পরিব্রাজক ফাহিয়ান বঙ্গের এই প্রধান বন্দর হইতে বাঙ্গালীর অর্ণব চড়িয়া স্বদেশে প্রত্যাগমন করেন। তামিলদিগের ভাষায় বহু বাঙ্গাল শব্দও ! হইয়াছে। • ইহা খৃষ্টজন্মের বহু শতাব্দী পূর্বের কথা। ইহার কিছুকাল, পরেই গ্ৰীকদিগের আবির্ভাব হয়। র্তাহারা ভারতের এই পূৰ্বাঞ্চলস্থ প্রদেশের অধিবাসীদিগকে প্রাচ্যদেশী বা প্রাসী (Prasi ) + বলিত; এবং গঙ্গা: বিধৌত, প্রদেশের লোক বলিয়া গাঙ্গেয়র্দেশী বা গঙ্গারিদেঈ (Gangaridae- 1; গঙ্গারাঢ়ী ? ) বলিত। তাহারা গৌড়দেশী বলিয়া গ্ৰীকগণ তাহাদিগকে গঙ্গারিডেই | (Gangaridae) : 4R offrtât «forti off (Calingee, Kalingee) বলিত। ব্ৰহ্মদেশবাসীরা তাহাদের পশ্চিমদিকন্তু সমগ্র দেশের । لمس – شاه عسلنغلنا... سا 1 . تس هـ-اسات ལས་ཀ་བ་ས་ད་
- अडिड, काई, २७२२ ।
t "The people * * is the most distinguished in all India, and is c. lled the Prasi." "The largest tigers are found in the country of the Prasi"- Ancient. India as described by Megasthenes and Arian and translated by . J. W. Mc. Crindle, M.A_pp. 66-67. Vide also Justin 12, c. 8 ; Curitas 9 c. 2 ; Verg. AEn, 3. v. 27. u 6. v. 67. (quoted in Lempirier's Classiem Dictionary. . of the Ganges ' ' ' They must have been a powerful people, to judge from the military force which Pliny reports them to have maintained a their territory could scarcely have been restricted to the marshy justgies. the mouth of the river now known as the Sundarbans but inst have been comprised a considerable portion of the Province of Bengal." Ascient india as described by Ptolemy and translated by J. W. McCrindle, B.A., R.S.,
- "Having therefore requested Phegeus to tell him what he wanted to know, he (Alexander) learned the following particulars : beyond the river lay extensive deserts which it would take eleven days to traverse. Next came the Ganges, the largest river in all India, the farther bank of which was in habited by two nations, the Gangaridae and the Prasii, whose King Agrammes' kept in the field for guarding the approaches to his country
20,000 cavalry and 290,000 infantry, beside 2,000 four-horsed chariots. and what was the most formidable force of all, a troop of elephants which he said ran up to the number of 3,000. All this seemed to the King to be incredible, and he therefore asked Porus, who happened to be in attendance, of what he had heard made the King anxious on manifold grounds. ' ' " Extract from the History of Alexander the C Peatby. ica” of Diodkoruns Seculus, IXth Book, Chap. ... also in ”Bibliothica Historica” of Diodo -translated by
