Archaeological Perspectives on the Fortification System at Sanghol during Kushāṇa Period
Ardhendu Ray & Deepak Kumar o The Kushāṇa empire stretching from the banks of river Oxus to the Ganges, combined parts of Central Asia, Afghanistan, Pakistan and north India into a distinct political unification of land and people.
o The Central Asian, Hellenistic and Indian town planning blended into a single form under them. o According to ancient texts, geographically, Punjab corresponds under Udichya division of Uttarāpatha, or the north-western division of Āryāvartā in ancient period. o It was known as Sapta Sindhu, watered by seven rivers. Greek historians called it as Pentapotamia, region of five rivers. The area of Ravi, Beas and Sutlej was referred as Trigarta, which was further divided into cities of that period. o At the time of Kushāṇa empire one of the major cities of Trigarta was the city of Sanghol. o During Kushāṇa period Sanghol was a well- flourished and one of the largest metropolis on the route between Gandhara and Mathura. o Among all the famous cities of Punjab, Sanghol was the major and popular centre of Historico-Archaelogical linkages on Uttarāpatha. o According to the local tradition, Sanghol was formerly known as ‘Sangaladvīpa’, o The present name might have been derived from Saṅghapura, a name which may have been given for its being a stronghold of Buddhist congregation or Saṅgha. o A terracotta clay Sealing with Gupta Brāhmī legend discovered from Sanghol mentions the name ‘Nandipurasya’ and carries a representation of a bull to right above. o Some scholars interpreted this as the evidence of Sanghol was known as Nandipura in the 5th century CE. o The archaeological site, Sanghol, consists of a group of high ancient mounds, locally known as Ucha Pind, located in the tahsil Khamanon, district Fatehgarh Sahib, Punjab. o It lies at a distance of 40 km of the west of Chandigarh on Chandigarh-Ludhiana road and is at a distance of 32 km from Ropar. o The river Sutlej once flowed by the side of the village but now it has shifted to a distance of about 10 km. o During the Kushāṇa period. Standing on the main Uttarāpatha, Sanghol connected Taxila with Mathura, Kauśāmbī, Sarnath, Pāṭaliputra and Chandraketugarh. o During the Kushana rule, the ancient city of Sanghol was divided into two closely situated parts – a fortified citadel and an open township o The fortified citadel locally called Hathiwara, stood towards the north of the main town. o The palatial complex within the citadel is square in plan with well built brick floors and multicoursed thick walls o The nucleus part of the structure is a public audience hall (18.25 x 15.50 metre) with spacious rectangular brick floor and numerous post-holes with different orientation The For fica ons: an outer defense wall, a quadrilateral fort with corner towers, and a moat system:
Trench across the northern defences, Period IV, Sanghol (IAR, 1970-71: 30). o According to Talwar and Bisht, the outskirts of the Hathiwara mound exhibit unique indications of a quadrilateral fort and corner towers. o A mud rampart further protected the fort, built in two phases, with a basal width of about 29 m. The rampart was created by piling up the earth from digging a series of moats. o Two of the moats were inside the mud rampart, and one was constructed outside the mud rampart. o This unique and systematic defense complex finds textual corroboration in the Arthaśāstra where Kauṭilya recommends that a concentric moat system with a rampart be constructed to defend a city and also in the commentary of Udaya Jātaka. o The Arthas´astra ¯ states that, in selecting the place for building a fortress or a settlement, it is important to take into account the features of the terrain, and the final choice must be ‘approved by architects’. o The city must be strongly fortified: there must be three rows of moats filled with water, a rampart, walls with square towers, etc. o The city must be traversed by three roads running from north to south and three running from east to west, and four of the twelve city gates must be main gates. o Within the city, the siting of various buildings – from the palace and temples down to the dwellings of craftsmen – is subject to strict rules (Kautilya Arthasastra ) Kangle, 1972, pp. 66–72.)
Moat and fortification system at the Hathiwara mound according to R.S. Bisht.(Reconstructed by Michon, 2010: 85). o In the context of early Historic for fica on systems as F.R. Allchin states in his classic 1995 volume on Early Historic ci es in regard to Kauṭilya’s three moat system, ‘we know of no surviving for fica on which displays this feature or where it has been revealed by excava on’. o In this regard, the for fica on system at sanghol was very unique in nature as it is depicts classical corrobora on of Kauṭilya’s Arthaśāstra and similar kind of for fica on also not found in any other historical sites.
A City and its Surroundings according to the Arthaśāstra (A er Rangajan, 1987 :191).
Diagram of a fortified settlement according to Chattopadhyaya (Chattopadhyaya, 2003: 111). o Sanghol was indeed an important city and a religious centre in the Kushāṇa period at least from the 1st century to 3rd century CE. o The study of the Kushāṇa for fica on at the site with the outer defense wall, a quadrilateral fort with corner towers, and a moat system reveals how this defense planning may have influenced and have been influenced by poli cal and economic condi ons during that period. o The apparently sudden appearance of well-planned brick architecture may indicate a change to more antagonis c poli cal scenario. o As poli cal boundary, the for fica on was primarily erected for the purposes of defense mechanism and spa al demarca on. The requirement of improving defensibility during Kushāṇa period is supported by direct and indirect evidence of conflict during this me. o The variant nature of the residential buildings in both the citadel and township are suggestive of a well differentiated social stratification caused by various levels of economic standards. o The defense architecture of the earlier period at Sanghol was replaced in the Kushāṇa phase o it was under Kushanas that we see Sanghol emerging as a well-planned fortified city. o The moat and fortification wall can certainly be called as a monumental architecture as these are the excellent specimen of ancient Indian architecture. Thank You