Historic Sites in Orissa

Historic Sites In Orissa

A well civilized, urbanized, cultured people inhabited on this land mass around 2000 years ago for which Asurgarh was its capital. This fort is situated near Narla about 35 km from Bhawanipatna in Kalahandi. Asurgarh served as an advanced civilization around 300 BC to 500 AD. and was the capital of Vyaghraraja of Mahakantara around 4th century AD. It was the capital of Kantara through which trade and commerce between Kalinga, Kantara, and Soouth Kosal were made. The Asurgarh Fort is almost rectangular in shape having four gates piercing the surrounding mammoth wall that is made of brick, rubble and earth. After the wall, a wide and deep moat girdles the fort on three sides respectively on the north, south and east. The fort area measures 24.29 hectares of land. On the west of the fort, the river Sandol flows close to the western rampat towards north to meet the river Utei, a tributary of the Tel, at a distance of about 3 km from the fort site. Close to the eastern ditch, the builders of the fort excavated a huge water reservoir measuring 200 acres of land. It is popularly known as Asursagar. It has been pointed out that the water of the reservoir could be trained into the ditch of the fort through two sluices gate. On the southwest corner of the fort, another small tank was dug, which is known today by its name Radhasagar. Habitation zone of the peoples is being documented towards the south and north of the fort immediately after the fortified wall. Lowe town or habitation area is further superimposed by another mud wall within 100 hectares radius at each settlement zone, the mud wall has single gate in the middle