BHUBANESWAR: URBAN settlements akin to the ancient Sisupalgarh, although smaller in size, have been found in four different parts of the State. In the last two years, archaeologists have excavated rare square-shaped fortified settlements similar to Sisupalgarh in Lathi and Jougada near Berhampur, Radhanagar in Jajpur district and Talapada near Khurda.
This was informed by archaeologists at the inaugural session of the two-day-long national seminar on ‘Recent Researches in Early History and Culture of Odisha’ here in Bhubaneswar on Monday.
Interestingly, the settlement in Radhanagar is a century older than Sisupalgarh. Excavations have revealed that all the square-shaped settlements had water tanks in all four corners and a large water body at the centre.
The house structures, roads, passages besides cultural materials like polished pottery, fabrics and jewellery found from all the sites are similar in structure and quality. “Talpada was a fortified early historic town located on the right bank of river Malguni. “It is an exact miniature of Sisupalgarh,” said Dr Rabindra Kumar Mohanty from Deccan College of Archaeology, who was involved in the excavation.
Further, the archaeologists said earlier, there was no evidence of presence of square-shaped urban settlements in this part of the country except in Sisupalgarh. “Square-shaped settlements have always been found in North India, but these findings have opened up a new dimension to beginning of urban growth in Kalinga (ancient Odsha),” said Sunil Patnaik, secretary of the host institute - Odishan Institute of Maritime and South East Asian Studies.
Suabarei findings
The Suabarei excavation, which was recently completed by Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), has thrown light on some interesting aspects of the site that lies between the right bank of river Daya and river Gangua, 24 km from Bhubaneswar. Director (excavation) of ASI Jeevan Patnaik said the Suabarei mound shows a gap of 500 years between the Neolithic and Chalcolithic eras. Ruins of half-a-dozen circular huts, that are varied in dimension and east-facing, have been found within 1.5 acre of land on the mound that was excavated.
“Use of mud bricks for the first time was reported from Chalcolithic level huts in Odisha. People were skilled in fishing as evident from the available copper fish hook, fish bones, tortoise shells and a shark fish teeth of which one has a perforation for reuse as a pendant,” Patnaik said. All artefacts found from Suabarei are similar to those excavated from Golbai Sasan.