Chandraketugarh's massive archaeological wealth is buried under the ground and a visitor to the site gets to see very little. Most of the potentially archaelogically rich area of the site are already inhabited or cultivated. As far as I understood, only the rampart area and a narrow stretch of adjoining land still belongs to the ASI. Even if some day, the grossly ignored Chandraketugarh site gets lucky enough to be scheduled for a proper excavation, it will be a logistical nightmare because of the close adjacency of the human habitation. The area surrounding the present-day ramparts are those of typical Bengal. Lush green ricefields criss-crossed by low-height soft-mud separators (meant to contain the water), extend far away. In the following photographs you get a glimpse of Chandraketugarh (over-ground) and its surroundings. |
ASI trench from 1999 work |
Pathway on the dhibi |
Pathway on the dhibi |
Pathway on the dhibi |
Residue of ASI trench from 1999 work |
The buried "gateway" |
A new metal gate to "enter" Chandraketugarh |
Healthy paddy field |
Healthy paddy field, common local view |
Sowing |
Obliviously walking on the buried "gateway" |
Healthy paddy field |
New Addition! A new plaque describing Chandraketugarh |
Paddy field |
Mustard field |
Paddy field |
Ambarish Goswami
Last Revised April 13, 2005