The location of mahastangath

The site is located about 8 miles to the north of the district town of Bagura. It is a large and rectangular fortified enclose on the west bank of the Karatoya river. It measures 5000 ft. from the north to the south 4500 ft. form the east to west and rises 15ft. high on the average from the level of the surrounding plain. At the corner bastoons the rampant rises to a height of 15ft. there are a few isolated mounds insides the area surrounded by the brick ramparts but the area as a whole has been reduced to agricultural fields. when Alexander Cunningham visited the site in 1779-80 he observed :The rampant generally are covered with rather thick jungle and so also are most of the brick mound but all the rest of the place has been cleared and divided into fields. Within a radius of five miles from Mahastangarh there are more than 30 mounds of various sizes. This feature lends a great interest to the site and as Nazimuddin Ahmed writes,'the present extent of its ruins with its suburbs is unparalleled by any other ancient site in Bengal. The Karatoy was once a major river. There is an early mediaeval text called the karatoya-mahatmyam of the greatness of the karatoy which sings the praises of the river and the sacredness of the site of Mahastangarh and its environs on its bank. The place is still held sacred by the Hindus and is visited by thousands planets known as the Narayani-yoga which occurs in the north of Pasha or December once in about twelve years And the fair is also held here every the last day of the Bengali year about the middle of April. On the eastern side the site was protected by the karatoya and on the other three sides by a moat the remains of which are still visible. The moat on the south is now known as the Baranari Khal that on the west as the Gilatola Khal and that on the north as the Kalidaba sagar the last being an offshoot of an extensive bill of that name khal in Bengali means a canal whatever bil denote a large swampy tract. There are traces of gateways of entrances on all side of the ramparts the main one is on the west and called the Tamrasvara or Tamba entrance probably of later date. There are at present three entrance on the eastern side The main one which is Known as the Dorab shah gate is almost at the southeast corner but at the southwest corner it salt inside the fortification at this spot.

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