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Ita Fort in Itanagar town is an important historical site 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, dated to the 14th-15th century, is generally believed to have been built by the Chutia kings, who ruled the region during that period.[1] shape, built mainly with bricks dating back to the 14th-15th century. The total brickwork is of 16,200 cubic metre lengths. The architectural style of the walls of the fort, with a stone masonry base and layers of bricks on top of it,[2] is similar to the enclosure walls of Tamreswari Temple and Rukmini Nagar which are known to be built by Chutia kings. Archaeological finds from the site are on displayed at the Jawaharlal Nehru Museum, Itanagar.[citation needed]

History

The bricks used in the fort hint to its construction 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, indicate that the Chutia fortifications were spread till Biswanath.[3] The location of Ita fort well to the east of Buroi shows that the Ita fort was also one of the Chutia hill forts.[4]

The eastern gate of Itafort showing the stone masonry base with bricks on top, similar to the walls of Tamreswari temple and Rukmininagar of Sadiya.

Historical Claims and Interpretations

In 1941, D. N. Das, Political Officer of the former Balipara Frontier Tract, claimed in an article published in the Journal of the Assam Research Society that Ita Fort may have been the capital of a legendary ruler identified as Ramachandra or Mayamatta, referred to as Mayapur.[5]

However, this claim is questionable. The Assamese chronicle Adi Charita, dated to 1586 Saka (1664 CE), which is the source of the Ramachandra-Arimatta legend[6]—though itself considered dubious[7]—states that Ramachandra’s capital was located at Pratappura, from which he derived the epithet Pratappuriya. Pratappura has been identified by some scholars as being situated near Biswanath.[8] Additional evidence, such as the Uma-tumani rock inscription near Biswanath referring to a ruler as Pratapapuradhikari, has been interpreted to support the identification of Pratappura in that region[9]. Furthermore, traditions associated with Ramachandra’s son, Arimatta (also identified as Sansanka), place his domain in present-day Kamrup, Darrang and Sonitpur districts with capital at Baidargarh (Betna) and attribute to him the conquest of the Kamata kingdom.[10]

In light of these accounts, some scholars argue that the location of Ita Fort, far away from Biswanath or Pratappura, makes its association with the so-called Arimatta line unlikely. Moreover, the historicity of Ramachandra and Arimatta remains uncertain, as their existence and chronology are not supported by contemporary evidence.

  • A brick wall at the southern gate.
    A brick wall at the southern gate.
  • A granite stone carvings found in Ita fort depicting a lion, the symbol of the Chutia kingdom.
    A granite stone carvings found in Ita fort depicting a lion, the symbol of the Chutia kingdom.
  • Lion artwork from Ita fort. Lion was the emblem of the Chutia kingdom as found in Rukmini Nagar and Bhismaknagar.
    Lion artwork from Ita fort. Lion was the emblem of the Chutia kingdom as found in Rukmini Nagar and Bhismaknagar.

Notes

  1. ^ “Itanagar Capital Complex”. Arunachalpradesh.nic.in.
  2. ^ eastern gate the highest point of the fort is heavily damaged one. Built on stone masonry, this gate overlooks Doimukh in the Dikrong valley“(Tada 2011:119)
  3. ^ Barua, K.L An Early History of Kamrupa 1933, p. 271.
  4. ^ “Though the geographical extent of these rulers’ power is not yet known in detail, according to Neog, the present day North Lakhimpur district of Assam, which covers the find sites of most inscriptions, perhaps formed a part of their political dominion. If architectural continuity is admitted between the fortifications in the Sadiya region and the Burai river ruin site, it would be possible to believe that the kingdom of these rulers extended as far as the outer limit of Darrang district, in the westernmost extent of which Ahom conquerors settled the vanquished Chutiyas in the early part of the sixteenth century.” (Shin 2020:52–53)
  5. ^ (Neog 2008:57)
  6. ^ “It is supposed to have been written in 1586 saka (1664 AD)”(Neog 1980:29)
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ Journal of Asiatic Society of Bengal, p.190-191, Pratappura, capital city of Ramachandra was located near Biswanath, in the vicinity of Agnigarh.
  9. ^ The Uma-tumani Rock inscription has the word Pratapapuradhikari indicating Pratappura to be located nearby.
  10. ^ Gait, Edward, A History of Assam, p.18

References