20,000 cavalry, 200,000 infantry, and 4,000 war elephants, a force that deterred the advance of the Seleucids in the era following Alexander. Direct archaeological excavation in Barisal is rare; evidence largely relies on artifacts found in the greater Vanga-Samatata region, such as punch-marked coins, which testify to economic integration during the Mauryan period (circa 300 BCE).

In the medieval period, Barisal, which encompassed the ancient regions of Chandradvipa