Star shaped’ Fort-like walls discovered at Maklang Paddy field
February 5, 2013
Imphal Feb 5: Existence of a Star shaped Fort – like mud wall with a diameter of around 1 kilometers at Maklang Makha Leikai in Imphal west district, Manipur is likely to add another chapter to the history of Manipuri civilization. State archeologists are still clueless on the significance of the star shaped mud wall in the middle of paddy fields at the area.
Members of the Kangla Fort board first noticed the mysterious shape through the Google map. It has eight regular cones pointing in all directions, when viewed with Google map. A team led by Retd. Archeologist Okram Kumar and Amateur Paleontologist, Nanjest Thongbam, who is currently associating with the activities of the Kangla Fort Board had inspected the site on Sunday morning. The team however, is not in a position to spell out anything regarding the mysterious fort like object as there is a need for further in-depth study.
Imphal Times reporters who also went to the site when inquiring the local people found out that the fort-like mud wall have existed for a very long time and people of the locality called it “Behu Palli”. The location is about 11 kilometers from Kangla in Imphal, along the National highway No. 37.
According to locals, the areas cover by the star shaped mud wall is used for cultivation. Around 15 parees (local measuring unit for paddy fields) are located inside the wall. Surprisingly, on further queries it has been found out that the star shape fort- like mud wall is again surrounded by another rectangle shaped mud wall.
A local villager Ahongsangbam Gunamani, 60, while speaking with the Imphal Times said that the mud wall was very tall and compact during his childhood. He said, “with the passage of time and repeated cultivation in the fields some parts of the walls had been removed to broaden the cultivable areas by the farmers.”
Surprisingly, there is also a legend behind the structures. Local people of the area said the mud wall was a fort belonging to an erstwhile King of Manipur believes to be Maharaj Bheigyachandra Singh.
Gunamani said that moat like ponds just near these structures existed before. The said moats however no longer exist.
He said wild flowers like lotus and lilies were grown plenty in the moat but these have been filled by the locals to convert into cultivable areas. The locals believe that this structure might have been made during the time of the Seven Year Desertation as they heard a story of King Bhaigyachandra shifting his residence to Sangaithel area in some old books. According to him there were seven “Heibi” trees growing in different parts of this mud wall before but now only two are seen standing but the mystery is that these trees never bear fruits, said Gunamani.
According to their belief they consider these trees as related with local deity so they never cut its branches or the trees. It can be noticed that one living tree is still in the middle of road, which they kept it untouched fearing bad omen.
On 3rd Feb a team of State archeology dept and subject experts visited the spot to collect initial findings. According to an expert from the team, it might be a remnant structure of “Chakpa” period, dated somewhere in 33 AD. However, he said the exact period can be known only after a thorough study with excavation and exploration of the site. The state archeology department is all set to prepare the study of the site.
source : http://imphaltimes.com/star-shaped-fort-like-walls-discovered-at-maklang-paddy-field/