Tanda Town (or Tanra)
This article has been extracted from THE IMPERIAL GAZETTEER OF INDIA , 1908. OXFORD, AT THE CLARENDON PRESS. |
Note: National, provincial and district boundaries have changed considerably since 1908. Typically, old states, ‘divisions’ and districts have been broken into smaller units, and many tahsils upgraded to districts. Some units have since been renamed. Therefore, this article is being posted mainly for its historical value.
Tanda Town (or Tanra)
Ancient town in Malda District, Eastern Bengal and Assam, the capital of Bengal after the decadence of Gaur. Its history is obscure, and the very site of the city has not been accurately determined. It is certain that it was in the immediate neighbourhood of Gaur, and south-west of that place, beyond the Bhagirathi. Old Tanda has been utterly swept away by the changes in the course of the Pagla. The land which subsequently re-formed at or near the old site is known by the same name, and is recorded in the District records as Tanda or Tanra. According to Stewart (History of Bengal, ed. 1847, p. 95), Sulaiman Shah Kararani, the last but two of the Afghan kings of Bengal, moved the seat of government to Tanda in 1564, eleven years before the final depopulation of Gaur. Though never a populous city, Tanda was a favourite residence for the Mughal governors of Bengal until the middle of the following century. In 1660 Shah Shuja, when hard pressed by Mir Jumla, Aurangzeb's general, retreated from Rajmahal to Tanda, in the vicinity of which town was fought the decisive battle in which the former was finally routed. After this date Tanda is not mentioned in history, and it was subsequently deserted by the Mughal governors in favour of Rajmahal and Dacca.
