Ita Fort: Difference between revisions

|builder =  [[Chutiya kingdom]]

'''Ita Fort''' in [[Itanagar]] town, is one of the most important historical sites in the state of [[Arunachal Pradesh]], [[India]]. The name literally means "Fort of bricks" (brick being called "Ita" in the [[Assamese language]]). It also lends its name to the city Itanagar, the capital of Arunachal Pradesh. The Ita Fort at Arunachal Pradesh is generally assumed to be built by the [[Chutiya kingdom|Chutia kings]] as early as the 14th or the 15th centur.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://arunachalpradesh.nic.in/tourism.htm |title=Tourism in Arunachal Pradesh |publisher=Arunachalpradesh.nic.in |access-date=2012-03-27 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120320144930/http://arunachalpradesh.nic.in/tourism.htm |archive-date=2012-03-20 }}</ref> The fort has an irregular shape, built mainly with bricks dating back to the 14th-15th Century. The total brickwork is of 16,200 cubic metre lengths which was probably built by kings of the [[Chutiya kingdom]] which ruled the region during that time. The fort has three different entrances at three different sides, which are western, the eastern and the southern sides.<ref>[https://itanagar.nic.in/tourist-place/ita-fort/ Itanagar Official website]</ref> The eastern gate shows the presence large blocks of sandstone at the foundation, on top of which bricks are placed<ref>Tage, Tada, ''Archaeological remains of Arunachal Pradesh up to 16th century'', p.119., "The eastern gate the highest point of the fort is heavily damaged one. Built on stone masonry, this gate overlooks [[Doimukh]] in the [[Dikrong River|Dikrong valley]].</ref> (similar to the walls of Tamreswari temple and Rukmini Nagar).  

The Ita Fort is thought to be one of the early forts which the  Chutia king Ratnadhwajpal initially built all around his kingdom from Biswanath till Disang.<ref>[https://books.google.co.in/books?id=Djx131iEeYkC Mignonette Momin, ''Society and Economy in North-East India'',p. 48]</ref> The bricks used in the fort hint to later repairs in the 14th-15th century. The ruins of a hill fort on the banks of the Buroi river bear the same builder's marks as the ones found in the ruins of the [[Tamreswari Temple]] near [[Sadiya]], which might indicate that the Chutia fortifications were spread till Biswanath.<ref>[https://archive.org/stream/EarlyHistoryOfKamarupa/Early-history-of-Kamarupa_djvu.txt Barua, K.L ''An Early History of Kamrupa'' 1933, p. 271.]</ref> The location of Ita fort well to the east of Buroi shows that  the Ita fort was also one of the Chutia hill forts.  

In the year 1941, the political officer of former Balipara frontier tract, Mr. D.N. Das, in an article published in the Journal of Assam Research Society, claimed the fort to be the capital of Ramachandra/Mayamatta Mayapur.<ref>[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.451495/page/n56/mode/1up Maheswar Neog, ''Pavitra Assam'', p. 57</ref> But, from the assamese chronicle Adi Charita<ref>Neog, Maheswar, ''Early History of the Vaishnavite Faith and Movement in Assam'', p. 29. It is supposed to have been written in 1586 saka (1664 AD)</ref> (which is itself dubious <ref> [[Maheswar Neog]] states that the Adi-cwita, ascribed to Madhavadeva, has created much ill feeling among the Vaisnavas of Assam, and has been denounced by the more considerate section of sattra pontiffs and literary men alike.</ref>), it is know that Ramachandra had his capital in Pratappura, due to which, he was known as Pratappuriya. Pratappura has been identified to be located near Biswanath.<ref>[https://archive.org/details/JournalOfTheAsiaticSocietyOfBengalVolIv1835/page/n237/mode/1up?q=Jitari Journal of Asiatic Society of Bengal, p.190-191, Pratappura, capital city of Ramachandra was located near Biswanath, in the vicinity of Agnigarh.]</ref> The Pratapgarh ruins may have formed the eastern borders of the kingdom as evident from the Uma-tumani island (near Biswanath) stone inscription which mentions the ruler as Pratapuradhikari.<ref>[http://dspace.nehu.ac.in/bitstream/1/9357/1/A%20new%20reading%20(N%20Gogoi).pdf The Uma-tumani Rock inscription has the word ''Pratapapuradhikari'' indicating Pratappura to be located nearby.]</ref> Further, it is also known that Ramachandra/Pratapuriya's son Arimatta had his kingdom in present day Kamrup, Darrang and Sonitpur districts with capital at Baidargarh (Betna) and annexed the Kamata kingdom by killing the Kamateswar Phengua.<ref>[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.45465/page/n38/mode/1up?q=Arimatta Gait, Edward, ''A History of Assam'', p.18]</ref> These might point that the Ita fort had nothing to do with Arimatta line of kings.