In the area of Bangladesh the Gangaridai empire ruled. Alexander the Great tried to takeover the empire but his men were afraid of the Gangaridai army which is described as "a nation possessing the greatest number of elephants and the largest in size. On the date of December 16 1971 Bangladesh gained independence. The combined Indain-Bengal forces overwhelmed Pakistan's army and gained control of a large area of east Pakistan, this is now Bangladesh.
British India was partitioned by joint leaders of the Congress, All India-Muslim League and Britain in the summer of 1947, creating the commonwealth realms of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and a Republic of India. Bangladesh came into existence in 1971 when Bengali-speaking East Pakistan seceded from its union with Punjabi dominated West Pakistan after a 9 month bloody war. Although Bangladesh emerged as an independent country only in 1971, its history stretches back thousands of years and it has long been known as a crossroads of history and culture.