Bhismaknagar
Thanggiri
Aerial view of the brick plith structure from Bhismaknagar. Records show the presence of multiple stone and bricks plinths at the site.
Interactive map of Bhismaknagar
28°02′48.2″N 96°0′20.7″E / 28.046722°N 96.005750°E / 28.046722; 96.005750
Type	Settlement
Location	Lower Dibang Valley district, Arunachal Pradesh, India
Part of	Sadhayapura
History
Built	8th century
Built by	Attributed to the Chutia kingdom
Abandoned	16th century
Site notes
Material	Bricks, Stone, Earthwork
Length	4.5 km (2.8 mi)
Width	2.5 km (1.6 mi)

Bhismaknagar is an archeological site in Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. It is located east of Roing in Lower Dibang Valley district.^[1] The remains are ascribed to the rule of the Chutias, a Tibeto-Burmese ethnic group^[2], who ruled over the region of Sadiya from 11th to 16th Century CE.^[3] It formed part of the historical Sadhayapura capital region of the Chutia kingdom and can be identified with the fortified hill city of Doi-Thang described in the Buranjis.^[4] Doi-Thang (also known as Thanggiri), was one of the three fortified cities mentioned in the Buranjis, the others being Barnagar (Che-lung in Tai) and Chandangiri (Doi-Chantan).^[5] The original fort may have been associated with the line of hill-foot forts attributed to the Chutia king Gaurinarayan. According to the Chutia chronicles, Gaurinarayan, after consolidating his kingdom, “built a line of forts along the foot of the hills”, along with large tanks and temples.^[6] Excavations have yielded roof tiles and decorative finials, providing evidence for the use of tiled roofing in at least some structures within the fortified settlement.^[7] The discovery of kaolin pottery at Bhismaknagar has been interpreted as evidence of early cultural contact with China and the transmission of ceramic ideas into Northeast India.^[8]

Location

Bhismaknagar is located in the Lower Dibang Valley district of Arunachal Pradesh, about 29 km from Roing, on plateau-like terrain along the foothills.^[9][10] The fortified settlement extends over an area of approximately 10 km² (2,500 acres).^[11] It occupies an elongated foothill setting in which the adjoining mountains provided natural protection, while the constructed fortifications defended the more exposed approaches.^[12] The surviving earthen rampart, recorded as continuing for more than 5 km, enclosed a large settlement containing the principal architectural complex, gateways and other remains.^[13]

Etymology

The name Bhismaknagar for the present-day site was first recorded in the book "Northeast Frontier of India" (1883) and later in the "Assam District Gazetteer" (1928)^[14], where it appears to have been derived from references to works, attributed to the 16th-century Vaishnavite reformer Sankardev, that were popular in the Sadiya region (which eventually found its way into the later Chutia chronicles).^{[note 1]}

Earlier colonial accounts by T. Rowlatt in 1845 and S. F. Hannay in 1848, however, referred to the present-day Bhismaknagar site as Sishupal Nagar,^[17][18] while applying the name Bhismaknagar or Bishmook Nuggur to a different archaeological location in the Dibang-Dikrong foothill region. This suggests that the identification of the modern-day site with Bhismaknagar emerged from a later conflation of distinct archaeological sites during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.^[19]

Historically, the entire region was known as Sadhayapura (the rulers being Sadhayapur-ishwar) as per copper inscriptions^[20] and the fort formed part of the capital region of the Chutia king Laksminarayana.^[21]

Identification

The Buranjis mention two hill-fortified cities of the Chutia kingdom in the capital region, namely Chandangiri (Doi-Chantan), located near the Dibang river, and Thanggiri (Doi-Thang), situated near the Kundil river, in addition to the capital city of Barnagar (Che-lung). The present-day site of Bhismaknagar, located near the Kundil river, has been identified with the historical Doi-Thang hill fortification described in the Buranjis.^[22]

Captain John Mitchell in his book "Northeast Frontier of India" (1883) noted that the hills to the north of Bhismaknagar were known as Thengri-thaya by the Mishmis,^[23][24] where thaya means "hill" in the Mishmi language.^[25] This linguistic continuity suggests that the Bhismaknagar hill may have been historically known as Thanggiri.

History

Bhismaknagar is an important ancient archaeological site. The site was one of the strongholds of the Chutia Kingdom. The ruins have been dated between the 11th–16th centuries.^[26] Bhismaknagar formed part of Sadhayapura (or Svadhayapura), the political centre of the Chutia Kingdom.^[27]

The Buranjis record that the fortified hill city of Doi-Thang served as the seat of the Chutia minister Kasitora (written as Kai-tora). He was attacked by the Ahom general Chao-seng-kung-rin (Kong-Sheng) in 1524, who killed and beheaded him, presenting his head to the Ahom king Suhungmung, then stationed at Barnagar.^[28] The Chutias of Doi-Thang are further recorded to have revolted in 1529 CE, though the uprising was subsequently suppressed.^[29]

Architecture

According to early accounts by T. Rowlatt (1845), the fort was situated on an elevated plain at the foot of the hills and was protected by a double line of defence. This consisted of a rampart of compact red clay, likely transported from elsewhere, with a terrace approximately 20 yards wide below it. Beyond this, the hillside was sharply scarped, rising between 10 and 30 feet in height.^[30] The fort appears to have been defended on three sides, with the steep slopes of the Mishmi Hills to the north providing a natural barrier, eliminating the need for additional fortifications.^[31]

The principal entrance and adjoining defensive sections were constructed of brick, and remains of multiple brick structures within the enclosure suggest that residential buildings were built of masonry.^[32] British explorer Rowlatt writes,

"..and on many spots in the interior I observed remains of the same materials (bricks), so that in all probability the houses occupied by the inhabitants must have been built of masonry."

In 1905, archaeologist T. Bloch explored the outer fortification of Bhismaknagar and collected decorated tiles bearing representations of animals, birds and human figures, together with floral and geometric motifs.^[7]

During an Assam Rifles expedition of 1919–20, L. W. Shakespear recorded further details of the ruins. He described a high earthen rampart with a ditch in front, and observed that masses of bricks scattered around it indicated that the rampart had originally been topped by a brick wall. The rampart enclosed what he described as “a vast space”, within which were traces of tanks then choked with earth and jungle growth, numerous brick plinths and stone platforms, and the brick foundations of what had evidently been an extensive building. Parts of the walls of this brick foundation remained standing to a height of three to five feet.^[33] Shakespear noted that the bricks were large, thick and nearly square, without visible marks or ornamentation.^[34] Formal excavations at Bhismaknagar were undertaken by the Research Department of NEFA between 1969 and 1972. The excavations exposed remains of the fortification and recovered pottery, terracotta objects, decorative tiles and inscribed bricks.^[35]

The fortifications and associated structures are largely composed of fired bricks, and the fortified city covers an area of approximately 10 km² (3.9 sq mi). Tada describes its overall plan as elongated and semi-circular, with the adjoining mountains contributing to its natural defence. A defensive rampart about 4.5 m (15 ft) high and 6 m (20 ft) wide extends for more than 5 km (3.1 mi), with occasional gaps.^[35][36]

Although only limited excavation has been carried out, preliminary investigations have revealed the presence of three tanks and two gateways located along the eastern and western sides of the fortification.^[37] At the centre of the fortified complex are the remains of a brick-built structure which Tada tentatively identified as part of a palace. Its plinth covers approximately 1,860.52 m² (20,026.5 sq ft) and the structure contains three halls, extension rooms and six entrances. A stone wall about 1.5 m (4.9 ft) high surrounds the building, while portions of its brick walls survive to a height of about 1 m (3.3 ft). The exterior base was formed with offset courses of brick, while the walls were laid almost directly upon the natural soil. Decorative tiles were fixed along the inner faces of the boundary walls, and no brick paving was observed on the floor. The material culture recovered from the site, including pottery, terracotta figurines, terracotta plaques, and decorative tiles, reflects the artistic and architectural traditions of the medieval period.^[35]

Two principal gateways survive on the eastern and western sides of the fortification. The western gateway is the larger of the two and contains two adjoining rooms, while the eastern gateway has one. Their entrances were arranged so that an initially straight approach was blocked and an entrant was required to turn left, producing an offset or bent passage through the gateway. Tada records the western gateway as facing north and the eastern gateway as facing south; both were already highly dilapidated when described.^[35]

Excavations at Bhismaknagar have also yielded kaolin pottery comparable to the "Ambari ware" found at a number of archaeological sites across the Brahmaputra valley. Archaeologist Sukanya Sharma interprets the regional occurrence of this ware as evidence of early cultural contact with China, suggesting that it reflects the movement of ceramic ideas from China by around the 10th century CE.^[38]

Archaeological finds

The pottery assemblage from Bhismaknagar was divided by Tada into two broad groups: vessels made from fine, well-levigated clay and those made from a coarser variety. The ceramics are predominantly red and wheel-turned, and include bowls, dishes, dish-on-stand vessels, spouted vessels, jars and decorative finials. Tada noted that the finer wheel-turned pottery shows close affinity with potsherds recovered from the Ambari site in Guwahati, dated to approximately the 10th–12th centuries CE.^[7]

Terracotta finds include representations of horses, elephants and tigers, plaques decorated with animal and floral designs, and roof tiles. Excavations also produced a number of decorated and inscribed brick tiles. Some depict pairs of fighting tigers, while others show two elephants facing one another or pairs of stylised lions. Several of the animal motifs are accompanied by inscriptions which Tada describes as being written in medieval Bengali-Assamese script and in the Sanskrit language. One inscription is read by him as Japattā Sri Sri Laksmi Narayanam.^[7] Subsequent exploration in the area also recovered an inscribed brick bearing a depiction of lions, a fragmentary representation of a tiger with prominent teeth, and a terracotta plaque depicting a deer.^[7] A number of terracotta sculptures from Bhismaknagar are preserved in the Assam State Museum. Tada records among them a standing male figure and a representation of a rowing scene, describing the latter type of sculptural representation as extremely rare in Northeast India.^[7]

Excavations at Bhismaknagar have also yielded kaolin pottery comparable to the "Ambari ware" found at a number of archaeological sites across the Brahmaputra valley. Archaeologist Sukanya Sharma interprets the regional occurrence of this ware as evidence of early cultural contact with China, suggesting that it reflects the movement of ceramic ideas from China by around the 10th century CE.^[39]

Tada interprets the planned architecture of the fortress and its pottery and terracotta assemblage as evidence of close cultural connections between Bhismaknagar and the wider Brahmaputra Valley.^[7]

Gallery

• 
  Museum text on Bhismaknagar
• 
  A section of the brick platform of Bhismaknagar.
• 
  Section of the fortified brick wall leading to the western gateway.
• 
  A section of the eastern brick gateway of the city.
• 
  A section of the western gateway with the upper damaged portion of the wall removed.
• 
  A section of the brick wall leading to the eastern gateway.
• 
  Archival photo of Eastern Gate of Bhismaknagar
• 
  Another section of the Western wall.
• 
  Archival photo of Western Gate of Bhismaknagar
• 
  The three compartments of the central building.
• 
  A separate structure inside the fortified walls.
• 
  Central platform of Bhismaknagar.
• 
  Western gateway with the upper damaged portions removed.
• 
  Potsherds found in Bhismaknagar.
• 
  A section of the central building of Bhismaknagar.
• 
  Mud pot with holes.
• 
  Terracota plate found in Bhismaknagar.
• 
  Brick of Bhismaknagar.
• 
  Section of the western brick wall.
• 
  A section of western wall in Bhismaknagar
• 
  Various artifacts found in Bhismaknagar.
• 
  A brick platform of Bhishmak Nagar temple in Arunachal Pradesh
• 
  A stack of bricks of Bhishmak Nagar ruins.

Notes

References

See also

• Rukmininagar Fort
• Barnagar, Sadiya
• Tamreswari Temple
• Padum Pukhuri
• Naksaparvat
• Sadiya
• Chutia kingdom
• Gomsi
• Ita Fort
• Ramghat-Tarasso Ruins