Indian Antiquary Vol 50

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarkar
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 46

THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
I have also shown that in the second century A.D., the head of the Bay of Bengal was most probably situated in the district of Nadia. Perhaps Atopur or Atpur is now represented by the Mâtla estuary by the gradual extension of the delta to the south.
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[ FEB., 1921
To sum up, therefore, the Kambyson mouth in the second century A.D., was at or near Samudraga di in the district of Nadia. It is now represented by the Hughli mouth at Kapilâsrama near the Sâgar Island. The Kamberikhon (Kumbhîrakhâtam) mouth of Ptolemy was near Jessore in the district of Jessore. It is now represented by the Bangara estuary in the district of Khulna. The Mega mouth of Ptolemy was probably at Magrâ now Magrahât, in the district of 24-Parganas, represented at present by the Jâmira estuary, 90 which receives the Rasulpur river near which Magra is situated. The name is evidently derived from Magrå in the district of Hughli, where perhaps the mouth was once situated. The Antibole mouth in the second century was probably pear Atopur in the district of Nadia: Atopura or Atpura is now perhaps represented by the Matla estuary.91 One peculiarity, it should be noted, is that nearly all the names of the mouths of the Ganges mentioned by Ptolemy have their counterparts in the south, the names having shifted along with the gradual extension of the delta.
Though there is no historical record or tradition of subsidence in Mid-Bengal, yet the arguments adduced by Major Hirst 93 to prove this fact are worthy of Subsidence in Mid-Bengal. every consideration. Based as they are upon geological evidence, they should be further investigated with a view to account for the changes in the course of the rivers in Bengal. It is very unlikely that there would be stiff old red clay elevations on both sides of Bengal with a gap in the middle, while we know that the ground was a level one so far as this part of Bengal was concerned, affording facility for a uniform and homogeneous formation of the delta from east to west. Hence Major Hirst's theory appears to be very probable, that some natural agency was at work to cause a subsidence which had its effect upon the courses of the rivers, as explained by him. 93 There is, however, no gainsaying the fact that a part of the delta comprising portions of the districts of Murshidabad, Nadia, Burdwan, Hughli and 24 Parganas in Mid-Bengal were formed subsequent to the main body of the delta on the eastern and western sides, and the configuration of the area which remained unformed was of a triangular shape which has been gradually filled up, the apex, so far as tradition goes, being at Gour, as I have stated before. Within this area, the very names of places by which they are still designated, indicate emergence from the sea, as Katâha-dvipa or Cauldron-island, modern Katwa; Agradvipa or Foremost island; Nava-dvipa or New-island, modern Nadia; Chakradaha or the Circling-whirlpool, modern Chakda; Sushkasagara or the Dried-up sea, modern Suksagar;
10 J4mira seems to be a metathesis and corruption of Magrd. The transposition of letters is not uncommon in the geographical names of India, as Ranod for Narod, Ransi for Narsi (Narasimha), Nakhlor for Lakhnor (Cunningham's Ancient Geography of India, p. 193): and perhaps g of Magra has been softened into j.
91 Madd very likely appears to be an altered form of Atopura or Atpura. The syllable Mát of Matla is an emphatic form of At, as Mulaka is another form of Alaka, and the vestige of pura may be traced to 14, as i represents pura in several words, as Ambala is Amba-pura, being a town founded by an Amba Rajput, "from whom it derives its name" (Imperial Gazetteer of India, s.v. Ambala City); Karnal, Karpapura (Ibid., s.v. Karnal); Verawal, Etapura (Cunningham's Ancient Geography of India, p. 319).
Major Hirst's Report on the Nadia Rivers, 1915, Cha. IV-VI.
ss Ibid, Cha. IV, V.