Vaṅga was an ancient kingdom and geopolitical division within the Ganges Delta in the Indian subcontinent. The kingdom is one of the namesakes of the Bengal region. It was located in eastern and southern Bengal. Vanga features prominently in the epics and tales of ancient India as well as in the history of Sri Lanka.

Vanga was probably the centre of the Gangaridai Empire mentioned by numerous Greco-Roman writers. The exact capital of ancient Vanga kingdom could not be identified.

After the rule of the Gupta Empire, ancient Bengal was divided into two independent kingdoms – Gauda and Vanga. Kotalipara, an ancient fortified city of independent Vanga kingdom, present-day in Gopalganj district of Dhaka division, emerged as the centre of administration of Vanga kings after Gupta period.

Vanga was probably the centre of the Gangaridai Empire mentioned by numerous Greco-Roman writers.Indian and Greco-Roman writers referred to the region's war elephants. In Indian history, Vanga is notable for its strong navy. There are numerous references to Vanga in the Hindu epic Mahabharata, which is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of India. The other epic, the Ramayana, mentions the kingdom as an ally of Ayodhya. For the presence of continuous archeological proof from Pre-Mauryan to Pala-Sena period Chandraketugarh is considered as a major city of Vanga kingdom. According to ancient Jain texts, Tamralipta was the capital of Vanga kingdom.

The Vanga kingdom emerged in the lower Ganges delta during the Northern Black Polished Ware Period. It controlled many of the islands of the delta with its naval fleet and embarked on overseas exploration. Ancient Indian records refer to Vanga as a hub of sailors. In the 5th century BCE, the Vanga king Sinhabahu's son prince Vijaya sailed across the Bay of Bengal and established a kingdom in what is now Sri Lanka. The religious traditions of the kingdom included Buddhism, Jainism and Hinduism.

Vanga is recorded as an administrative unit in the Arthashastra written by Kautilya. It is described as a notable naval power by Kalidasa. There are also records of subdivisions within Vanga, including "Upa Vanga" (minor Vanga) which corresponds to Jessore and forested areas corresponding to the Sundarbans and "Anuttara Vanga" (southern Vanga), denoting present-day the area of Barisal.

The rulers of the Vanga kingdom remain mostly unknown. After the 2nd century BCE, the territory became part of successive Indian empires, including Mauryans, Guptas, Shashanka's reign, Khadgas, Palas, Chandras, Senas and Devas. The term Vangala was often used to refer to the territory. For example, an inscription of the South Indian Chola dynasty referred to the region as Vangaladesha during a war with the Chandra dynasty of eastern Bengal. After the Muslim conquest of Bengal, the region was referred to as Bangalah, which may have evolved from Vangala. The names are the precursors of the modern terms Banga and Bangla.

Prince Vijaya was made the prince regent by his father, but he and his band of followers became notorious for their violent deeds. After their repeated complaints failed to stop him, prominent citizens demanded that Vijaya be put to death. King Sinhabahu then expelled Vijaya and his 700 followers from the kingdom. Prince Vijaya landed on the island of Lanka, present day Sri Lanka and established the Kingdom of Tambapanni. Prince Vijaya's dynasty (House of Vijaya) would later go on to rule the Kingdom of Anuradhapura and Sri Lanka for around 500 years.^{[citation needed]}