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This zone i.e., the coastal region or littorals or the active delta zone comprises the coastal line and the immediate hinterland area, comprises of the modern districts of East Midnapur, North and South Twenty Four-Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly, southern parts of Nadia and some parts of south and central Burdwan (sub-divisions of Burdwan Sadar south and north) (Fig. 2.7). The coastal area is associated with sea-faring activities, besides, trade and trading networks. One can conceive the different features of the settlement dynamics of a coastal region by understanding the region as an extension and part of the settlement dynamics of the hinterland and the adjoining mainland areas. The development of the present-day serrated coastline of the Bengal Basin is influenced by the Quaternary processes related to the Bhagirathi-Hooghly delta formation.

From the late Pleistocene period onwards, the entire low-lying mature and active delta region was subjected to the continuous progress of the deltaic formation, seasonal floods and the dynamics of a hydrographic system with regional variations. The progressive stages of the evolution of this delta was related not only to the volume or water load of the drainage system and its associated siltation, especially in the post-moribund deltaic sections (i.e., mature and active deltaic areas) but also to the regular and frequent tidal activities that resulted from the Bay of Bengal. Erratic changes in the coastal climate affected the hydrographic patterns associated with the mature and active delta, i.e., the zone II area.

Figure 2.7. Map showing the zone II of the present study area (with colour)

The zone under study certainly experienced the consequences of river course changes (the Ganga, the Saraswati, the Bidyadhari, the Rupnarayan, and the Damodar) at different times. These changes are particularly noticeable in the districts of South and North Twenty Four Parganas, Howrah and Hooghly districts.

A close observation on the general physiography of this region suggests that the volume of water draining down from the upper reaches certainly over flooded the arable landscape and severely affected the river bank settlements particularly along the banks of the Piyali, Matla, Buriganga and Bidhyadhari. During the present fieldwork it was noticed that the inhabitants always avoided the flood plains or river banks of the major rivers as they successively became aware/conscious of the consequences of annual/seasonal floods. A drastic change of river course invariably had adverse effect on the settlements as evident from the several archaeological sites in the districts of South and North Twenty Four Parganas, Howrah and Hooghly.