SISUPALGARH : A SAD TALE OF CULTURAL GENOCIDE
Bureau,Odishabarta
Bhubaneswar:The 5th Century site is named after the Chedi King Sisupal, who had been killed by Shri Krishna using the Sudarshan Chakra. Named after the slain Mahabharata king, Sisupalgarh was a fortified township located just south of present-day Bhubaneswar. Inscription deciphered at the Udaygiri caves suggests that Sisupalgarh may have been called Kalingnagari or Toshali in ancient times.
Sisupalgarh was first excavated by noted archaeologist B. B. Lal in 1948. Subsequent excavations since then have revealed a fortified citadel that was continuously occupied for at least 1,000 years starting in the mid-1st millennium BC. At its prime, the city is believed to have a population of around 20,000 to 25,000.
Set on a square plan, the settlement was surrounded by a nine-meter high defensive wall, which has a moat running alongside. There were stone-and-brick structures with watch towers. The gateways were connected by streets that were part of a grid-like arrangement with the palace in the centre.
What sets Sisupalgarh apart from the other ancient cities is its planning. There were wide pathways, grand gateways, guard houses, wide roads, ponds, gardens, and vast open spaces. In many ways, it could be considered one of the earliest examples of an Indian “smart city” that existed almost 2,500 years ago.
What remains today are only a series of monolithic stone pillars locally known as Shola Khamba, meaning ‘16 pillars’. Although a protected site under the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), the site has been ravaged by land sharks who have encroached all but one acre of the nearly 550-acre archaeological site.
INTACH had filed a PIL in the High Court of Odisha in 2009. The matter had been shelved for nearly a decade. Last year, the Hon’ble Chief Justice has revived the petition and issued notices to the State Government and the ASI. The Archaeological Survey of India along with Bhubaneswar tehsil officials demarcated the government land in the 562.681 acre of Sisupalgarh which was notified as an ancient monument on November 13, 1950. It put up pillars around the boundary of the 0.775 acre, which were uprooted by the land sharks.
Nothing, absolutely nothing of the early era exists. Even the minuscule area left is being dug up. I remember seeing the clear outlines of the old fort when I used to take my flying lessons, our final approach would be over the site and the walls were clearly visible.
A Mahapanchayat was held at the spot by Argus TV to which villagers were invited. I was invited as a heritage expert along with spokespersons from different political parties. The program will be telecast on Sunday.
#Contributed by;Anil Dhir
