India is a hindu nation & there has been a lot of ancient heritages. India is a Oldest country In this article we will explain you about the What Made Ancient India Famous? There are many beautiful places in India that attract the visitors from the World.
The discussion of the development of forts
in ancient India is an ambitious endeavor. This period saw the rise and fall of
many kingdoms and dynasties in every nook and corner of the country. The forts
of the subcontinent during this period display great diversity and do not
follow a straight pattern of development. This period saw a synthesis of art
and architectural traditions that developed within the subcontinent as well as
those that traveled here with conquerors and adventurers from distant lands. The
purpose of this present essay is to provide a comprehensive overview of these
developments.
Forts are seen today as tangible reminders of the military might of kingdoms of the past. However, forts in India date back to a time when kingdoms and empires did not exist. The earliest fortifications were probably not even man-made. Natural features such as rivers, hills, and forests were used as lines of defense and places of defense. Some of the earliest evidence of fortifications built on the Indian subcontinent dates back to the Indus Valley Civilization. Excavations in the areas around the Indus River revealed the existence of a pre-Harappan phase with large fortified settlements. A remarkable level of specialization in crafts such as stone and metalworking was also achieved during this period.
Indus Valley Period
As soon as we come to the Indus Valley
period, we see very elaborate fortifications made of mud, burnt bricks, and
even stones. This period is rich in archaeological evidence which helps in
understanding its architectural heritage in depth. An important feature of
Indus Valley town planning was the division of settlements into two distinct
areas and It’s A Famous Place in the World. The Nagarkot
(citadel) and the lower town. The city of Mohenjodaro was also divided into
these two broad parts, and the Nagarkot (citadel) area was additionally
surrounded by a moat. Kot Diji (3300 BC) was a fortified site with a massive
wall made of limestone rubble and mud brick, and the settlement consisted of a
Nagarkot (citadel) complex and a lower residential area.
Kalibanga
(2920–2550 BCE) : Kalibanga was surrounded by massive fortifications made of mud-brick.
Stone was widely used in the construction of fortified walls in the rocky areas
of Kutch and Saurashtra. Dholavira in the Rann of Kutch was fortified with an
imposing wall made of rubble stone set in mud mortar.
This
massive fortification wall and the remains of stone pillars in the citadel are
very distinctive and are not seen at any other Harappan site. Many scholars do
not consider these constructions to have been built for a defensive function,
but consider them either as protective embankments against floods or as
structures built for social functions. However, the fortifications, especially
grand fortifications like Dholavira, cannot be ignored. Force and conflict
could not have been completely absent over such a large area over such a long
period of time, including the Indus Valley Civilization.
Vedic Period
Evidence from the Vedic period is found
more in the form of literature and less in the form of physical archaeological
evidence. The Rigveda mentions a famous Bharata king by the name of Divodas,
who defeated the Dasa ruler Shambar, who commanded several hill forts. It also
mentions the tribes living in the fortification called Pur. The Aitareya
Brahmana refers to the three sacrificial fires as three forts that prevent the
asuras (demons) from obstructing the sacrificial fire. Indra is referred to in
the Vedic literature as Purandara or the destroyer of forts.
Hahajanapad
It’s under the World Records The next archaeological
evidence for forts comes from India’s second urbanization period (6th century
BCE to 3rd century BCE) when urban life developed on a large scale in the
middle Ganges valley. This period also saw the rise of the Mahajanapadas or
sixteen republics, and these kingdoms were Anga, Avanti, Assaka, Chedi,
Gandhara, Kashi, Kamboja, Kosala, Kuru, Malla, Matsya, Magadha, Panchala,
Surasena, Vatsa, and Vrije. With the growth of powerful states, an environment of
constant warfare arose, and consequently the need to strengthen the security
and military power of those states. Rajgir, near Patna, is the site of the
ancient Rajagriha, the first capital of Magadha. There used to be two cities
here — the old Rajagriha and the new Rajagriha.
The old
Rajagriha was situated between five hills and was surrounded by two
fortification walls of stone. The new Rajagriha was also surrounded by stone
fortifications. The outer fortifications of the old Rajagriha belong to the time
of Bimbisara, i.e., 6th century BCE and the two walls around the new Rajagriha
belong to the time of Ajatashatru, i.e., 5th century BCE.
The
Buddhist text Mahaparinibbana Sutta (Mahaparinirvana Sutra) mentions that a
fort was built near the village of Patali under the orders of King Ajatashatru
of Rajagriha. It later emerged as the city of Pataliputra. The Magadha ruler
Udayin shifted his capital from Rajagriha to Pataliputra.
Anga’s
capital, ancient Champa (now known as Champapur and Champanagar villages in
south Bihar), was surrounded by fortifications and a moat. Kaushambi, the
capital of Vatsa, was also surrounded by an earthen fortification wall.
Ahichhatra, the capital of the Panchalas, was also a large fortified city.
Ujjayini (modern Ujjain) on the banks of the Kshipra (Sipra) river was the
capital of Avanti. The township was surrounded by a massive earthen
fortification wall as well as a moat.
In 326 BC, Alexander the Great reached the limits of Magadha. The Anabasis of Alexander, a history of Alexander’s campaigns written by Arrian around the 1st or 2nd century BCE, describes in detail Alexander’s Malla campaign (against the Maloi of the Punjab region, who are also known as Malwa). It talks about walled cities, which had very high bastions that were difficult to reach. The walls are said to have had minarets at regular intervals.
Mauryan Period
After the decline of the Nanda dynasty,
Chandragupta Maurya became the first king of the great Maurya dynasty (321 BCE)
with the help of his famous minister Kautilya. Kautilya’s political treatise,
the Arthashastra, is in fact one of the most important literary sources for
understanding the military institutions and fortifications of that period. The
concept of saptanga state given in it considers the state as consisting of
seven inter-related elements — swami (king), amatya (minister), janapada
(territory and people), danda (justice), durga (fortified capital), kosha (
Treasure), and Mitra (associate). Describing the fourth element i.e. Durg, he
has given detailed instructions for its construction.
They
recommend building earthen ramparts with brick or stone ramparts and suggest
that soldiers be stationed around the fort. The walls of the fort should be
surrounded by three moats (moats) filled with lotuses and crocodiles. The fort
must have a well-stocked food supply to last the end of the siege and must have
secret escape routes.
Kautilya also mentions different categories of forts: Dhanva Durga or desert fort; Mahi Durg or Mud Fort; Jal Durg or Water Fort; Giri Durg or hill fort; Van Durg or Forest Fort; A fort or male fortress guarded by loyal soldiers. The last Maurya king was overthrown by Pushyamitra Shunga, and he established the Shunga dynasty in 187 BCE. Fortifications belonging to the Shunga period were identified at Katragarh in the Muzaffarpur district of Bihar, which consisted of ramparts made of burnt brick walls with earthen interiors and moats.
India is famous for the impressive reign of powerful kings in the world, but there are also special Tourist places in India like Oldest Temples & many more which have been making the dignity of India even more beautiful.
Conclusion
India is famous all over the world for its antiquity & for thier kingdom. In this article, we have told you in details about What Made Ancient India Famous? and ancient rule of India, hope you have liked the given information.