Gangaridai Kingdom: The only kingdom that Alexander feared

Gangaridai was an ethnic group of ancient Bengal during the first and second centuries BCE. We can come to know about this ethnic group from the writings of Greek and Latin authors. Various writers have referred to this ethic group using different spellings, such as Gangaridae, Gangariridum, and Gangarides.

In 327 BCE, Alexander crossed the Hindu Kush mountains and marched towards India. Then, in 326 BCE, he crossed the Indus River and entered Taxila. Greek historians who came to India during the time of Alexander mentioned a powerful king named Gangaridai. The descriptions of this ethnic group found in Greek and Latin writings are as follows:

·         “The Gangaridai kingdom boasted a formidable army of elephants. Due to this force, the kingdom was never defeated by a foreign power, leaving other kingdoms intimidated by the sheer number and strength of their elephant forces. The width of the last part of the Ganges is eight miles, and at its narrowest point, it reaches a depth of about 100 feet. The inhabitants of these distant regions are known as the Gangaridai. Their king maintains a prepared army of 1,000 cavalry, 700 elephants, and 60,000 foot soldiers. During the reign of Seleucus, Alexander’s commander and friend, Megasthenes (350–290 BCE) came to India as a Greek ambassador.”

·         “The Gangaridai are the most formidable of all Indian races. After coming to know about the Gangaridai king’s army of 4,000 elephants, well-equipped and prepared for battle, Alexander dared not engage in warfare against him.” - Diodorus (90–30 BCE)

·         “The Ganges River flows from north to south, and the sea meets at the eastern border of the Gangaridai kingdom.” – Megasthenes

·         “The Gangaridai kingdom encompasses the entire region at the mouth of the Ganges River.” - Ptolemy

·         “The last part of the Ganges River has flown through the Gangaridai kingdom.” - Pliny 

According to Ptolemy’s writing, we can come to know the location of Gangaridai. The Gangaridai occupied almost the entire area adjacent to the five mouths of the Ganges. “Gange” was its capital. The four longitudinal degrees he described included the region from the westernmost to the easternmost mouth of the Ganges River, along the coast of the Bay of Bengal. Practically, this means that ‘Gangaridai’ extended from the westernmost to the easternmost mouth of the Ganges River near the Bay of Bengal. It is observed that the longitudinal degree between the mouths of the Bhagirathi (near Tamluk) and Padma Rivers (near Chattogram) is slightly more than 35 degrees. Therefore, according to Ptolemy’s information, Gangaridai can be identified in the regions between the two main branches of the Ganges in present-day West Bengal and Bangladesh.

A Greek navigator in his book, Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, mentioned the Gange country located east of the coast of Odisha, adjacent to the Bay of Bengal. According to him, Gange was a commercial city named after the river.

The word ‘Gangaridai’ is derived from ‘Gangarid.’ It is believed that ‘Gangarid’ is the Greek form of the Indian word ‘Gangahrd,’ meaning the land through which the Ganges flows. According to the historian Atul Sur, the word ‘Gangarida’ may have originated from ‘Gangarid,’ then ‘Gangaradhi,’ and from there, the word ‘Radha’ may have emerged. Renowned historian Niharranjan Ray, in his book “Bangalir Itihas: Adiparba” (বাঙালির ইতিহাস: আদি পর্ব), wrote, “There is no doubt that the Gangaridai are the inhabitants of the Gangetic province because Greek and Latin writers agree on this matter.” Hemchandra Rai Chaudhary, by conducting a comparative and comprehensive discussion of the relevant opinions of authors such as Diodorus, Curtis, Plutarch, Solinus, Pliny, Ptolemy, Strabo, etc., has shown that Gangaridai was located on the eastern bank of the Ganges-Bhagirathi River and extended from there.”

According to Pliny, “The last part of the Ganges River flows through the Gangaridai kingdom. The inhabitants of the southern part of the Ganges had a black and tanned complexion, but they were not as black as the Ethiopians.” From this description, it can be inferred that they were a mixed race of Negrito, Proto-Australoid, and Dravidian ethnic groups.