Sisupalgarh shows ancient India’s greatness but Indians just not serious about conservation

It took multiple PILs and efforts of heritage sympathisers to ensure that the step to protect Sisupalgarh are taken, finally.

The ruins of a square-shaped walled city from the second urbanisation are only a short drive from Bhubneshwar, located around 5 km from the state capital in a tiny village named Sisupal. | Wikimedia Commons

The state of archaeological heritage in the country, despite the presence of a strong antiquarian act — the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (AMASR) Act 2010 — is not satisfactory. Many sites that are not protected under this law are on the verge of extinction. Some even protected by the law are neglected. Such is the case of one of the most important archaeological sites in Odisha, Sisupalgarh. Illegal construction on the periphery of the area, activities by land mafia due to the lack of proper demarcation of the protected area have harmed the site’s integrity

In the past, multiple PILs were filed seeking a specific direction to the government authorities to protect the site. However, finally, earlier this year the Archaeological Survey of India started the work of demarcating 526.681 acres out of which 0.775 acres are already within the jurisdiction of ASI since 1950. Though this move is welcomed by many, it does bring out the question of why such an important site was neglected for years by state and the centre and why no action was taken when the AMASR Act was violated? We might not get any answers to these questions, but we can certainly highlight the importance of this site which deserves protection and proper conservation measures for years to come. It is time we highlight that sites like Sisupalgarh that are a rare example of a 2500-year-old walled city that not only showcase continuous habitation since the middle of 1^st millennium BCE to 4^th -5^th centuries CE, but also mirror the principles that are immortalised in texts such as Kautilya’s Arthashatra.

Walled City

The ruins of a square-shaped walled city from the second urbanisation are only a short drive from Bhubneshwar, located around 5 km from the state capital in a tiny village named Sisupal. The city had eight gateways, with two on each side and roughly aligned with the cardinal directions and consists of up to 18 layers  of massive laterite blocks each measuring up to 1.8 meter in length . The rampart that outlines the city measures 1.1 kilometre on each side with a cross-section measuring 33 metres wide at the base and up to 9 metres above the plan.

Many have assumed that ‘Sisupalgarh’ was named after King Sisupal of Kesari dynasty, slain by Krishna in the epic Mahabharata. But this claim holds no ground as the excavations reveal nothing related to either the Mahabharata or the Kesari dynasty. However, the famous Hathigumpa inscription of Karavela at Udayagiri, roughly 8 kilometres away from the site refers to a city ‘Kalinganagari’ which could be the ancient name of Sisupalgarh. Many scholars also identify the city with Tosali mentioned in the Dhauli and Jaugadh inscriptions of King Asoka of Magadha.

To trace the antiquity of the site and to find proof of its identity, the site was first excavated by senior archaeologist B.B. Lal in 1948. Since this excavation was one of the first archaeological works undertaken by the Archaeological Survey of India post-Independence, the objective at that time was to bridge the gap that separates the Harappan Civilization dated to 3^rd millennium BCE from the Early Historical Period dated to 6^th century BCE.

This excavation helped in understanding the vastness of the site and its continuous occupation. The portions of ramparts that were excavated along with principal streets and houses that were built with stone foundation were important piece of evidence that aided in the understanding of our ancient past. B.B. Lal relatively dated the site to 3^rd c. BCE and suggested that the city was gridded into neighbourhoods, similar to what is described in the Arthashastra. An assumption that was proven right decades after Lal’s excavation with the help of modern technology.

In early 2000s, a project was initiated by archaeologists Monica L Smith of UCLA and Rabindra K Mohanty of Deccan College of Pune. For first three years they conducted a systematic survey. Resistivity and gradiometry revealed the presence of long streets coming in from the eight gateways that formed a grid pattern within the site. This pattern represents architecture that lies more than a meter (about 3 feet) underground. Thus substantiating B.B. Lal’s claim mentioned above.

The excavations that followed an extensive survey revealed a 5 to 6.5 metres thick cultural deposit spanning from 1^st millennium BCE to 4^th -5^th centuries CE. The continuous occupation at the site is mirrored in the architectural styles that are changed over the period of time. It was revealed in the study that the rampart encircling the city was built as early as 5^th c. BCE directly over the pre-existing settlement of 1^st millennium BCE. Rampart stayed the same over time but the gateways were frequently reworked. It was suggested that prior to the rampart, the river was the major source of water and once the city was encircled, reservoirs and wells were built within the city. This alone proves that considerable labour was invested in the city’s civic constructions.

The excavations also suggested that walled city was not for only high ranking nobles and the wealthy folks of ancient Kalinga, but was a home for over 25,000 people – ‘a fully functional city packed with people, markets and reservoirs’, remarked archaeologists Monica L Smith and Rabindra K Mohanty.

An average house was 7.5 x10 metres and had tiled roofs indicating robust architecture of walls and cross beams. There was also a system of keeping empty space between structures which is typical of many houses in the country especially in eastern India. An enormous amount of trash at the site during excavations suggested that there was a system of disposal in place. There is also evidence that tremendous amount of production took place in the surrounding areas, which would have been a source of raw material and produce.

“Solakumba”

The most important architectural feature at the site is the central space, which bears 16 standing stone pillars, locally known as ‘Solakumba’. According to the excavators, this might have provided large venues for public gatherings, framed by the monumental architecture of the ramparts and pillars.

In 1940s, only 14 of these pillars were visible. A linear arrangement of ten pillars with a cluster of four pillars in a square at the eastern side and four additional pillars in a random arrangement on an adjacent mound. Excavations of the pillar area in 2008-09 revealed that the 100-metre mound of the pillar area contained numerous other broken pillars, indicative of an apsidal arrangement. The opening of this structure was to the east, where there was also recovered one white sandstone chandrashila (semi-circular doorstep).

The excavations at the pillar mound revealed many structures. One rectilinear structure was exposed immediately adjacent to the pillars had seven preserved courses of regularly cut laterite blocks – possible a hermitage or a monastery. The only radiocarbon date from the pillar mound area is of 2^nd century BCE.

Neglected heritage

I could barely scratch the surface of the monumental findings at Sisupalgarh. One could imagine the scale of the excavation which has revealed every aspect of life right from house plan to marketplace, to production centres and probably place for rituals and public gathering. With the rise of major urban centres like Pataliputra in Magadha, Mathura in Braj and Taxila in the North western provinces, Sisupalgarh in the east coast was a major political and economic centre.

Therefore, it is hard to see such an important marker of ancient India neglected. Today, the evidence of cities like Pataliputra are only to be found in traveller’s records as most of the archaeological remains are either reburied or are non-existent, vanished in thin air. Similar is the case of many other archaeological sites.

The AMASR Act 2010 provides tools to protect the archaeological sites and remains. It clearly demarcates the areas of protection in varying degrees. But the cases of violation are increasing rapidly. This is aided by lack of knowledge of archaeology and heritage and its importance but also by the negligence of authorities. It took multiple PIL’s (one which was filed over 14 years ago) and efforts of heritage sympathizers to ensure that the steps to protect Sisupalgarh are taken, finally.

Disha Ahluwalia is an archaeologist and junior research fellow at the Indian Council Of Historical Research. She tweets @ahluwaliadisha. Views are personal.

(Edited by Anurag Chaubey)