Dhaka was under the Buddhist Kingdom of Kamrup in the 7th and 8th centuries. From about the 9th century A.D. is was governed by the Sena Kings of Vikrampur. Some indications of human habitation of the area of the said period have been discovered which provide the evidence of existence of this town or settlement (Dani, 1962). It is around that time the name of Dhaka originated from the name of “Dhakesshwari Temple” which was built by Raja Ballal Sen. Dhaka of that time was identified as Bengalla and was probably a small town (with “fifty two bazars and fifty three lanes”) lying between the river and what is now the Dulai Khal with its center near the present Bangla Bazar (Birt 1906 p. 94 and Rudduck 1964, p. 74). The town consisted of a few market centers like Lakshmi Bazar, Shankhari Bazar, Tanti Bazar, and a few localities of other craftsmen and businessmen like Patuatuli and Kumartuli, Bania Nagar and Goal Nagar.

After the Hindu rulers, Dhaka was successively under the Turks and Pathans for a long time (1299 to 1608) before the arrival of the Mughals. The Afghan Fort in Dhaka was located at the present Central Jail. After the Pathans, Dhaka went under the rulers of Sonargaon from whom the sovereignty of the area was acquired by the Mughals.