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Former province, northeastern British India.
Generally corresponding to the area inhabited by speakers of the Bengali language , it is now divided between the Indian state of West Bengal and Bangladesh. Bengal formed part of most of the early empires that controlled northern India. From the 8th to the 12th century it was under a Buddhist dynasty, and from 1576 it belonged to the Mughal Empire. In the 18th century it was dominated by the nawabs of Bengal; they came into conflict with the British, who had established themselves at Calcutta (now Kolkata ) in 1690. By 1764 the British had taken possession, and from then on Bengal was the base for British expansion in India. With the end of British rule in 1947, the area was divided. West Bengal, Bihar , Jharkhand , and Orissa became part of India. East Bengal went to Pakistan; in 1971 it became Bangladesh.
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[c mediumvioletred] (as used in expressions)
Bengal Partition of
{{link=West Bengal">West Bengal