Davidwez at 09:18, 6 April 2026

2026-04-06T09:18:12Z

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{{Short description|Archaeological site in Bihar, India}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=December 2018}}
{{Infobox ancient site
| name = Balirajgarh
| native_name =
| alternate_name = Pachrukhi Garh
| image =
| caption =
| map_type =
| map_alt =
| relief =
| coordinates = {{Coord|26.4594651|N|86.3230140|E|}}
| region = [[Madhubani district]], [[Bihar]], [[India]]
| type = Fortification
| part_of =
| length =
| width =
| area =
| height =
| builder =
| material =
| built = c. 2nd century BCE and possibly earlier
| abandoned =
| epochs =
| cultures = [[Iron Age India]]
| dependency_of =
| occupants =
| event =
| discovered = 1884
| excavations = *1962-1963
*1972-73
*1974-75
*2013-2014
*2026 (ongoing)
| archaeologists =
| condition = In ruins
| ownership =
| management =
| public_access =
| website =
| notes = Discovered by [[George Abraham Grierson]]
| architectural_details = Ruins of fortress
| designation1 = Monuments of National Importance
| designation1_offname = Raja Bali ka Garh
| designation1_type = Remains of Ancient Fort of Garh
| designation1_number = N-BR-33
| designation1_free1name =
}}
'''Balirajgarh''' is an archaeological site within [[Madhubani district]] of [[Bihar]], [[India]]. The site is 1 square km and houses an ancient fortification dating back to c. 200 BCE during the period of the [[Shunga Empire]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Nath Prasad |first1=Birendra |title=Archaeology of Religion in South Asia: Buddhist, Brahmanical and Jaina Religious Centres in Bihar and Bengal, c. AD 600–1200 |date=2021 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9781000416732 |page=658 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QEkgEAAAQBAJ&q=birendra+nath+prasad}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Raymond Allchin |first1=Frank |title=The Archaeology of Early Historic South Asia: The Emergence of Cities and States |date=1995 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=9780521376952 |page=301 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Q5kI02_zW70C&q=balirajgarh}}</ref> It is possible the site is pre-[[Maurya Empire|Mauryan]] in origin<ref>{{cite book |last1=Olivelle |first1=Patrick |title=Between the Empires: Society in India 300 BCE to 400 CE |date=2006 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=9780199775071 |page=16 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=efaOR_-YsIcC&dq=balirajgarh&pg=PA16}}</ref> and the [[Cambridge University ]] archaeologist, [[Dilip Kumar Chakrabarti]], believes Balirajgarh to be the site of [[Mithila (ancient city)|Mithila]], the capital of the [[Iron Age]] [[Videha]] tribe.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Chakrabarti |first1=Dilip |title=Archaeological Geography of the Ganga Plain: The Upper Ganga (Oudh, Rohilkhand, and the Doab) |date=2007 |publisher=Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers |isbn=9788121511858 |page=202 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aJAMAQAAMAAJ&q=balirajgarh+videha}}</ref> The site of the Balirajgarh fort was first identified in 1884 by [[George Abraham Grierson]], the then Madhubani sub divisional magistrate.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |date=2026-02-27 |title=ASI approves excavation at ancient Balirajgarh fort in Madhubani |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/patna/asi-approves-excavation-at-ancient-balirajgarh-fort-in-madhubani/articleshow/128862092.cms |access-date=2026-03-01 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257}}</ref>

== Description ==
The ruins of the Balirajgarh fort is spread over 176 acres of land. It is located at the [[Balirajpur]] village of the Bhupatti panchayat in [[Babubarhi Assembly constituency|Babubarhi]] block of the Madhubani district in the Mithila region of Bihar. It is one of the 71 centrally protected sites of national importance in the state of Bihar in India under the Patna circle of ASI.<ref name=":0" /> Several scholars believe that the site of Balirajgarh fort is the remains and ruins of the Mithila’s early urban civilisation. It is officially listed as "Remains of Ancient Fort of Garh, locally known as Raja Bali Ka Garh, at Balirajgarh".<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=2026-03-01 |title=Search for early Mithila civilisation: ASI gives fresh nod to excavation at ancient Balirajgarh site |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/others/search-for-early-mithila-civilisation-asi-gives-fresh-nod-to-excavation-at-ancient-balirajgarh-site-101772367868315.html |access-date=2026-03-01 |website=Hindustan Times |language=en}}</ref> It is also known as ''Pachrukhi Garh'' in the official record.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Protected Monuments in Bihar |url=https://www.pib.gov.in/newsite/erelcontent.aspx?relid=76470&reg=3&lang=2 |website=Press Information Bureau, Government of India}}</ref>

In the campus of the protected site, there are over 20 mounds. On these mounds cattle and pigs come to graze grasses. On one mound, every year an annual fair of ''Chaiety Mela'' ([[Chaitra]] [[Navaratri|Navratri]]) is organised by the villagers, where thousands of people come to visit the fair. There is a lone pond in the middle of the campus which has never ever gone dry.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Tewary |first=Amarnath |date=2026-03-12 |title=Behind the crumbling walls of Bihar’s Balirajgarh Fort, a tale of monumental neglect |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/bihar/behind-the-crumbling-walls-of-bihars-balirajgarh-fort-a-tale-of-monumental-neglect/article70736677.ece |access-date=2026-03-16 |work=The Hindu |language=en-IN |issn=0971-751X}}</ref>

According to the archeologist ''Dr Phanikant Mishra'' of the ASI, remains of a temple was also found here during the previous excavations of the site.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2026-03-13 |title=Balirajgarh excavation can uncover 2,000-year-old roots: ASI expert |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/patna-news/balirajgarh-excavation-has-can-uncover-2-000-year-old-roots-asi-expert-101773406510921.html |access-date=2026-03-16 |website=Hindustan Times |language=en}}</ref>

== Excavations ==
Following excavations of the site in 1962/63, the defensive walls were described as:<ref>{{cite book |last1=Chakrabarti |first1=Dilip |title=The Archaeology of Ancient Indian Cities |date=1995 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=9780195634723 |page=206 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HCJuAAAAMAAJ&q=balirajgarh}}</ref>

{{blockquote|''consisting of a mudbrick core with brick encasement, the outer one being four times the width of the inner. The wall was battered and measured 5.18m at the base and 3.65m at the top. Three phases of construction including repairs were recognized. The earlies phase consisted of mudbrick core with battered brick revetments, of which the outer had approximately three times the width of the inner. In the second phase, a brick-concrete ramp was built against the inner face. The third phase witnessed further reinforcement of the ramp in the shape of a 3m high platform of earth mixed with potsherds, built against the inner face of the fortifications.''|author=|title=|source=}}

In 1938, the [[Archaeological Survey of India|Archeological Survey of India]] declared the ancient site of Balirajgarh as a site of national importance under the [[Ancient Monuments Preservation Act 1904]]. In the excavations done here in five phases, three thousand years old material was found.<ref>{{Cite web |title=माता सीता के साथ, इन स्थानों के लिए भी फेमस है मिथिला क्षेत्र |url=https://navbharattimes.indiatimes.com/photomazza/travel/top-10-tourist-places-in-mithila-region-north-bihar/photoshow/71124152.cms |access-date=2024-01-27 |website=Navbharat Times |language=hi}}</ref> The first excavation of the site was conducted in 1962-1963 by the Archeological Survey of India. The second and third excavations was conducted by the Directorate of Archaeology and Museums, Government of Bihar, in 1972-73 and 1974-75.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Loksabha Question: Excavation at Balirajgarh Fort in Madhubani Bihar asked by Yadav Shri Devendra Prasad {{!}} Data is information |url=https://datais.info/loksabha/question/a38b57cdd833f58df6aa6202dbcd840d/EXCAVATION-AT-BALIRAJGARH-FORT-IN-MADHUBANI-BIHAR/ |access-date=2022-05-08 |website=Data is Info |language=en}}</ref> In 2013-2014, Archeological Survey of India, Bihar circle again started the excavation of the site but due to the negligence of the government no proper results were there.<ref>{{Cite web |title=बलिराजगढ़ की खुदाई को जिला प्रशासन गंभीर |url=https://www.jagran.com/bihar/madhubani-district-administration-severe-to-dig-the-balirajgarh-17448907.html |access-date=2022-05-09 |website=Dainik Jagran |language=hi}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=June 24, 2014 |first=Pranava K. |last=Chaudhary |title=Over 400 antiquities found in Balirajgarh |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/patna/over-400-antiquities-found-in-balirajgarh/articleshow/37103387.cms |access-date=2022-05-09 |website=The Times of India |language=en}}</ref> In 2015 Chief Minister [[Nitish Kumar]] of [[Government of Bihar|Bihar Government]] criticized ASI ([[Archeological Survey of India]]) for slow and neglected attitude towards the Balirajgarh fort excavation.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=ASI defers licence, digs hang in balance |url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/asi-defers-licence-digs-hang-in-balance/cid/1477212 |access-date=2024-01-27 |website=www.telegraphindia.com |language=en}}</ref>

=== 2026 ===
On 26 February 2026, the headquarter of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in [[New Delhi]], granted fresh approval for excavation at the ancient site of the Balirajgarh fort. The major objective of the proposed excavation is "search for early Mithila civilisation". The proposed excavation is rekindling hopes for in-depth exploration of the buried layers of Mithila’s early urban civilisation under the site of Balirajgarh fort.<ref name=":1" />

The proposed excavation formally inaugurated on 28 March 2026 in the presence of the Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Kumar Jha along with the superintendent Hari Om Sharan of ASI Patna circle, at the premises of the archeological site.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2026-03-28 |title=Excavation begins at Balirajgarh site in Madhubani |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/patna/excavation-begins-at-balirajgarh-site-in-madhubani/articleshow/129870340.cms |access-date=2026-03-29 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257}}</ref> In the excavation, approximately 20 trenches will be dug to study the fabric of cultural continuity patterns across five distinct phases. These cultural phases are of the Mauryan (NBPW), Sunga, Kushan, Gupta, and Pala periods.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2026-03-30 |title=Administrative hub of Iron Age kingdom? ASI dig at Bihar’s Balirajgarh seeks answers on ancient Mithila history |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/india/administrative-hub-of-iron-age-kingdom-asi-dig-at-bihars-balirajgarh-seeks-answers-on-ancient-mithila-history-10608595/ |access-date=2026-03-31 |website=The Indian Express |language=en}}</ref>

== Development proposal ==
The MLA [[Mina Kumari|Meena Kumari]] from the [[Babubarhi Assembly constituency|Babubarhi legislative constituency]] in Bihar, raised the issue of the development of Balirajgarh fort, in the [[Bihar Legislative Assembly]] on the last day of the budget session in 2026. She demanded with the [[Government of Bihar]] to develop the site of Balirajgarh as a tourist destination in the region with proper facilities. The Tourism minister [[Arun Shankar Prasad]], replied that the protected status of the site prevents the state Government of Bihar for undertaking developmental work at the site.<ref name=":0" />

The [[Rajya Sabha]] [[Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha|MP]] [[Sanjay Kumar Jha]], has taken attentive initiative to establish the site of the Balirajgarh fort as a landmark site in the study of ancient Mithila similar to [[Nalanda mahavihara|Nalanda]] and [[Vikramashila|Vikramshila]] universities.<ref name=":1" />

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Archaeological sites in Bihar]]
[[Category:Ramayana]]
[[Category:Capitals of Mithila]]
[[Category:Culture of Mithila]]

Balirajgarh - Revision history

Davidwez at 09:18, 6 April 2026