Bhubaneswar, July 16: Ruins of two historic bridges over the Gangua nullah lie at Pandra and Basuaghai. If ignored further, a lot of history will be lost with the ruins.

The Gangua nullah, now a polluted water channel on the city outskirts, was once a moat of the ancient Sisupalgarh fort.

Sisupalgarh’s fortified settlement is believed to date back to the era of emperor Kharavela. Thus the conservation of the Gangua nullah is also linked to the conservation of the ancient fort that is threatened by encroachment.

The bridge near Pandra may have weakened from within but still has its structure intact on the outside and the bridge near the Sai temple road near Megheswar temple is in utter ruins.

“Sisupalgarh dates back to 300BC and was most likely the seat of power of the ancient kingdom of Kalinga. This was the capital of the Chedi dynasty rulers including the great Kharavela. The ruins of Sisupalgarh were first excavated by renowned archaeologist B.B. Lal in 1948-49 in collaboration with the state government. This proves that the conservation of the structures associated with Gangua is also important,” said Surya Narayan Das, a senior member of the Gangua Bachao Andolan.

Gangua’s water was earlier used for the rituals of Lord Lingaraj, but the practice has been stopped because of pollution. At present, water from other sources is used.

Environmentalist Bijay Kumar Mishra said the historic water channel was also home to many water birds such as river lapwing.

Cattle egret and other migratory birds are also found near the channel during various seasons.

“The historic water body is also surrounded by many plant species including medicinal herbs but there are no official records on this.

A proper inventory of the flora and faunal wealth of Gangua nullah should be prepared,” he said.

Sadasiba Pradhan, a professor of history at Utkal University, said: “We do not know the antiquity of the two bridges because nobody has studied them. But since they are old structures, they need to be conserved as part of our heritage.”

Urban management practitioner Piyush Ranjan Rout said the state government should start the Gangua conservation master plan as soon as possible and that should include the conservation of the historical remains.

Historians said the two bridges could have been built by the Maratha rulers, who ruled the state for a brief period before the British. There are four such bridges at various places in the state, including Atharanala in Puri.

Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage’s Bhubaneswar chapter convenor Hariharan Balakrishnan said: “We have many experts with us and can spare time for professional consultation for the conservation. If the state government wishes to take it up, we can help.”

Former superintending archaeologist of the state archaeology B.K. Rath said the bridge near Pandra was renovated in 2003-2004 but there was no initiative to restore the second one near the Ravi Talkies-Sai temple road.