Location and Antiquity of Karna Suvarna

The name and location of Karna Suvarna slipped completely from the memory of people in spite of its having been a city of great importance in the ancient Bengal. That remained as such until the biography of the famous Chinese Buddhist pilgrim Hiuen Tsang and the Si-Yu-Ki (Description of Western countries) written by the pilgrim were translated into French by M. Stanislaus Julien and published respectively in 1853 and 1858. Publication of Bill’s translation of the Si-Yu-Ki into English in 1878 drew due attention to the accounts of the pilgrim. The pilgrim visited Karna Suvarna about 638 A.D during his stay in India from 629 to 645 A.D.

Two important clues were given in the accounts of the pilgrim to identify the geographical location of Karna Suvarna, the capital of the kingdom of the same name. One was that the capital was situated at a distance of 700 Li(about 140 miles) to the north-west of Tamralipti(modern Tamluk) and was 20 Li(about 4 miles) in circuit. The other one was that there was a splendid monastery by the side of the capital called Lo-to-wei-chi-song-Kia-lan, which was his phonetic rendering of the Sanskit words ‘Raktamrittika Sangharama’. All the men of the kingdom who were distinguished for their talents, their learning and their intelligence, used to assemble in that Buddhist monastery.

About 6 miles below Berhampore, the headquarters of the district of Murshidabad, there is a place called Rangamati (24-10’-1”N,85-13’11”E) on the right (west) bank of the Bhagirathi. Unlike the east bank, the west bank here rises into bluffs of red clay, 40 to 50 feet high, which for a few kilometers along the bank form the only elevated ground in the neighbourhood.

High lands, mounds and ruins abound at Rangamati. Old traditions, legends and remains point to its having been the site of an ancient city. Examining the area closely, Mr. H. Bevridge, the District Judge of Murshidabad and historian, identified Rangamati with the ancient city of Karna Suvarna in 1893. He suggested excavation at the highest mound of the place, locally called Rakhshasidanga(the Devil’s mound), 25’ feet high above the field-level and about 700 feet round, in
order to determine its identity with that illustrious Sangharama. But excavation at that mound by the Archaeological Survey of India in 1929 unearthed at a depth of 12 to 13 feet from the top, the floor of a Buddhist monastery of sixth to seventh century A.D.

Excavation in 1962 under the leadership of Dr. S.R.Das of the University of Calcutta at Rajbadidanga(the Palace-mound), which was believed to have been the palace-complex of some mythical kings, unearthed structural remains of uniform patterns and sequences. Those manifested 5 distinct phases of construction of 3 cultre periods (Pre-Gupta, Gupta and Post-Gupta) dating from the second-third century A.D to the twelfth-thirteenth century A.D. Construction of each phase was done over the remains of the preceding one. The third phase from the bottom, which belonged to the fifth-sixth century A.D to the seventh-eighth century A.D, was identified with that famous Sangharama (Mahavihara) on the strength of the legends of the inscribed seals and sealings which were found therein. Conflagration caused destruction of the structure of this phase, which is evident from the existence of a large burnt granary containing solid deposition of burnt rice of many varieties and wheat. The Radio Carbon analysis of the burnt grains showed that the burning had
occurred 1200_+ 80 years ago.

The inscribed seals, which were found, pertained to the period ranging from the
fifth-sixth century A.D to the nineth-tenth century A.D. Structure of the fourth phase from the bottom was therefore related with that Mahavihara, which evidently maintained its existence even in the tenth century A.D. It is obvious that the Mahavihara was founded by the emperors of the Gupta dynasty and was patronized by them for about 200 years and thereafter it was rebuilt and patronized by the emperors of the Pala dynasty.

Further excavations in 1964 and 1979 at Rajbadidanga near the south-western and
south-eastern corners of the Mahavihara unearthed remains of an earlier vihara of the second-third century A.D and a large Buddhist temple of the sixth-seventh century A.D and some other temples constructed during the reign of the Pala dynasty. Whether the Buddhist establishments were patronized by the Sena dynasty or not, those continued to maintain their existence till the thirteenth century A.D.

First reference to Raktamrittika was found in the legends of the inscriptions made on a slate-stone plate, which was carried to Malaya Peninsula about 400 A.D. There is a beautifully carved Buddhist stupa in the middle of the plate with the inscriptions of a Buddhist Sutra. The legend of the inscriptions on the right side of the plate indicates that the master-mariner Buddhagupta was a native of Raktamrittika and that on the left was about the blessings of the monks of a Buddhist monastery for his safe journey and success.

There are several places in undivided Bengal and Lower Assam which are called Rangamati owing to the occurrence of the red laterile soil there. But at no other place but this one there were Buddhist monasteries in the past. The name of the master-mariner indicates that he belonged to this region. It may therefore be said with certainty that he was a native of this Rangamati. A gold coin bearing inscription of the name of one Ravigupta and a silver coin bearing the inscription of ‘Jayamaharaja’ have been found at Rangamati. That Ravigupta was a local ruler under the Imperial Gupta’s may be ascertained from the fact that no such coins were issued during the reign of the Palas and the Senas. It was out of the question for a local ruler belonging to the Hindu community, when Bengal was under the Muslim rule, to issue such coins. Only the Governors of the provinces called ‘Bhukti’ were empowered to issue such gold and silver coins under the rule of the Imperial Guptas.

Rangamati continued to maintain its importance as an administrative centre till the sixteenth century A.D. The place then got depopulated owing to some natural causes. Even then it maintained its entity as an important centre for production of silk. That was why its name appeared in the map of Van Den Broucke (1660 A.D) and also in the map of ‘Cossimbazar Island’ drawn by Major Rennell about 1765 A.D. The British East India Company had a large silk filature here in the eighteenth century A.D at the spot which is known as Reshamkuthidanga.

Rangamati is now called Karna Suvarna and consists of several villages, most of which have been built on old settlement sites. It is bounded on the east by the bluffs on the west bank of the Bhagirathi. It is bounded on the west by the Babla and Banki rivers . The medium-sized torrential river Dwarka coming from the west has taken a turn at right angles and flows southwards under the name of the Babla and falls into the Bhagirathi about 20 miles below. The Banki Nala originating from the Telkar bill(lake), lying about 6 miles to the north, joins the Dwarka at the bend. When the Bhagirathi level is high, the water is headed back through the Babla, which flows out again when the Bhagirathi level falls. Disparity between the level of the two hardly exists in other seasons. Barring the elevated spots on the west, the level of the remaining area of Rangamati almost conforms to that of the bank of the Babla-Banki. Under such conditions, it is impossible to believe that flood-water could have ever overflowed the west bank of the Bhagirathi. Inundation of the Rajbadidanga by flood-water should be outright set aside.

The aforesaid map of Major Rennell shows connection between the Bhagirathi and the Telkar bill as well as a peculiar course of the Bhagirathi below the then city of Murshidabad (modern Lalbag)and above Berhampore. That peculiarity in the course caused natural flow of part of the water of the river by Banki-Babla route. The bill is now about 8 square miles in area, though formerly it was much larger and deeper. Sedimentation of the Ganjetic silt for a long time has brought about its reduction in area and depth. There was another connection with the bill from above Lalbag, the last part of which is now known as the Jhunka Nadi or the Jhunjhum Nadi. The latter course has been shown as the old course of the Ganjes in the Map No. 1 of the Volume –II of the “Rivers of Bengal.” Water of the Bhagirathi having been divided, there was hardly any possibility of flood on either side of Rangamati.

The top layer of soil of Rangamati is highly impervious. That layer being very thick, the sub-soil water-level is very low. There are many dried up large and small tanks here, which serve as reservoir of rain-water only. There was acute scarcity of water until the tube-wells were sunk. The west bank being very high, there was no possibility of getting water from the Bhagirathi even in the rainy season. A well dug from the top of the mound of the Rajbadidanga could not be made deep enough to reach the subsoil water-level. But skeleton of a well has recently been unearthed by
the A.S.I at the spot where once the silk filature stood.

According to the accounts of Hiuen Tsang, Karna Suvarna was a thickly populated city. There were 10 monastries of the Sammatiya school with about 2000 monks and 3 monastries of the Devadatta school and 50 Deva temples within the limits of Rangamati. Wells and tanks were the major source of water there to sustain the inhabitants of the city and the monasteries. In the Radah tract there is underground flow of water through the oblique pervious strata with the slope from the north-west to the south-east. The underlying portion of that red bluff acts as a barrier to that flow and causes accumulation of ground water at Rangamati. Water being under pressure, perpendicular boring into that strata through the overlying impervious strata caused water come to the surface through the wells. Tanks were fed by the underground water by digging wells from the bottom of the tanks. Shortfall in the supply of water into the pervious strata was made good by the perennial flow of water of the Bhagirathi by the Banki-Babla channel. Depopulation occurred at the fag end of the sixteenth century A.D, when the Bhagirathi lost its perenniality. Eastward flow of the Ganges under the name of The Padma reduced the Bhagirathi to a spill channel. Since then the Bhagirathi used to remain dry from October to May. Now no connection exists between the Bhagirathi and the Telkar bill. In order to avoid the loop the Bhagirathi was straightened in 1813 between Lalbagh and Berhampore.

In no ancient text and literature the name of Karna Suvarna has been found. The name appears in the ‘Bappaghosbata’ copper-plate inscriptions of Jayanaga, in the ‘Nidhanpur’ copper-plate inscriptions of Bhaskaravarmana of Kamrupa and in the accounts of the pilgrim only, which evince that the name was in vogue in the sixth and seventh centuries A.D. The capital city had to exist within the bounds of Rangamati. There were two conditions which were required to be fulfilled for setting up Buddhist monasteries, namely, proximity to a habitation where the monks could go on their begging rounds and at the same time seclusion for meditation. Over and above those two, proximity to a river was generally necessary. Existence of the city to the west of that Mahavihara and on the bank of the Banki-Babla is governed by logic. There was possibility of getting more water at the western part of Rangamati. Habitation on a large scale was not feasible on the west bank of the Bhagirathi.

Strategically Rangamati was an ideal place for setting up a capital in the ancient days. The land is high and not subject to waterlogging or inundation. It is large enough to accommodate the requirements of an ancient capital. Communication with all parts of Bengal and Upper India by land or water routes was possible. Scarcity of water and vulnerability to aggression from the west were the major problems, which were very cleverly overcome by diverting a portion of the water of the Bhagirathi, taking the advantage of the location of two large lakes, locally called Hijol bill and Telkar bill. The former, which is situated on the right of both the Dwarka and Babla rivers, is about four times as large as the latter in area at present. It was expedient to keep major portion of the naval battle-crafts in those two lakes.

The Chinese pilgrim described the kingdom of Karna Suvarna as a moist low-lying land under regular cultivation. It bore flowers and fruits in abundance. According to Sir Willam Wilcocks. It was the system of ‘over-flow irrigation’, evolved by the rulers of ancient Bengal some 3000 years ago, which insured health and wealth to Bengal for hundreds of years. Many over-flow canals were taken out from the Damodar,Ajay and Mayurakshi rivers. Those wee made wide and shallow to carry the beneficial muddy surface water of the rivers and leave out the bottom sandy water. That system also caused the feeding of the subsoil water supplies of the country. The ancients by increasing the supplies of muddy water, steadily improved the lands as time went on, and at the same time decreased the danger of an inundation. Some of those canals still exist in the form of kana Nadi, Kuni Nadi and Nullah. The Chinese pilgrim was fortunate enough to observe the handiwork of the ancient Irrigation Engineers of Bengal.

It is a matter of conjecture, but not a fact from the historical point of view, that flourishing of karna Suvarna took place under the rule of Sasanka. He is held in high esteem looking upon him as a man born is Bengal. He is belived to have reigned from 600 to 637 A.D over Magadah, Gauda and Utkala as a sovereign monarch. But there is enough room for doubt as regards his connection with Karna Suvarna uptil now. Early and last parts of his life are not known as yet.

As per the Ganjam copper-plate inscriptions, part of modern Orissa upto Ganjam was under his rule in 619 A.D. The south-western part of modern West Bengal was under his rule in 629 A.D as per the Medinipore copper-plate inscriptions. As per the inscribed seal on the mountain-surface of Rohitagiri in the district of Sahabad in Bihar, discovered by Mr.Beglar in 1878,Sasanka was a ‘Mahasamanta’(a man not belonging to a dynasty, but appointed as Governor of a remote province of a kingdom). If he had sovereignty over Magadah, that seal would not have been left as such. His connection with the University of Nalanda has not yet been established, whereas his so-called principal enemy Harshavardhana built a large temple there and patronized the University by remitting in its favour the revenue of one hundred villages.

The facts remain that Harshavardhan had close relationship with the Late Guptas and that his cousins had to take shelter at Thaneswara due to adverse situation at Magadha, when his father Pravakarvardhana was alive. Sasanka must have been a strong and reliable person and close to the Guptas. He was appointed to that post after Harshavardhana established his superiority over North India. After normalcy was restored at Magadha, Sasanka was assigned the power to govern Dandabhukti and Utkala, over which the late Guptas had hardly any control. Gold coins issued by Sasanka had identicalness with those of the Guptas. That the earlier Guptas had sovereignty over Utkala may be borne out from the facts that the great Ratnagiri Mahavihara, situated about 32 miles to the south-west of Cuttack, was founded by Narasimhagupta Baladitya and that some of the images of the famous Udayagiri bear the stamp of the Late Gupta tradition.

In Banavatta’s ‘Harshcharita’, in the accounts of the pilgrim and in the
rock-inscriptions of Harshavardhana, no mention of Sasanka has been made as the killer of Rajyavardhana. Had he been the killer, he would have been let off under no circumstances. No mention of Sasanka’s having joined battle with Harshavardhana has been made by both Banabhatta and Hiuen Tsang.

In one manuscript of “Harshacharita’ the killer has been referred to as ‘the king of Gauda’ and in the accounts as ‘the king of Karna Suvarna’. It therefore comes out that the kingdom of Gauda was identical with the kingdom of karna Suvarna and the city of Karna Suvarna was the capital of Gauda at that time. In another manuscript of Harshacharita the killer has been named as Narendragupta. Gold coins issued by that fellow have been found in Bengal. It should not be ruled out that he belonged to the Late Gupta dynasty and was appointed as the Uprika(Governor) of
‘Vardhamana Bhukti’(Gauda). It was possible for him to lure or persuade Rajyavardhana to come to his fold.

Noticing a layer of Ganjetic silty sand underneath the floor and platform of the phase II structures, it occurred to Dr. Das that the inundation of the site by the flood-water of the Bhagirathi had caused the deposit of that material. In the event of that type of flood occurring, the entire kingdom of Karna Suvarna would have been under 60 feet of flood-water at the least. Laying a layer of sand is, in fact, an ordinary matter of Civil Engineering. On seeing the dried up tanks and ponds in the locality and hearing about the erosion of the west bank of the Bhagirathi and thinking about the inundation of the site, he not only fixed the location of the metropolis on that bank, but got that eroded away by the flood-water of the river as well. By which side of the metropolis that famous Sangharama was situated has not been stated in the accounts of the Pilgrim. There was hardly any need for making haste to go in for the location of the metropolis.

Antiquity of Karna Suvarna may be traced back to the beginning of the Christian era on the basis of the archaeological finds at Rajbadidanga. The remains of the structure, which was unearthed at the Devil’s mound, was built upon the ruins of a previous structure. Initially all the elevated spots were not as high as those are now, which have gained so much height as a sequel to the successive rebuilding over the remains of the preceding ones. The pilgrim found there 4 Stupas built by Emperor Asoka(272-235 B.C), one of which was near that illustrious Sangharama. The Buddhist were under the convention of representing Buddha by the symbols like wheel, foot-print and stupa at the time when Asoka reigned. Stupas were built in order that the Buddhist could worship and offer prayer to Buddha in large number. So many stupas would not have been built unless the place was well populated in the third century B.C. According to the accounts of the Greek historian Diodorus Siculus, who lived in the second half of the first century B.C, the Ganjes formed the eastern boundary of ‘Gangaridai’ before it emptied its water into the ocean. That kingdom possessed the greatest number of elephants and the largest in size. The portion of West Bengal lying to the west of the Bhagirathi is known as Radah since the time of Mahavira Jaina. The portion ‘ridai’ of ‘Gangaridai’ may be taken as the corruption of Radha. The place might have been the capital of a powerful kingdom at the dawn of history in India. According to Hiuen Tsang,the Stupas were built at those spots where Gautama Buddha had preached his religion. It has been stated in the ancient
literature that the tract of Radah was known as ‘Sumha’ formerly. Mention of ‘Sumha’ has been made at least twice in the ‘Mahabharata’. The antiquity of Karna Suvarna may be pushed back to the tenth century B.C. only a fraction of its glorious past has been brought to light.

References :


1. Gazetter of Murshidabad (1914) – By L.S.S O’Malley.
2. Rivers of Bengal ( Vol. I ) – Publication of W.B.D.G, Govt. of W.B.
3. Buddhist Monuments – By Debala Mitra.
4. Rajbadidanga : 1962 – By Sudhir Ranjan Das.
5. Karna Suvarna and Manipal – By Bijoy Kumar Bannerji.