Sisupalgarh....An ancient City larger than Athens located in Odisha 60 kms from Bhubneshwar around Dhaulgiri where the famous Battle of Kalinga was fought between the Mauryan Army lead by Ashoka which marched from Pataliputra (Patna) to capture Kalinga ( ancient name as mentioned in the Skanda Purana aka Udra Desh.
Take a look at the Iron ramparts in this picture.They are the last remains of the ancient fortified capital of Kalinga known as Sisupalgarh.This city dates back to 5th century BC according to Archaeologist Monica Smith) and it housed 20,000-25,000 people back then.The city was bigger than Athens. The pillars you see in this picture are a part of the outer fortification of the city.As such, Sisupalgarh was one of the largest cities of the ancient world.It was this city that Ashoka invaded during his Kalinga war. His inscription at Dhauli was found 6 KM from this place.However Sisupalgarh continued to thrive after the Kalinga war. The city remained settled until 4th century CE when it gradually began declining.
Source-Excavations at Sisupalgarh, 2008
R.K. Mohanty and Monica L. Smith
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