The Ancient Tale of Bhitargarh

Students of University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB) participated in an excavation project of Bhitargarh.

Prithu Raja would rather let his kingdom go to ruins than see it surrendered to a violent, uncivilized tribe called Kichoks. He was respected and deified by his subjects, and unable to see his “purity sullied”, the king decided to end his life by throwing himself into a tank, followed by his guards, thus leaving his kingdom to despair and plundering.
Thus goes the legend of Bhitargarh, an ancient fort city located around 16km northeast of Panchagarh. The exact time period of Prithu Raja's reign has still not been determined but in the book 'Puraniya, Ronggopoor and Assam', Anglo-Irish author and civil servant Robert Montgomery Martin writes that Prithu Raja governed Bhitargarh before the Pal Dynasty. Recent excavations also suggest that Bhitargarh was an independent city state governed by a sovereign administration between the 6th and 10th centuries.
Sadly, there is little if any information available on this site of incredible archaeological and historic value. In an attempt to learn more about the biggest fortified ancient city of the country, an excavation was being carried out at the site since 2008 to 2012 by archaeologist Dr Shahnaj Husne Jahan, who led a team of students from the University of Liberal Art Bangladesh (ULAB) in a series of archaeological explorations, research and excavations of Bhirtargarh.

Bhitargarh: The biggest fortified city in the country.

The team relayed their findings last week at a seminar titled 'Archaeological Excavation and Research at Bhitargarh in Panchagarh District', organised by ULAB. The excavation resulted in a number of findings, including the fact that the site is considered to be one of the biggest archaeological sites in South Asia covering an area of 25 square kilometres. Speaking at the seminar, Professor Shahnaj expressed despair at the state of Bhitargarh, stating that a lack of preservation efforts contributed to the deteriorating condition of the fortified settlement. Despite a High Court stay order on all sort of construction at the site, inhabitants of the Panchagarh town continue to extend cultivation and habitation within Bhitargarh, causing considerable damage to the fortified city.
“Bhitargarh is on the verge of collapse, as locals are building structures within the site violating the High Court's order imposing a suspension on all kinds of constructional work at the area,” explained Dr Shahnaj at the seminar.
Dr Shahnaj had been a firsthand witness of the ongoing pilferage of the heritage site by local residents. On one visit to Bhitargarh several years back, she saw women taking bricks off an archaeological mound for their household use. Another mound, called the Maharajar Kachari Ghar, was taken over by a family to serve as its graveyard. Maharajar Bhita, another area of the site, held a few houses and a garden. With the financial support of ULAB, Dr Shahnaj sought permission from the Department of Archaeology and the Ministry of Cultural Affairs, to help preserve the archaeological site carrying out excavations to have a better understanding of its history.
The team's regular archaeological investigations have revealed that Bhitargarh was an urban settlement enclosed within four concentric quadrangles created with walls of earth and bricks and surrounded by moats. The site has ten ancient tanks, including the notorious Maharajar Dighi, where Prithu Raja and his guards met their end.
Apart from enclosures and tanks, foundations of eight monuments, including a Buddhist temple, were also found during excavations. Interestingly, the team also found items of daily use such as pottery, earthen lamps, terracotta beads, and copper and iron objects at the fort dating back to 1500 years.
The site is not only an important archaeological discovery but could also shed light on the commercial history of the region. Bhitargarh had a significant role to play in trade, as its strategic location on the ancient overland and river routes connected it to Tibet, Sikkim, Nepal, Bhutan, Assam, Koch Bihar and lower valleys of the Ganges.
With a view of spreading knowledge about the nature of ancient fortified settlements of the region, Professor Shahnaj organised the excavation with 88 students of 'Experience the Past', a General Education course designed by ULAB, where she teaches Archaelogy, Bangladesh Studies and World Civilizations, to enable students to experience a perceptible knowledge of behaviour and culture of ancient civilisations.

“We students contributed to the collection of physiographical, geological, and environmental data of Bhitargarh. I am particularly thankful that I could play a significant role in the conservation efforts of an important archaeological site of the country,” says Jeshinta Abanti, ex-student of ULAB and a participant of the project.
Believing that their efforts would not bear fruit after the completion of the excavation project, Professor Shahnaj and her team went all out to educate the local populace about the need to preserve this essential part of our cultural and archaeological heritage. Signboards displaying slogans to raise awareness about the site were put up at various strategic points of the villages in Panchagarh. A number of local inhabitants, including prominent citizens as well as school and college going students were trained in archaeological excavation techniques, so that they felt that they were an integral part of the preservation process, thus instilling a feeling of pride and rightful claim to their own heritage.
Despite all efforts, the site is in a dire condition and immediate steps need to be taken to ensure its preservation and conservation, says Professor Shahnaj.
“The government can protect Bhitargarh by constructing boundary walls around it and set an example by declaring the 25-sqkm area as 'reserved antiquities' under the Antiquities Act of 1968 (amended in 1976),” she adds.
As a people that claims to take pride in its culture and tradition, we are not doing a very good job of protecting our legacy. We are content in complaining about the state of things but hesitate in taking constructive steps that could save our heritage from falling to ruins. Instead of sitting idle like the rest of us, Dr Shahnaj and her team are actually working towards protecting a significant part of our history. All we need to do is support them in their endeavour, so that their efforts will not be in vain.