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Chandraketugarh

Chandraketugarh
Khana-Mihir Mound - Berachampa 2012-02-24 2346.JPG
The mound of Khana-Mihir or Barahamihir on Prithiba road, Berachampa (Chandraketugarh ruins)
Chandraketugarh is located in West Bengal
Chandraketugarh
Shown within West Bengal
Location West Bengal, India
Coordinates 22°41′52″N 88°41′18″E / 22.69778°N 88.68833°E / 22.69778; 88.68833Coordinates: 22°41′52″N 88°41′18″E / 22.69778°N 88.68833°E / 22.69778; 88.68833
Type Settlement
History
Founded 400 BC to 800 BC
Abandoned 12th century AD

Chandraketugarh (Bengali : চন্দ্রকেতুগড়) is an archaeological site located beside the Bidyadhari river, about 35 km north-east of Kolkata, India, in the district of North 24 parganas, near the township of Berachampa and the Haroa Road railhead.

Years of excavation in 1957-68 (conducted by Asutosh Museum of Indian Art) have revealed relics of several historical periods, although the chronological classification of the relics remains incomplete.

The legend of Khana (A medieval Bengali language poet and legendary astrologer between the ninth and 12th centuries AD, also named Lilavati elsewhere) centers around her association with Chandraketugarh (here, a mound has been discovered amongst ruins with the names of Khana and Mihir associated with it) and that she was the daughter-in-law of the famous astronomer and mathematician, Varāhamihira (505 – 587), also called Varaha or Mihira, a jewel among Chandragupta II Vikramaditya's famed Navaratna sabha.

It is widely believed that Khana was Varahamihira's daughter-in-law, and an accomplished astrologer, becoming thereby a potential threat to Varahamihira's scientific career. However, she exceeded him in the accuracy of her predictions, and at some point, either her husband (or father-in-law) or a hired hand (or possibly Khana herself under great duress) cut off her tongue to silence her prodigious talent.

There is an another legend of King Chandraketu and Pir Gorachand (an Arab missionary named Syed Abbas Ali).

Chandraketugarh is thought to be a part of the ancient kingdom Gangaridai that was first described by Ptolemy. The history of Chandraketugarh dates back to almost the 3rd century BC, during the pre-Mauryan era. Artefacts suggest that the site was continuously inhabited and flourished through the Shunga-Kushana period, onwards through the Gupta period and finally into the Pala-Sena period. Archaeological studies suggest that Chandraketugarh was an important town and a port city. It had a high encircling wall complete with a rampart and moat. The residents were involved in various crafts and mercantile activities. Although the religious inclinations of the people are unclear, hints of the beginning of some future cults can be seen in the artefacts. Some of the potteries carry inscriptions in Kharoshthi and Brahmi scripts.


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