Nomenclature
There are various theories about the origin of the name Sylhet. King 'Guhak' of ancient Gaur state established a haat named after his daughter Shiladevi. Because of this, many people think that the name Silat or Sylhet can be known from 'Shilahat'. Also, according to Hindu mythology, the bones of Goddess Sati fell at 51 places in the subcontinent. Two bones of Sati also fell in Sylhet
. Another name for Sati is 'Sri'; Hence the name Srihatta can be derived from 'Sri + Hadd'. Many people also believe that the name 'Silhat' originates from the command of 'Sil Hot Jah' by Hazrat Shahjalal (RA). In 640 AD, the Chinese Buddhist scholar and traveler Hiuen Tsang mentioned Sylhet as Shi-Li-Cha-T-L. Sylhet is mentioned as 'Silahet' in the book 'Kitabul Hind' by the Muslim traveler Manishi Al Beruni in the 11th century AD. Although it was first mentioned as 'Silhet' in documents during the English period, after Cachar came under British rule in the early 19th century, it was referred to as 'Sylhet' to distinguish it from 'Silchar', the headquarters station of the district. This is how today's Sylhet name was born.
