Editing History of Bangladesh (section)

===Gangaridai/Nanda Empire===
{{main|Gangaridai|Nanda dynasty}}

[[Image:Asia 323bc.jpg|thumb|upright=1.25|Asia in 323 BCE, the [[Nanda Empire]] and [[Gangaridai]] Empire in relation to [[Alexander the Great|Alexander]]'s Empire and neighbours.]]
Though north and west Bengal were part of the empire, southern Bengal thrived and became powerful with her overseas trades. In 326&nbsp;BCE, with the invasion of [[Alexander the Great]] the region again came to prominence. The Greek and Latin historians suggested that Alexander the Great withdrew from India anticipating the valiant counter-attack of the [[Gangaridai]] empire that was located in the Bengal region. Alexander, after the meeting with his officer, [[Coenus (general)|Coenus]], was convinced that it was better to return. [[Diodorus Siculus]] mentions Gangaridai to be the most powerful empire in India. The allied forces of the [[Nanda Empire]]/[[Gangaridai]] empire and Prasioi(region inside Nanda empire)were preparing a massive counter-attack against the forces of Alexander on the banks of the Ganges. Gangaridai, according to the Greek accounts, kept on flourishing at least up to the 1st century CE.
The Greeco-Roman sources description of Gangaridai matches with Nanda empire. 
<ref>{{Cite news |date=2021-11-17 |title=Alexander and Chandragupta Maurya: A short history of war, empire, and greatness |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/alexander-and-chandragupta-maurya-a-short-history-of-war-empire-and-greatness-7626667/ |access-date=2023-02-15 |work=The Indian Express |language=en |archive-date=15 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230215033025/https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/alexander-and-chandragupta-maurya-a-short-history-of-war-empire-and-greatness-7626667/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

One account of the origins of the Nanda's, are them being represented as the lord of both "Prasioi and the [[Gangaridai]]" or of Gangaridai alone. The description of Prasioi was a general name for the people of [[Eastern India]], so the specific mention of Gangaridai attaches significance. The importance of Gangaridai or the Vanga people (Lower Bengal) may be explained by the suggestion of the Nanda dynasty belonging to them.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sri Venkatesvara University |first=Oriental Research Institute |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Sri_Venkateswara_University_Oriental_Jou/soJOAAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0 |title=Sri Venkateswara University Oriental Journal Volumes 21–22 |year=1979 |pages=33}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Sircar |first=D.C. |url=https://archive.org/details/dli.calcutta.11692/page/4/mode/2up?q=peculiar |title=Journal of Ancient Indian History, Vol-14 |year=1984 |pages=5}}</ref>