Gauda Kingdom

Kingdom of Gauda
Bengali: গৌড় রাজ্য (Gāur Rājya)
590–626
Gauda (in eastern India) and its contemporaries, c. 625 CE
Capital		Karnasuvarna (present day West Bengal, India)
Religion		Hinduism Buddhism
Government		Monarchy
King
•	590–625	Shashanka
•	625–626	Manava
History
•	Established	590
•	Disestablished	626
Preceded by Succeeded by Later Gupta dynasty Pushyabhuti dynasty Kamarupa

Gauda Kingdom (Bengali: গৌড় রাজ্য Gāur Rājya), was a Hindu power during the Late Classical period on the Indian subcontinent, which originated in the region of Bengal.

King Shashanka (Bengali: শশাঙ্ক Shôshangko) is often attributed with creating the first separate political entity in a unified Bengal called Gauda. He reigned in 7th century, and some historians place his rule approximately between 590 and 625. His capital was at Karnasubarna, 9.6 kilometres (6.0 mi) south-west of Baharampur, headquarters of Murshidabad district.

The Chinese monk, Xuanzang (Hiuen Tsang) travelled from the country of Karnasubarna to a region in Orissa ruled by Shashanka. There is mention of Pundravardhana being part of Gauda in certain ancient records.

Evidence seems to be discrepant regarding links of Gauda with the Rarh region. While Krishna Mishra (11th or 12th century), in his Prabodha-chandrodaya, mentions that Gauda rashtra includes Rarh (or Rarhpuri) and Bhurishreshthika, identified with Bhurshut, in Hooghly and Howrah districts, but the Managoli inscription of the Yadava king Jaitugi I distinguishes Lala (Rarh) from Gaula (Gauda).

According to Jain writers of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, Gauda included Lakshmanavati in present-day Malda district.

Following his death, Shashanka was succeeded by his son, Manava, who ruled the kingdom for eight months. However Gauda was soon divided amongst Harshavardhana and Bhaskarvarmana of Kamarupa, the latter even managing to conquer Karnasuvarna.