WikiBharat
Toggle Dark/Light/Auto modeToggle Dark/Light/Auto modeToggle Dark/Light/Auto modeBack to homepage

Pyramid in India

Pyramid in India

Image

We all know about the Great Pyramids of Ancient Egypt. How many of us know about the Great Pyramid of Ancient India?

Bareilly, formerly known as Ahichhatra was mentioned in Mahabharata as the capital of Draupada’s kingdom Panchala. It was later conquered by Arjuna and bestowed upon Drona. Drupada had to shift his capital to Kampilya in Southern Panchala. Ahicchatra was described as a great city Excavations in Bareilly have uncovered a giant ancient temple in form of a large pyramid. Even the ruin is 22 meters in height( for comparison, Kaaba is 13 m) and there is a Linga on top. The site is 187 hectares. By comparison, London of the Roman era was just 140 hectares.

If the brick temple ruin is so massive even after its destruction by Jihadi invaders in the 12th century, one could only imagine how gigantic the temple would have been in its heydays. Ahichhatra is probably the longest surviving site in India. Remains from the earliest layers in 2000 BC include ochre-colored pottery followed by Painted Grey Ware(PGW). The site survived for 3000 years until “iconoclastic tendencies” in the 12th century destroyed it. Many Hindu sculptures have been found at the site They are now in Museums around the world. There is a sculpture of Ganga standing on Makara. Another is of Lord Shiva in what seems to be a depiction of the Kiratarjuniya scene.

Source:

  1. https://trueindologytwitter.wordpress.com/2020/03/22/the-ahichhatra-excavation/
  2. Archaeological survey of India (ASI), excavations carried out in Ahichhatra (1940-1950)