MAHASTHANGARH IN BOGURA

Commercial urban centre dating 2,500 years back unearthed

OUR CORRESPONDENT | Published: April 11, 2026 21:42:21

BOGURA, Apr 11: Archaeologists excavating the ancient site of Mahasthangarh in Bogura have uncovered evidence of a commercial urban centre dating back around 2,500 years, reinforcing the site's status as one of South Asia's earliest and most enduring centres of trade, administration and culture.
The discovery was made during the latest Bangladesh-France joint archaeological excavation, which ran from mid-November to mid-December last year, marking the 33rd excavation season at the site. Artifacts recovered span a wide historical range - from the Mauryan period in the third century BCE through the Gupta and Pala eras to the Muslim Sultanate period - highlighting Mahasthangarh's long continuity as a settlement.
Mahasthangarh of Shibganj is widely identified as the ancient city of Pundranagar, the capital of Pundravardhana, one of the earliest political and administrative units of Bengal. The site was first visited by British surveyor Buchanan Hamilton in 1808 and formally identified as Pundravardhana's capital by Alexander Cunningham in 1879. He first identified it by seeing a "mound" there.
The total area excavated so far is around one and 1.5 square kilometers needing at least two days to visit extensively.
However, this year's excavation focused on five locations at Bairagir Bhita, in the northern part of the fortified city.
Three sites were excavated by the French team, while two were handled by Bangladesh's Department of Archaeology.
Archaeologists told the FE that the newly excavated area was likely a commercial or food supply centre. That conclusion is based on the discovery of eight wells within a compact zone, along with large quantities of pottery, pottery fragments and a massive earthen storage jar, or "mutka".
"The density of wells and storage vessels strongly suggests organised economic activity," said Ms. Razia Sultana, custodian of the Mahasthan Museum and a member of the excavation team.
"This was not a residential pocket alone - it was linked to trade, provisioning or market functions."
Among the most significant finds is a brick-lined well, the first of its kind ever discovered at Mahasthangarh. Excavated to a depth of around six feet, the structure revealed 46 courses of brick masonry. Archaeologists date the well to the seventh or eighth century CE, during the Paul period, indicating the use of advanced water-management systems around 1,300 years ago.
The other seven wells found this season are shallow wells from the same period, suggesting sustained settlement and infrastructure development.
More striking, however, are the older layers beneath.
Architectural remains and the presence of Northern Black Polished Ware (NBPW) - a hallmark of early urbanisation in the Indian subcontinent - point to occupation during the Mauryan era in the third century BCE.
The Mauryan empire was the first and one of the largest pan Indian empires, unifying nearly entire subcontinent from Afghanistan to Bangladesh.
"These findings confirm that Mahasthangarh was already a functioning urban and commercial centre around 2,500 years ago," said Dr. Ahmed Abdullah, assistant director of the Department of Archaeology.
Mr. Abdullah said the city was built on a naturally elevated tract of about 1.5 square kilometres, strategically positioned with riverine connections - particularly to the Karatoya River- making it a powerful administrative and trading hub of northern Bengal.
"The northern section of the fortified city appears to have functioned as a combined religious and commercial zone," he said. "Markets and monastery-linked residential areas gradually developed to the south."
The joint excavation was led on the French side by Colin Lefranc, alongside Elbo François and Antoine.
The Bangladeshi team was headed by A K M Saifur Rahman, regional director of the Department of Archaeology for Rajshahi and Rangpur divisions.
Mr. Rahman said ancient Pundranagar was a major port city and commercial centre during the Mauryan and Gupta periods, exporting fine muslin and silk textiles, precious stones, ornaments and high-quality pottery.
Mahasthangarh's archaeological wealth has accumulated through more than a century of excavation.
Large-scale digs began in the 1920s under the Archaeological Survey of India, with major campaigns at Bairagir Bhita, Govinda Bhita and Munir Ghon Bastion.
Further excavations followed in the 1930s and 1960s.
In 1992, Bangladesh and France signed a cultural exchange agreement that paved the way for systematic joint excavations from 1993 onward.
Subsequent collaborations have also involved China, Japan and India.
Over the decades, archaeologists have uncovered seals bearing ancient Brahmi inscriptions, Buddhist monasteries, temples, terracotta plaques, silver coins, bronze and stone sculptures, and the remains of ancient residential complexes.
Officials say no complete inventory exists, and the monetary value of the finds cannot be estimated.
The scale of the site was underscored earlier this month at a two-day international
conference titled History and Heritage of Bogura District, attended by nearly 200 historians and scholars. More than 70 research papers were presented.
Summarising the conference, Mahbubur Rahman, former mayor of Bogura and a leader of the Bogura History Research Council, said Mahasthangarh's archaeological footprint extends far beyond the fortified city.
"Even a hundred years of excavation would not be enough to document everything,"
he said.
"This was once the capital of ancient Bengal, and its cultural landscape stretches across multiple upazilas."
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