The Religious Background of Bhitargarh, Bangladesh

Abstract

Bhitargarh, literally the “inner fort,” is believed to be a ruined city of King Prithu. It is the largest fortified settlement in Bangladesh extending over an area of about 25 square kilometres and located at Amarkhana union under PanchagarhSadar police station in Panchagarh district, Bangladesh. Interestingly, the site is transnational because portions of its outer enclosure on the north and northern parts of west and east are in Jalpaiguri district, West Bengal, India. Archaeological investigation has revealed that the site is enclosed within four concentric quadrangles created with earthen as well as brick ramparts. All quadrangles are surrounded by moats. There are ten ancient tanks including MaharajarDighi on 53 acres of land. Excavations have unearthed foundations of eight structural remains within the site those are roughly dated between 6th and 10th century CE. Findings include various types of red and gray ware sherds, pots, lamps, small bowls, very few copper and iron objects and a few fragments of sculptures. This paper wishes to analyze the findings of Bhitargarh unearthed from 2008 to 2014 in relation to understanding the religious history of the site.