Sisupalgarh: ancient city in odisha

Subject : History

Section: Ancient India

Concept :

The nationally protected 2,700yearold Sisupalgarh, a fort city on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar, is being bulldozed by the land mafia, even as official notifications are ignored, and the State government and ASI point a lazy finger at each other.

About Sisupalgarh:

This is the only fortified site in India having eight gateways. The ASI archaeologist lamented that people were not aware of further land acquisition for the protection of
The excavation of the Sisupalgarh site was first taken up in 1948, when it was declared a Centrally Protected Monument under the provisions of the Ancient Monuments Preservation Act, 1904, involving an area measuring 562.681 acres and covering five villages, including Sisupalgarh, BadadhanpuLingipur, Raghunathpur and Mahabhoisasan, in 1950.
Sisupalgarh, believed to have been built around the 7th to 6th century BCE, served as the capital of the Kalinga kingdom, and was an important centre of trade and commerce during ancient times.
The fortification was carried out in the 4th to 3rd century BCE, when King Kharavela took up the repair of the city 2,100 years ago.
It is identified with Kalinganagara of Kharavela and Tosali of Ashoka.

Features of the City

It was designed and constructed in a complete square shape that was surrounded by defensive walls.
Each side spreads for over half a mile, and the interior is full of stone ruins and
The walls of the fortification are a little over nine meters (30 feet) tall.
The urban centre had an area of 1.2 km by 1 km, and it was surrounded by a moat.
The gateways were connected by streets in a grid-like arrangement with the palace in the center.
The gates were elaborate structures made of brick and stone.
There is evidence of stone-lined reservoirs that were likely used for harvesting rainwater.
Intelligent traffic management, pedestrian-friendly pathways, grand gateways with guard houses, wide roads, and a vast open space were some of the key features of this ancient city.
The water management system of the city was unique.

About Kalinga:

Kalinga is a historical region of India.
It is generally defined as the eastern coastal region between the Mahanadi and the Godavari rivers, although its boundaries have fluctuated with the territory of its rulers.
The core territory of Kalinga now encompasses a large part of Odisha and northeastern part of Andhra Pradesh.
At its widest extent, the Kalinga region also included parts of present-day Chhattisgarh, extending up to Amarkantak in the west.
The Kalingas have been mentioned as a major tribe in the legendary text Mahabharata.
In the 3rd century BCE, the region came under Mauryan control as a result of the Kalinga War.
It was subsequently ruled by several regional dynasties whose rulers bore the title Kalingādhipati (“Lord of Kalinga”); these dynasties included Mahameghavahana, Vasishtha, Mathara, Pitrbhakta, Shailodbhava, Somavamshi, and Eastern Ganga.
The medieval era rulers to rule over the Kalinga region were the SuryavamsaGajapatis, Bhoi dynasty, ParalakhemundiGangas and the zamindaris of Ganjam and Vizagapatam