BHUBANESWAR: The early historic fortifications at Durgadevi in Balasore and Sisupalgarh on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar may indicate the beginning of fortifications in the Gangetic valley, said Professor Emeritus (archaeology), University of Cambridge, Prof Dilip K Chakrabarti.
He was here to deliver the first Ashutosh Patnaik memorial lecture, organised by Centre for Heritage Studies on Tuesday. Patnaik was the first president of the Centre for Heritage Studies and had worked intensively on the maritime heritage of Odisha, Jagannath culture and ancient history.
Considered the doyen of world archaeology and ancient history, Prof Chakrabarti said the discovery of, and excavations at Durgadevi site (done in 2021) denote a milestone in the early historic archaeology of both Odisha and East India.
Having visited the site last month, Prof Chakrabarti said it is a large fortified site and the traces of its fortification in otherwise plain land are clearly visible over a wide area. “Assuming that ramparts on the site happen to be a distinctive feature of the beginning of early history in the Gangetic valley, we argue that the early historic period began in Durgadevi during the Iron Age itself and may be dated as early as 800/600 BC,” he said.
Prof Chakrabarti further said that Sisupalgarh’s beginnings go back to 600 BC at least. “Thus the dates of the early historic fortifications at both Sisupalgarh and Durgadevi make sense in the view of the beginning of fortifications in the Gangetic valley,” he said.
National Monuments Authority chairman Kishor K Basa and Centre of Heritage Studies VP Sanjay K Acharya also spoke.