The Hidden History of Bengal: Kingdoms, Empires, and Revolution — Fexingo History
The Great Bengal Famine of 1770: A Colonial Catastrophe
In this episode of The Hidden History of Bengal, Lucas and Luna examine the Great Bengal Famine of 1770, a catastrophe that killed an estimated ten million…
- The Hidden History of Bengal: Kingdoms, Empires, and Revolution — Fexingo History
The Spice That Built Bengal: Betel Nut and Global Trade
Before tea and opium, betel nut (Areca catechu) was Bengal's most valuable agricultural export, traded from the Sundarbans to the markets of Persia and…
- The Hidden History of Bengal: Kingdoms, Empires, and Revolution — Fexingo History
The Battle of Buxar: Bengal's Last Stand Before British Rule
In 1764, a pivotal battle on the banks of the Ganges in Bihar sealed the fate of Bengal and India. This episode explores the Battle of Buxar, where the…
- The Hidden History of Bengal: Kingdoms, Empires, and Revolution — Fexingo History
Bengal's Forgotten Caves: Buddhist Murals in the Jungle
In this episode of Hidden History of Bengal, Lucas and Luna venture into the dense forests of the Chittagong Hill Tracts to explore the newly-rediscovered…
- The Hidden History of Bengal: Kingdoms, Empires, and Revolution — Fexingo History
The Sannyasi Rebellion: Ascetics vs the East India Company in Bengal
In the late 18th century, the forests of northern Bengal echoed with the conch shells and tridents of Hindu ascetics who rose up against the British East India…
- The Hidden History of Bengal: Kingdoms, Empires, and Revolution — Fexingo History
The Wootz Steel of Bengal: Forging a Lost Industry
In this episode, Lucas and Luna uncover the little-known story of Bengal's steel industry, focusing on the unique crucible steel known as wootz that was…
- The Hidden History of Bengal: Kingdoms, Empires, and Revolution — Fexingo History
The Black Hole of Calcutta: Myth, Memory, and Empire
The Black Hole of Calcutta is one of the most infamous episodes in British imperial lore—but how much of it actually happened? In this episode, Lucas and Luna…
- The Hidden History of Bengal: Kingdoms, Empires, and Revolution — Fexingo History
The Cotton That Changed the World: Bengal's Dhaka Muslin
Before Manchester, before the Industrial Revolution, there was Dhaka muslin — the finest cotton cloth ever woven, so delicate it was called 'woven…
- The Hidden History of Bengal: Kingdoms, Empires, and Revolution — Fexingo History
The Bengali Calendar: How Akbar's Tax Reform Created Pohela Boishakh
The Bengali New Year, Pohela Boishakh, is celebrated with processions, traditional food, and new clothes. But its origins lie not in ancient Hindu tradition…
- The Hidden History of Bengal: Kingdoms, Empires, and Revolution — Fexingo History
The Portuguese Pirate Queen of Bengal: Sandwip's Forgotten Ruler
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the story of Juliana, a Portuguese pirate queen who ruled the island of Sandwip in the Bay of Bengal in the 17th…
- The Hidden History of Bengal: Kingdoms, Empires, and Revolution — Fexingo History
The Salt Trade of Bengal: How a Common Mineral Built Empires
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the pivotal role of salt in Bengal's history—from ancient extraction methods along the coast to the Mughal…
- The Hidden History of Bengal: Kingdoms, Empires, and Revolution — Fexingo History
The Great Hedge: Bengal's Salt Tax and the Inland Customs Line
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore one of the most bizarre and oppressive structures ever built in colonial India: the Inland Customs Line, known as the…
- The Hidden History of Bengal: Kingdoms, Empires, and Revolution — Fexingo History
The Ganga-Kaveri Connection: How Bengal's Waterways Shaped Empire
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore a transformative yet often overlooked aspect of Bengal's history: the engineering and political significance of…
- The Hidden History of Bengal: Kingdoms, Empires, and Revolution — Fexingo History
The Last Hindu King of Bengal: Lakshmanasena's Fall
When the Ghurid general Bakhtiyar Khalji rode into the Sena capital of Nadia with only 18 horsemen, he toppled an empire that had ruled Bengal for nearly two…
- The Hidden History of Bengal: Kingdoms, Empires, and Revolution — Fexingo History
The Lost Port of Saptagram: Bengal's Medieval Maritime Hub
Before Calcutta rose to prominence, the Hooghly River was home to Saptagram, a bustling medieval port that connected Bengal to the wider Indian Ocean world…
- The Hidden History of Bengal: Kingdoms, Empires, and Revolution — Fexingo History
The Portuguese Pirate Queen of Bengal: Sandwip's Forgotten Ruler
In the 1660s, a Portuguese adventurer's daughter ruled the island of Sandwip in the Bay of Bengal, commanding a fleet of pirates and defying the Mughal…
- The Hidden History of Bengal: Kingdoms, Empires, and Revolution — Fexingo History
The Rise and Fall of the Bengal Sultanate: From Independence to Mughal Conquest
In this episode of The Hidden History of Bengal, Lucas and Luna explore the Bengal Sultanate, a powerful independent kingdom that ruled from 1342 to 1576. They…
- The Hidden History of Bengal: Kingdoms, Empires, and Revolution — Fexingo History
The Baro-Bhuyan: Bengal's Rebel Chieftains Who Defied Mughal Expansion
Before the Mughals fully subjugated Bengal, a confederation of twelve chieftains known as the Baro-Bhuyan — led by Isa Khan and later his son Musa Khan — put…
- The Hidden History of Bengal: Kingdoms, Empires, and Revolution — Fexingo History
The Dutch in Bengal: Chinsurah's Lost Trading Empire
Long before the British ruled Bengal, the Dutch East India Company — the VOC — built a fortified trading hub at Chinsurah on the Hooghly River. This episode…
- The Hidden History of Bengal: Kingdoms, Empires, and Revolution — Fexingo History
The Bengal Nawabs' Art of War: Elephants, Artillery, and Empire
This episode explores the military innovations of Bengal's independent Nawabs, particularly Murshid Quli Khan, Alivardi Khan, and Siraj-ud-Daulah, who…
- The Hidden History of Bengal: Kingdoms, Empires, and Revolution — Fexingo History
The Forgotten Famine of 1769: Bengal Before the British
Before the Great Bengal Famine of 1770, there was another disaster that historians often overlook: the famine of 1769 that struck the region just as the…
- The Hidden History of Bengal: Kingdoms, Empires, and Revolution — Fexingo History
The Samatata Kings: Bengal's Buddhist Dynasty of the Delta
Centuries before the Pala and Sena dynasties, a lesser-known Buddhist kingdom ruled the Ganges-Brahmaputra delta. The Samatata kings, with their capital at…
- The Hidden History of Bengal: Kingdoms, Empires, and Revolution — Fexingo History
Mughal Naval Power: The Bengal Fleet That Defeated the Portuguese
When we think of the Mughals, we tend to picture land-based cavalry empires — but in Bengal, they built a formidable naval force that took on the Portuguese…
- The Hidden History of Bengal: Kingdoms, Empires, and Revolution — Fexingo History
The Temple Builders: How the Palas Shaped Bengal's Sacred Landscape
Before the Senas, before the Sultans, the Pala dynasty ruled Bengal for nearly four centuries, from the 8th to the 12th century CE. This episode follows the…
- The Hidden History of Bengal: Kingdoms, Empires, and Revolution — Fexingo History
The Portuguese Pirate Queen of Bengal's Sandwip Island
In this episode of The Hidden History of Bengal, Lucas and Luna uncover the story of a woman who ruled the pirate kingdom of Sandwip Island in the Bay of…
- The Hidden History of Bengal: Kingdoms, Empires, and Revolution — Fexingo History
The Battle of Plassey: Treason That Changed Bengal Forever
In June 1757, a small British force defeated a vast Bengali army at a mango grove called Plassey. But the real battle had already been won in secret…
- The Hidden History of Bengal: Kingdoms, Empires, and Revolution — Fexingo History
The Copperplates of Sena Kings: Inscribed Land Grants from Medieval Bengal
This episode of The Hidden History of Bengal turns to a surprising primary source: the copperplate inscriptions of the Sena dynasty. Lucas and Luna explore how…
- The Hidden History of Bengal: Kingdoms, Empires, and Revolution — Fexingo History
Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar: The Man Who Widowed Bengal
In 1856, a soft-spoken Bengali scholar named Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar took on a thousand years of tradition. The Hindu Widows' Remarriage Act was a quiet…
- The Hidden History of Bengal: Kingdoms, Empires, and Revolution — Fexingo History
The Tiger of Bengal: Mughal-Born Rebel Siraj-ud-Daulah
We've talked around Siraj-ud-Daulah in several episodes—as Alivardi Khan's grandson, as the nawab who lost Plassey, as the figure in the Black Hole…
- The Hidden History of Bengal: Kingdoms, Empires, and Revolution — Fexingo History
The Ramparts of Murshidabad: Bengal's Last Fortified Capital
Before the British Raj cemented its grip, Bengal's last independent Nawabs built a formidable fortress city along the Bhagirathi River. This episode…
- The Hidden History of Bengal: Kingdoms, Empires, and Revolution — Fexingo History
The Bengal Famine of 1943: War, Policy, and Starvation
In 1943, Bengal experienced one of the most devastating famines of the 20th century, with an estimated 2 to 3 million deaths. This episode explores the complex…
- The Hidden History of Bengal: Kingdoms, Empires, and Revolution — Fexingo History
The Bargi Raids: Maratha Horse Lords in Bengal 1741-1751
Between 1741 and 1751, Bengal was ravaged by a series of devastating raids led by Maratha light cavalry known as the Bargis. Under the command of Raghunath…
- The Hidden History of Bengal: Kingdoms, Empires, and Revolution — Fexingo History
The Black Hole of Calcutta: Myth, Massacre, and Memory
In 1756, the Nawab of Bengal Siraj-ud-Daulah captured Calcutta from the British East India Company. That night, 146 prisoners were locked in a small room — the…
- The Hidden History of Bengal: Kingdoms, Empires, and Revolution — Fexingo History
The Dutch East India Company in Bengal: A Forgotten Trading Empire
While the British and Portuguese often dominate discussions of European trade in Bengal, this episode turns to the Dutch East India Company (VOC), which…
- The Hidden History of Bengal: Kingdoms, Empires, and Revolution — Fexingo History
Bengal's Famine of 1770: The Great Hunger That Broke an Empire
In 1770, Bengal—the richest province of British India—was devastated by a famine that killed an estimated ten million people, roughly one-third of its…
- The Hidden History of Bengal: Kingdoms, Empires, and Revolution — Fexingo History
The Sena Dynasty's Kulinism: Bengal's Caste Revolution
In this episode, Lucas and Luna delve into the Sena dynasty's controversial policy of Kulinism, which rigidified caste hierarchies in Bengal under King…
- The Hidden History of Bengal: Kingdoms, Empires, and Revolution — Fexingo History
The Forgotten Hindu Kingdom of Bengal: The Chandra Dynasty's Lost Glory
In this episode of The Hidden History of Bengal, Lucas and Luna explore the enigmatic Chandra dynasty that ruled over southeastern Bengal and the Harikela…
- The Hidden History of Bengal: Kingdoms, Empires, and Revolution — Fexingo History
The Sufi Saint Who Shaped Bengal: Khan Jahan Ali's Lost City
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the legacy of Khan Jahan Ali, a 15th-century Sufi saint and general who built the magnificent Sixty Dome Mosque in…
- The Hidden History of Bengal: Kingdoms, Empires, and Revolution — Fexingo History
The Sultan Who Burned the Temples: Bakhtiyar Khilji in Bengal
In 1202 CE, a Turkic general named Muhammad Bakhtiyar Khilji swept into the Bengal delta with just two hundred horsemen and toppled the Sena dynasty's…
- The Hidden History of Bengal: Kingdoms, Empires, and Revolution — Fexingo History
The Lost Capital of Gauda: Bengal's City of Ruins and Glory
Before Murshidabad, before Dhaka, there was Gauda — the magnificent capital that served as the heart of Bengal for centuries under the Pala and Sena dynasties…
- The Hidden History of Bengal: Kingdoms, Empires, and Revolution — Fexingo History
Bengal's Hindu Surge: The Rise of the Senas
In this episode, we delve into the Sena dynasty's dramatic rise in 11th-century Bengal, exploring how they supplanted the Buddhist Pala Empire and…
- The Hidden History of Bengal: Kingdoms, Empires, and Revolution — Fexingo History
The Deccan Queen: How a Slave Girl Became Empress of Bengal
The story of Bengal's 18th-century history is usually told through the lens of powerful men: Alivardi Khan, Siraj-ud-Daulah, Robert Clive. But behind the…
- The Hidden History of Bengal: Kingdoms, Empires, and Revolution — Fexingo History
The Sword of Bengal: Pratapaditya's Revolt Against the Mughals
In this episode of The Hidden History of Bengal, Lucas and Luna explore the story of Pratapaditya, the last independent Hindu king of Bengal who dared to…
- The Hidden History of Bengal: Kingdoms, Empires, and Revolution — Fexingo History
The Forgotten Mughal Empress: Alivardi Khan and Bengal's Last Stand
In 1740, a middle-aged general named Alivardi Khan seized the throne of Bengal, launching a reign that would be the last gasp of Mughal independence before the…
- The Hidden History of Bengal: Kingdoms, Empires, and Revolution — Fexingo History
The Portuguese Pirates of Bengal: Sandwip's Lost Mercenary Kingdom
In the 17th century, the island of Sandwip off the coast of Bengal became the stronghold of a Portuguese pirate named Gonzales, who carved out a private…
- The Hidden History of Bengal: Kingdoms, Empires, and Revolution — Fexingo History
The Blue Gold: Bengal's Muslin Trade and the Weavers Who Lost Everything
Before Manchester, before the Industrial Revolution, Bengal wove the world's finest fabric. Muslin — so light it could pass through a ring, so translucent…
- The Hidden History of Bengal: Kingdoms, Empires, and Revolution — Fexingo History
The 1760 Battle of Udaynala: Bengal's Last Afghan Stand
When the Mughal Empire crumbled in Bengal, a clan of Afghan chieftains carved out their own dominion in the dense forests of the Sundarbans. In 1760, as the…
- The Hidden History of Bengal: Kingdoms, Empires, and Revolution — Fexingo History
The Portuguese Pirates of Bengal: The Lost Mercenary Kingdom of Sandwip
In the mid-17th century, a Portuguese renegade named Gonzales turned the island of Sandwip in the Bay of Bengal into a pirate stronghold, raiding Mughal…
- The Hidden History of Bengal: Kingdoms, Empires, and Revolution — Fexingo History
The Floating Fortress of Jahangirnagar: Dhaka's Lost Mughal Port
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the forgotten Mughal port of Dhaka, known in the 17th century as Jahangirnagar. They dive into the construction of the…
- The Hidden History of Bengal: Kingdoms, Empires, and Revolution — Fexingo History
The Battle of Buxar: The War That Sealed Bengal's Fate
In this episode, Lucas and Luna dive into the Battle of Buxar (1764), the pivotal conflict that cemented British control over Bengal and paved the way for the…
- The Hidden History of Bengal: Kingdoms, Empires, and Revolution — Fexingo History
The Lost Fort of Bishnupur: Bengal's Temple Town Rebellion
In this episode, Lucas and Luna travel to the red laterite soil of Bishnupur, the heart of the Malla kingdom in western Bengal. They uncover how a small…