09-30-2009, 12:02 AM
<b>Lost city could be Gujarat's womb: Archaeologists</b>
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->AHMEDABAD: Gujarat historians are thrilled at the<b> discovery of a four-km long fortification south-west of Taranga Hills, comprising Jogida,
Shamalia and Dhagolia, in Mehsana district</b>. It was discovered in May this year and kept a closely guarded secret by the state archaeology department. <b>They have all the reasons to believe that this could be the city of Anarthpura, the fabled land of warriors and the possible origin of Gujarat.
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It is sheer coincidence that the fortified city in Taranga is in Mehsana, 20 km from Vadnagar, from where Chief Minister Narendra Modi hails, and is estimated to date back to the third or fourth century BC. Early references of this city talk about Anartha, Anarthapura or the Giri Durga of Anartha.
One of the first archaeological records of the town Anartha (meaningless), is found in Junagadh rock inscription (150 AD) of Mahakshatrapa Rudradaman. In this inscription, the region of present north Gujarat has been referred to as Anartha. It was spread over an area more than that of Vadnagar and established as a well planned hill fort town from its beginning.
Another reference is the records by Maitraka rulers of Valabhi, dated between 505 AD and 648 AD, especially those of land grants to the Brahmins of Anarthapura and Anandapura simultaneously. Most of the scholars believed that both the terms were used for Vadnagar. James M Campbell in 1896 asserted that the oldest Puranic legend regarding Gujarat appears to be that of the holy king Anartha. The Mahabharata frequently refers Anartha and Anartaka.
"By the middle of the seventh century, Anarthpura was a forgotten name. This fact is also supported by the records of Huien Tsang who visited Anandapura (O-NAN-TO-PU-LO) in 641 AD. However, most of the scholars believed that the terms Anarthapura and Anandapura were used for Vadnagar. Therefore, in the light of the recent finding and the fort walls, the matter requires re-examination," said senior archaeologist of the state archaeology department YS Rawat.
"It is possible that the unconventional shape of the fort could have been responsible for naming the whole region as Anartha. Archaeological findings also reveal that it could have been then the only landmark in the whole of the north Gujarat. Vadnagar then could have been an ancillary settlement of it," said Rawat.
With the development of agriculture, trade and commerce, the small settlement of Vadnagar which was located in the plains of the north Gujarat prospered rapidly and ultimately transformed into a centre of greater socio-economic activities due to its geographical setting that was more suitable to meet the requirements of increased population. The ancient Anarthapura hill town seems to have been lost into oblivion.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->AHMEDABAD: Gujarat historians are thrilled at the<b> discovery of a four-km long fortification south-west of Taranga Hills, comprising Jogida,
Shamalia and Dhagolia, in Mehsana district</b>. It was discovered in May this year and kept a closely guarded secret by the state archaeology department. <b>They have all the reasons to believe that this could be the city of Anarthpura, the fabled land of warriors and the possible origin of Gujarat.
</b>
It is sheer coincidence that the fortified city in Taranga is in Mehsana, 20 km from Vadnagar, from where Chief Minister Narendra Modi hails, and is estimated to date back to the third or fourth century BC. Early references of this city talk about Anartha, Anarthapura or the Giri Durga of Anartha.
One of the first archaeological records of the town Anartha (meaningless), is found in Junagadh rock inscription (150 AD) of Mahakshatrapa Rudradaman. In this inscription, the region of present north Gujarat has been referred to as Anartha. It was spread over an area more than that of Vadnagar and established as a well planned hill fort town from its beginning.
Another reference is the records by Maitraka rulers of Valabhi, dated between 505 AD and 648 AD, especially those of land grants to the Brahmins of Anarthapura and Anandapura simultaneously. Most of the scholars believed that both the terms were used for Vadnagar. James M Campbell in 1896 asserted that the oldest Puranic legend regarding Gujarat appears to be that of the holy king Anartha. The Mahabharata frequently refers Anartha and Anartaka.
"By the middle of the seventh century, Anarthpura was a forgotten name. This fact is also supported by the records of Huien Tsang who visited Anandapura (O-NAN-TO-PU-LO) in 641 AD. However, most of the scholars believed that the terms Anarthapura and Anandapura were used for Vadnagar. Therefore, in the light of the recent finding and the fort walls, the matter requires re-examination," said senior archaeologist of the state archaeology department YS Rawat.
"It is possible that the unconventional shape of the fort could have been responsible for naming the whole region as Anartha. Archaeological findings also reveal that it could have been then the only landmark in the whole of the north Gujarat. Vadnagar then could have been an ancillary settlement of it," said Rawat.
With the development of agriculture, trade and commerce, the small settlement of Vadnagar which was located in the plains of the north Gujarat prospered rapidly and ultimately transformed into a centre of greater socio-economic activities due to its geographical setting that was more suitable to meet the requirements of increased population. The ancient Anarthapura hill town seems to have been lost into oblivion.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->