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7495336 
Journal Article 
Probable Agricultural Biodiversity Heritage Sites in India: XIII. Lower Gangetic Plain or delta region 
Singh, AK 
2012 
16 
3 
237-260 
English 
The Lower Gangetic Plains, situated to the southeast of the Middle Gangetic Plains, is the delta region resulting from the confluence of the rivers Ganga and Brahmaputra, before they meet the Bay of Bengal. The Lower Gangetic Plains region is more humid, with large parts of the land inundated for the major part of the year. The continued deposition of silt producing fertile alluvial soil has made this region one of the most fertile and thickly populated regions in the world. Most inhabitants (up to 94 per cent in the Sundarbans) depend on agriculture. The region is rich in biodiversity, particularly in the aquatic biodiversity and mangroves found in the swampy forests of the Sundarbans, and is declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The region's agriculture is very old, initiated in the Paleolithic period by non-Aryan Austric-speaking peoples, but later influenced by several cultures both from neighboring Mongolians and Aryan, and far west Minoan civilization of Crete as reflected by archaeological evidences. The region can be credited for the development of wetland agriculture involving water-loving crop species, such as rice and jute, for the cultivation of a large number of varieties of long-stemmed rice in the swamps and deep morasses, for postharvest storage technologies, and for boat manufacturing and shipping skills and maritime trade. In Greek and Latin literature, this region was referred to as Gangaridai, a maritime country where trading ships came from various parts of the world. The region was known for the finest of silk and muslin cloth. Culturally, with the extension of Aryan culture, it came under the influence of Aryans and interacted with local Austric and Dravidian tribes from the south, producing a unique synthesis of Aryan-Dravidian culture. Cultures from other parts of the world also had an influence. For these reasons, the present article proposes the region to be another National Agricultural Biodiversity Heritage Site with appropriate analyses and justification based on facts.