History of Technology in India, Vol. I: From Antiquity to c. 1200 A.D. v1.c30.s3.31

v1.c30.s3.31

There are places like Rajgir, in Bihar, Śiśupālgarh in Orissa which have got an essentially military or defensive purpose. Rajgir or Rajagṛha or Girivraja was situated in a valley surrounded almost completely by hills and sometime in the sixth- fifth centuries BC a rubble wall of 'considerable height' running atop these hills was erected. Its circuit was twenty five miles. Nearer the township, clay and rubble ramparts were erected and the perimeter was five miles. This was in the 4th century BC. The site was deserted in the latter part of the century in favour of Pataliputra. (Ghosh, 1951, p. 66). Far more convincingly defensive or military in purpose was the site of Sisupalgarh (Fig. 6). It is a rough square on plan, each side approximately 1.40 km with a tower on each corner and two gates in each side. These were flanked by guardrooms. Somewhere in the third century BC this rampart of clay with a basal width of 110 feet and twenty five in height was erected. In the second phase of construction a 4'.6" thick covering of lateriate ‘gravel’ was added over the clay base, and subsequently a baked brick rivetment was provided on either side or face of the mud rampart. The fortification served the town for well over seven centuries, was kept in a constant state of repairs. The whole area was surrounded by natural streams ‘one of which was diverted for the purpose’ (Lal, 1949, pp. 62-78).