Saptagram
{{Short description|Village in Hooghly district, West Bengal}}
{{About|the historical port-town|its namesake present-day village|Saptagram (modern)|its namesake state assembly constituency|Saptagram (Vidhan Sabha constituency)}}
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{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2017}}
{{Infobox ancient site
|name = Saptagram
|alternate_name = Satgaon
|native_name = সপ্তগ্রাম
|image = সপ্তগ্রাম হুগলী তে বর্তমান সরস্বতী নদীর অবস্থা.jpg
|caption = Saraswati River at Saptagram
| map_alt =
| map_type = India West Bengal#India3
| map_caption = Location of Gauḍa in West Bengal, India##Location of Gauḍa in India
| relief =
|coordinates = {{coord|22.9667|N|88.3833|E|source:wikidata|display=inline, title}}
|location = Hooghly district, West Bengal, India
|type = Port, settlement
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|built = Prior to 9th century
|abandoned = Started declining 17th to18th century
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Saptagram (colloquially called Satgaon) was an ancient major port, the chief city and sometimes capital of southern Bengal, in ancient and medieval times of Bengal, the location presently being in the Hooghly district in the Indian 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.Cotton, H.E.A., Calcutta Old and New, 1909/1980, p. 2, General Printers and Publishers Pvt. Ltd. The port had to be abandoned because of the silting up and consequent drying of the Saraswati River.
Etymology
The word Saptagram means seven villages. These are identified as Bansberia, Kristapur, Basudebpur, Nityanandapur, Sibpur, Sambachora and Baladghati.{{cite web | url = http://www.hindubooks.org/temples/bengal/hooghly/page18.htm
|title = Temples of Bengal | access-date = 5 August 2007 | work = Saptagram | publisher = hindubooks.org}}{{cite book |last=Patree |first=Purnendu |author-link=Purnendu Patri |year=1995 |orig-year=First published 1979 |title=Purano Kolkatar Kathachitra |publisher=Dey's Publishing |language=bn |pages=65–71 |isbn=81-7079-751-9}}
{{OSM Location map
| width=320| height=300| zoom=12
| coord={{coord|22|57|0|N|88|23|0|E}}| float=left|caption=Bandel-Saptagram Area as it is today
R: rural/ urban centre, F: facility, H: historical site
Owing to space constraints in the small map, the actual locations in a larger map may vary slightly
|mark-coord1={{coord|22|59|24|N|88|24|0|E}} | label-pos1=right|label1= Tribeni| numbered1=H | mark-title1=Tribeni, Hooghly (H)|label-color1=#800000 |label-size1=12| mark-size1=13|shape1=l-circle|shape-color1=#AA6666|shape-outline1=white|label-offset-x1=2
|mark-coord2= {{coord|22|56|40|N|88|22|50|E}}| label-pos2=left|label2=Saptagram | mark-title2= Saptagram (H)| numbered2=H|label-offset-y2=-2|shape-color2=black| label-size2=13|label-color2=black
|mark-coord3={{coord|22|58|2|N|88|24|26|E}} | label-pos3=top|label3=Iswar Gupta Setu | mark-title3= Iswar Gupta Setu (F)| numbered3=F|shape-color3=#967117
|mark-coord4={{coord|22|55|17|N|88|22|41|E}} | label-pos4=right|label4=Bandel Rly Stn | mark-title4= Bandel Junction railway station (F)| numbered4=F|shape-color4=#967117
|mark-coord5={{coord|22|55|54|N|88|22|35|E}} | label-pos5=left|label5= Bandel | numbered5=R| mark-title5= Bandel (R)| shapecolor-5 =#C42222
|mark-coord6={{coord|22|56|20|N|88|21|54|E}} | label-pos6=left|label6= Debanandapur | numbered6=R| mark-title6= Debanandapur (R)| shape-color6=#C42222
|mark-coord7={{coord|22|57|20|N|88|24|1|E}} | label-pos7=left|label7= Bansberia | numbered7=R| mark-title7= Bansberia (R)| shape-color7=#C42222
|mark-coord8={{coord|22|56|20|N|88|23|55|E}} | label-pos8=left|label8= Sahaganj | numbered8=R| mark-title8= Sahaganj (R)| shape-color8=#C42222
|mark-coord9={{coord|22|57|0|N|88|24|30|E}}| label9=Hooghly River| label-color9 = #77A1CB| label-angle9=85| label-pos9=top| label-size9=10| mark-size9=0| mark-title9 =none}}
History
{{expand section|date=September 2021}}
File:Mosque at Adi Saptagram- 05769.jpg
File:Silver Tanka of the Delhi Sultan Ghiyath al-din Jalal Shah, struck in Satgaon.jpg, struck in Arshah Satgaon (Saptagram) mint.]]
According to Binoy Ghosh, Tamralipta, the ancient port, started declining from the 8th century, owing to river silting, and Saptagram possibly started gaining in importance as a port from the 9th to10th century. Saptagram port, along with its business centre, had become important in the pre-Muslim era, during the rule of the Palas and Senas. In the Muslim era, Saptagram was an important administrative centre right from the beginning, and the period 14th to 16th century was considered the golden age of Saptagram. In 1565 Maharaja Rudranarayan of Bhurshut conquered it from pathans . In 1592 AD Saptogram was captured and looted by the Pathans. In the 17th century, Hooghly-Bandel-Chinsurah started gaining in importance. From the 18th century, Kolkata started emerging as the main business and cultural centre of Bengal.Ghosh, Binoy, Paschim Banger Sanskriti, {{in lang|bn}}, part II, 1976 edition, pages 312–316, Prakash Bhaban, Kolkata.
See also
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [http://wikimapia.org/130917/ Wikimapia satellite view of Iswar Gupta Setu and surrounding areas]
{{Non-extant Bengal places}}
{{Hooghly District}}