mahasthangarh assignment in english

Mahasthangarh

Dating back to at least the 4th century BCE, Mahasthangarh is the earliest urban archaeological site that has been discovered in Bangladesh.

Several historical sites are located within the rampart wall, including a mausoleum (Mausoleum of Shah Sultan Mahisawar Balkhi), a temple site (Bairgir Bhita), remnants of an ancient palace (Parshuram’s Palace) with an ancient well (Jiyat Kunda) as well as residential blocks in the eastern rampart area.

One of the highlights of Mahasthangarh is Govinda Bhita, where remnants of two Buddhist temples can be visited. The main temple was erected in the 6th century and next to it is a slightly smaller temple, which was built in the 11th century.

Opposite Govinda Bhita, near the north side of the citadel is the Mahasthan Archaeological Museum. The museum is quite small but has a well-maintained collection of pieces recovered from the archaeological site. These include the statues of Hindu and Buddhist gods and goddesses, terracotta plaques depicting daily life, as well as some well-preserved bronze images found in nearby monastery ruins that date back to the pre-Pala period. There are even some fragments of ring-stones which were used for rituals in the Mauryan period.

The rest of the archaeological site consists mainly of foundations and hillocks, hinting at the past glory. It's possible to walk over the remains of the fortifications of the ancient citadel to get a sense of how the city would once have looked.

Open from sunrise to sunset

Entry is free both for national and international visitors

• Mahasthangarh: Ruins of the oldest known city of Bengal from the 3rd century B.C.

Mahasthangarh is the oldest known city of Bengal located in Bangladesh, dating back to the 3rd century B.C. The word ‘Mahasthan’ means a place that has excellent sanctity, and ‘Garh’ means fort. The extensive ruins of Mahasthangarh present a glorious past of about two thousand and five hundred years of Pundranagar, the capital city of ancient Pundra Vardhan Bhukti.

Mahasthangarh, spreading along the western bank of the Korotoa river, is situated about 13 km north of Bogra town. This earliest and largest city of the entire Bengal is fortified successively by mud and brick wall. It measures 1,525 meters long North-South, 1,370 meters broad East-West, and 5 meters high above the surrounding level. The river in the east and a deep moat on the west, south, and north served as additional defense apart from the citadel wall.

History of Mahasthangarh

From the archaeological evidence, it is proven that Mahasthangarh was the provincial capital of the Mauryans, the Guptas, the Palas, and the Feudal Hindu kings of a later period. Beyond the citadel, other ancient ruins found within a radius of 7/8 km in a semi-circle in the north, south, and west testify to the existence of extensive suburbs.

It is worth quoting that Yuen Chwang, the famous Chinese pilgrim, visited the Pundra Vardhana between 639-645 A.D. Sir Alexandar Cunningham rightly identified the current Mahasthangarh as Pundranagar in 1879, following the description left by Yuen Chwang.

The whole area is rich in Hindu, Buddhist, and Muslim sites. The Buddhists were here until at least the 11th century. Their most glorious period was the 8th to the 11th centuries when the Buddhist Pala emperors of North Bengal ruled. It is from this period that most of the visible remains belong. The citadel was probably first constructed under the Mauryan empire in the 3rd century B.C.

Mahasthangarh fell into disuse around the time of the Mughal invasions. Most of the visible brickwork dates from the 8th century, apart from that added during restoration. Outside the citadel, there is a remaining of 6th-century Govinda Bhita Hindu Temple, which looks like a broken-down step pyramid.

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Mahasthangarh: Bangladesh's Oldest City

• AUTHOR Aditi Shah
• PUBLISHED 16 November 2021

One of the subcontinent’s oldest cities in the east is still telling its story 2,300 years after the Mauryans built this magnificent provincial capital in what is now north-west Bangladesh. Identified as the glorious city of Pundranagara, it is known as Mahasthangarh today and is situated in what was earlier East Bengal.

Mahasthangarh is Bangladesh’s oldest-known city, an archaeological site 200 km north of Dhaka on the banks of the Karatoya River. The site goes back to the 3rd century BCE, to the height of the Mauryan Empire, whose capital was Pataliputra in present-day Patna, the capital of Bihar in Northern India. And what a sight it must have been!

Long and snaking walls made of burnished brick still outline the city’s fortified heart, a citadel that measures 1.5 km x 1.4 km. Inside the citadel and all around, excavations are still uncovering structures that reveal what was undoubtedly a vibrant administrative and cultural capital.

Archaeological remains and medieval literary descriptions point to a well-planned and highly organised city that had sturdy walls, elaborate gates, opulent palaces, large assembly halls, places of worship, lush orchards, pleasure gardens and vast suburban areas where common folk lived.

– This ancient city was first discovered, not by an archaeologist, but by Scottish geographer and botanist Francis Buchanan-Hamilton in 1807.

Employed by the British East India Company, he was asked by the Government of Bengal to survey the area and report on its topography, history and inhabitants. During one of his field visits, he came upon the abandoned site of Mahasthangarh and made a note of it.

But Pundranagara was not ready to be discovered, at least not yet. It would be 70 years before Alexander Cunningham, the father of Indian archaeology, visited the site, in 1879. And it was he who identified it as the ancient city of Pundranagara, mentioned in classical literary texts.

The Aitareya Brahmana , a Vedic text, talks of the Pundra people living in the eastern part of the subcontinent. That’s how the city probably got its name. The Chinese monk Hiuen Tsang, who visited the area in the 7th century CE, wrote that Pundranagara had 20 Buddhist monasteries, over 3,000 Buddhist monks, 100 Dev temples and followers of multiple sects, including Jain Digambar monks.

Evidence that helped identify this as the city Pundranagara came from a chance find by a local farmer, who happened to dig up a limestone slab in his fields. The six-line inscription in the Brahmi script recorded a land grant and was dated to the 3rd century BCE, the era of the Mauryan Dynasty.

The inscription tells us that ‘a mahamatra was posted in the well-organised and prosperous Pundranagara. He gave orders to dole out sesame and mustard seeds to the samvargikas ... The crops were stored in the royal granary in the fortified area of the city.’

The famous 11th-century text Kathasaritasagar by Somadeva, a collection of folktales, mentions a road from Pundranagara to Pataliputra, the Mauryan capital. It seems Pundranagara was an important trading city in ancient times and was well connected to other parts of Bengal, by road and by river. The Arthashastra of Kautilya refers to ‘Paundrika patrorna ’, a type of silk, and dukula , a fine-quality cotton cloth, both produced in Pundra.

The site of Mahasthangarh, which includes the citadel at its centre, covers an area with a radius of 9 km, and includes hundreds of mounds, some excavated, others yet to be, scattered across several villages. Excavations, which began in the 1920s, have revealed cast copper coins belonging to the 3rd century BCE, which support the antiquity of the city.

Amazingly, the site shows continuous occupation from the 3rd century BCE to the 13th century CE, which is reflected in remains that date from pre-Mauryan times to the Mauryans, Kushanas, Guptas and the Palas.

The remains found here include the ruins of Buddhist monasteries, Hindu temples and numerous Hindu and Buddhist sculptures.

Excavations have also uncovered a trench and a tunnel built through the massive fort wall, a sign of a military siege. While this military practice is well-known through textual sources, most notably the Arthashashtra , the Mahasthangarh tunnel is the earliest archaeological evidence of this military strategy in the Indian subcontinent.

Weapons like arrows, spears, crossbow heads and terracotta slingshot balls, dated to the 7th-8th century CE, have been found in large numbers. After the siege, important construction activities were undertaken that can be placed in the Pala period, a long period of peace in North Bengal.

This spectacular city appears to have fallen to ruin when a massive earthquake hit the area in 1255 CE. Besides the obvious damage, the earthquake probably caused the Karatoya River to silt up, forcing the residents to migrate.

Excavations are still being carried out here but Mahasthangarh has faded from public memory. Sadly, lack of adequate conservation, poor water drainage and looting are damaging this vital archaeological site. This was stated in a 2010 a report titled Saving Our Vanishing Heritage prepared by the Global Heritage Fund, which identified Mahasthangarh as one of 12 worldwide sites most ‘on the verge’ of irreparable loss and damage. What will it take to save Bangladesh’s oldest city and a vital part of India’s heritage?

Cover Image: The Gokul Medh mound, 3 km south of the citadel, courtesy Azim Khan Ronnie

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A Visit To Mahasthangarh

Bangladesh has many historical places, though it is a small country. I visited only some of these eye-catching places. Mahasthangarh is one of the famous historical places in Bangladesh. Last year I got an opportunity to visit Mahasthangarh in Bogra, with some of my friend’s. It is well known for a famous Buddhist monastery. Mahasthan means a place that has excellent sanctity and garh means fort. Mahasthan was first mentioned in a Sanskrit text of the 13th century entitled Vallalcharita. It is also mentioned in an anonymous text Karatoya mahatmya, circumstantially placed in 12th-13th century. The same text also mentions two more names to mean the same place at Pundrakshetra, land of the Pundras, and Pundranagara, city of the Pundras. In 1685, an administrative decree mentioned the place as Mastangarh, a mixture of Sanskrit and Persian meaning fortified place of an auspicious personage. Subsequent discoveries have confirmed that the earlier name was Pundranagara or Paundravardhanapura, and that the present name of Mahasthangarh is of later origin. It stands on the western bank of the Korotoa. It is a few kilometers away from Bogra town. When we reached Mahasthangarh, a glorious part of our past civilization opened up before our eyes. It was a very developed city. It was about 2000 meters long and 1500 meters wide. This city was fenced around by a wall. We entered into the monastery and saw some elevated places that soothed our eyes. I was impressed to see the natural sights. These elevated places are known as ‘Vitas’, ‘Kundas’, ‘Gous’ and ‘Dhaps’. After that we visited the ghat of Kankabati near the elevated places and then the mazar of Shah Sultan Balkhi Mahi Sawar. This impressed me about the religious harmony of our past civilization. Then we went to the museum at Mahasthangarh. The relics of the past have been kept in the museum. We saw some images, dice, ornaments and pots there. These relics reminded us of our rich old history. I became astonished to learn about our rich culture and heritage.

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Home » Posts » Mahasthangarh – A Window to the Past

Mahasthangarh – A Window to the Past

The ancient archeological site of Mahasthangarh is believed to date back as far as 700 BC and appears to have been occupied right up to the 1700s. Mahasthangarh is located in the Shibganj Upzila (subdistrict) of the Bogra District of Bangladesh, near the village of Mahasthan. It is the oldest urban-style fortified settlement discovered in Bangladesh to date, and includes a temple with the tomb of Shah Sultan Balkhi Mahisawar, a dervish (Muslim saint) of royal lineage who traveled to the area in the 14th century with the aim of converting the locals to the Islamic religion.

The name of the site is taken from the words Mahasthan meaning a place of exceptional sacredness, and garh , meaning fort. Later discoveries have led researchers to the conclusion that the name of the area was initially Paundravardhanapura or Pundranagara, referring to the Pundra Kingdom in Indian epic literature, which was said to rule over an area stretching from West Bengal, to Bangladesh and into the area of India now known as Bihar.

The archeological site of Mahasthangarh is located on one of the highest pieces of land in Bangladesh, along the Bogra-Rangpur highway, allowing easy access for visitors. The site was discovered in the early 1800s and a number of world-renowned archeologists were instrumental in uncovering its cultural and historical significance. Visitors to the site will note that the Karatoya River flows to the east of the rectangular citadel. Although this river is currently not much more than a stream, it was once a mighty river , considered to be sacred. It has been suggested that the proximity of the Karatoya River may have been one of the deciding factors when the founders of the settlement chose the site.

Within the fortifications of the city are a number of interesting features, including a well said to possess life and impart power known as Jiat Kunda; a palace called Parasuramer Basgriha dedicated to a king by the name of Parasuram; a place of stone said to be bestowed by God known as Khodar Pathar Bhita; and a bastion named Munir Ghon. There are gateways on all four sides and a flight of steps in the north-eastern corner.

Outside the fortifications are up to a hundred mounds spread over a radius of around nine kilometers, many of which still need to be excavated. On the banks of the Karatoya River is a temple dedicated to Govinda, as well as a museum displaying some of the fascinating artifacts discovered in and around the settlement. These include a limestone slab inscribed with words in Brahmi script dating back to the 3rd century BC; silver punch market coins from between the 4th century BC and the 1st to 2nd century AD; coins of the British East India Company which was founded in 1600; shards of ceramics; a 5th century stone sculpture of Buddha; and terracotta plaques. Mahasthangarh is a fascinating place to visit from a historical and cultural perspective, and from its elevated position it offers spectacular views of the surrounding areas.

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