Literary Source: Indigenous

Kaushambi was situated on the main route which joined it to Shravasti on the north and to Vidisha on south-west. According to Cunningham^[1] the ruins of Kaushambi consist of an immense fortress formed of earthen ramparts and bastions with a circuit of 23,100 ft. or exactly 4 miles and three furlongs. The ramparts have a general height of 30 to 35 ft above the fields, but the bastions are considerably higher: those on the north phase rising to upwards of 50 ft, while those at the South-West and South. East angles are more than 60 ft. Originally there were ditches, all around the fortress but at present there are only a few shallow hollows at the foot of the ramparts. The length of the north front is 4,500 ft, of the South front 6,000 ft, of the east 7,500 ft and of the west 5,100 ft or altogether 23,100 ft. The difference in length between the north and South front is due to the original extensions of the fortress on the river face; but the difference between east and west fronts is, as Cunningham believes chiefly, if not wholly, due to the loss of the south west angle of the ramparts by the gradual encroachment of the Yamuna.

There are no traces now left of the Western half of the ramparts on the southern face, and the houses of the village of Garhwa are standing on the very edge of the cliff overhanging the river.

The reach of the river also from the Pakka Burj at the south west angles of the fortress upto the hill of Pabhasa, a clear straight run of 4 miles, bears 20 degrees 10 the North of East, where as in the time of Huien-Tsang there were two stupas and a cave at a distance of 1½ miles to the south-west of Kaushambi. From all these concurring circumstances, Cunningham concludes that the west front of the fortress was originally, as nearly as possible of the same length as the east front.

This would add 2,400 ft or nearly half a mile to the length of the West front and would increase the whole circuit of the ramparts to 4 miles and 7 furlongs, which is within one furlong of the measurement of 5 miles or 30 recorded by Huien-Tsang.

The recent excavations at Kaushambi have revealed the extent of the old town.^[2] The city of Kaushambi was situated at the junction of highways running from north to south and from east to west. Traces of ancient habitation cover an area of about eight square miles, part of which was defended by a complex system of fortification. The mounds of the ancient ramparts, along with the surrounding moat form a semi-circle with the Yamuna. The ramparts have a peripheral circuit of approximately 4 miles. The average height of the rampart is about 35 ft, the individual towers being as high as 70 to 75 ft.

The three sides eastern, northern and Western of the rampart marked by a series of towers at regular intervals are pierced by gateways, five of which were principal ones. The remaining six were subsidiary gates.

The main gateways show some special features in their construction. The gateways situated at eastern and western sides respectively run parallel to the Yamuna, which cuts the ancient mound practically through the centre. Both these gateways are complex in their nature. The western one is situated at the apex of a triangle formed by the two salients into which the western side is divided, the southern one measuring 1,550 ft, the northern 1,950 ft and the base of this triangle being 2,550 ft. The moat in this area has a maximum width of 1,600 ft and is divided into two by two mounds situated on the base of the triangle at a distance of 540 ft. Evidently the two flanked the passage through the western gateway. Like the other principle gateways the two on the northern side are also provided with watch-towers situated on the other side of the moat having an average width of 2,50 ft. The rest of the six subsidiary gateways, two in each wine, had a simple plan.

The eastern gateway had a number of distinguishing features (1) Mud made dam like structure which served as a curtain for the gateway with a maximum length and width of 350 ft x 90 ft respectively. (2) A passage 25 ft wide between this Rund and rampart. (3) A tower measuring 140 x 90 ft situated on the other side of the moat at a distance of 275 ft from the terminus of the Bund (4) Two towers at the top of the rampart opposite the outer tower.

The maximum width of the moat in this area is 480 ft. A wall measuring 262 ft in length formed the northern flank of this complex.^[3]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

The ancient Geography of India. A. Cunningham, pp. 331 334

[2]:

G.R. Sharma, The Excavations at Kaushambi (1957-59) ch. 3, pp. 24

[3]:

G.R. Sharma: The Excavations at Kaushambi, (1957-59), p. 24-25.