Social transformation and Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Sultanate Bengal: Insights from Travelers

Abstract

The Bengal Sultanate (1352–1576 CE) was a busy government that ruled over a delta in a river. It combined Bengali traditions with those from Persia, Arabia, and Southeast Asia. Coins, inscriptions, and chronicles from the area talk about powerful people who support the throne and want to take it for themselves. They don't tell us much about how people get along with each other in real life, how different religions get along, or how different cultures mix. Travelers from other countries fill in these gaps by giving us clear pictures from the outside that add to the story of the past. This study examines Ibn Battuta's depictions of the Sufi diversity and agricultural prosperity of Sonargaon; Ma Huan's accounts regarding Gaur's cosmopolitan markets and diplomatic initiatives; and European chronicles by Varthema and Barbosa concerning Satgaon's multiethnic trade and permissive governance under Alauddin Husayn Shah. These show that society was always changing. Sufi mediation helped Hindus and Muslims get along, and women worked in markets and craft guilds. Trade along the rivers brought the Persian and Bengali languages together. Visitors' accounts are biased toward their own culture, but they show that Bengal is a global center that people from different cultures can agree on. This helps archaeology by showing that there can be more than one point of view in a hierarchy and by calling for a new look at local history from outside points of view.