Aerial view of Bangarh, Gangarampur | |
  Bangarh Shown within West Bengal Show map of West Bengal Bangarh Bangarh (India) Show map of India | |
| Alternative name | Devkot,Kotivarsha, Devikota, Devakota, Diw-kot |
|---|---|
| Location | Gangarampur, West Bengal, India |
| Coordinates | 25°24′45″N88°31′50″E / 25.41250°N 88.53056°E /25.41250; 88.53056 |
| Type | settlement |
| History | |
| Founded | Earlier than 200 BC |
Bangarh is an ancient city situated inGangarampur, West Bengal, India. From the finding ofDamodarpur inscription we know that Bangarh was the ancient city and the administrative centre ofKotivarshaVishaya (territorial division), itself part of the wider administrative unit of Pundravardhana Bhukti (mentioned in the inscription), which hadMahasthangarh as its capital[1] in the period of Chandras, Varmans andSenas. After the Senas were defeated by the Muslims underMuhammad Bakhtiyar Khalji, Devkot was established as their capital where Muhammad Bakhtiyar Khalji died.[2][full citation needed]
The 12th-century writerHemachandra wrote that the namesKoṭivarṣa,Bāṇapura,Devīkoṭa,Umāvana, andŚoṇitapura all referred to the same place. A similar list was provided byPuruṣottama, except he hadUṣāvana instead ofUmāvana.Bāṇapura is the apparent ancestor of the present name Bangarh; the place is supposed to be connected with the mythical king Bāṇa. The fort at Bangarh is also called "Damdamaḥ" in recent times.[3]: 216
Bangarh is located at25°24′45″N88°31′50″E / 25.41250°N 88.53056°E /25.41250; 88.53056
In the map alongside, all places marked on the map are linked in the full screen version.
The earliest mentions about the Kotivarsha town are found in theVayu Purana (XXIII,209) and theBrihat Samhita (XI, II). Lexicographers, Hemchandra (theAbhidhanachintamani IV,977) and Purushottama (in hisTrikandashesha) have mentioned the city by several names – Uma(Usha?)vana, Banapura. Sandhyakara Nandi in hisRamacharita described at length about the temples and the lakes of the city.[4] The ruins of the city are found in Bangarh, which is located atGangarampur city, about 45 km south ofBalurghat city, inDakshin Dinajpur district ofWest Bengal state in eastern India. There was a Buddhist monastery at Devikota.[5]
Muslim rule was first established inBengal in 1204 byMuhammad Bakhtiyar Khalji. The kingdom was called Lakhnawati or Lakhnauti. The capital was located sometimes at Lakhnawati and sometimes at Devkot.[citation needed] Bakhtiyar Khalji died at Devkot in 1205–06, possibly murdered byAli Mardan Khalji, who was governor of Naran-Koh.[6]
Debīkoṭ was listed in theAin-i-Akbari as amahal insarkarLakhnauti (the name is spelled "Dihikoṭ" or "Dehīkoṭ" in extant copies of theAin).[3]: 216 [7]: 43 Themahal of Debīkoṭ was listed with an assessed revenue of 31,624dams.[8]: 131 It was also the seat of ajuwār (subdivision between a sarkar and a mahal) including 6 other mahals, although none of the others have been located.[7]: 43
The earliest excavations at Bangarh was carried out by a team led by K.G. Goswami during 1938–41. Located on the bank of thePunarbhaba, the excavated site reflects its urban character. The site has its core in the form of a citadel surrounded by mud ramparts (area about 25 hectares) which dates from the earliest phase of the site. The earliest phase remains uncertain, as the excavations could not reach the natural soil.[1] The citadel area revealed five cultural phases dating from the time of theMauryas to the medieval period. The initial phase (the Mauryan period) indicates that the city had a modest beginning in which it had probably a mud rampart wall. It was only in the following phase (theKushana period, 200 BCE - 300 CE) a brick built wide rampart wall is found with drains, cesspits and residential buildings made of burnt bricks of a very large size, showing distinct signs of prosperity and burgeoning urbanism. The excavated materials of the Gupta period are not comparable with the richness and diversity of those belonging to Kushana cultural phase. Though the lateGupta phase of Bangarh is marked by decadence, particularly in terms of building activities, thePala period (mid 8th century -12th century), in sharp contrast, indicates a picture of efflorescence. Rampart walls, compound walls, residential quarters, temples with ambulatory path and its enclosing walls, damp proof granaries, bathrooms, drains and ring wells suggest a prosperous condition of the city.[9]
Balurghat travel guide from Wikivoyage