Bhubaneswar, March 4: A trip to Chudanga Gada (fort) and Buali Gada near the Chandaka Dampara Sanctuary will reopen your eyes to explore history among wild environment and animals.

Historians say Madala Panji, which describes the historical events of Odisha related to Lord Jagannath or Jagannath temple, has recorded that in ancient times, the Gajapati rulers strengthened their empire by building many kataka or forts. Those were Jajpur kataka, Amaravati kataka, Choudwar kataka, Varanasi kataka, Teligarh and Chudanga Gada. Chudanga Gada near Baranga was also known as Sonargarh.

Chudanga Gada was named after Chodaganga Dev. This 11th century monument was built by the Ganga dynasty rulers. The spot is located near the boundary of the Chandaka Dampara Sanctuary.

It is also believed that the Buali Gada fort, too, was built by Chodaganga Dev between 1078 and 1147. At present, the remains of the fort, along with many archaeological sites, can be spotted in the reserve forest near the Godibari entrance.

Divisional forest officer Akshaya Kumar Patnaik of Chandaka says: “Preservation of major portions of the monuments is possible as they lie within the reserve forest limits.

“One can easily go to Buali Gada via Godibari entrance with due permission from the forest department. One can take help of the forest guards as well. On way to Buali Gada, the travellers can also enjoy two nature trails, recently developed by the sanctuary authorities.”

To reach the Chudanga Gada ruins, one has to take a road near Baranga on Mundali Road. The Archaeological Survey of India has taken up the conservation of the site.

There is still scope for more excavation of the site, which even today boasts of beautiful water bodies which were used by the inhabitants of the fort.

“We have one Sisupalgarh in the entire world and we have to preserve it,” these words by German professor Paul Yule of University of Heidelberg speaks volumes about the importance of the Sisupalgarh monument, depicting an early historical urban site near Bhubaneswar.

However, it seems that the proposition bears ample importance for the other two ruins as they are not much explored by the tourists. Authorities of the Chandaka Dampara Sanctuary, however, are planning to add information on those sites at their interpretation centre currently being furnished near the Godibari gate.

Shakti Mohanty, a teacher, says: “The schools must organise trips to these sites for the students, who could visit the spots and link history to the present time. These structures are also telling the tales of the Kalingan empire’s prosperity.”

Bijay Kumar Rath, former state archaeologist, says: “The trips by tourists, general public and students to the monuments should be encouraged by the authorities. History teaches us the past and we could understand the evolution of the timeline. Also while visiting the sites, the students can acquire other knowledge in biology and geography.”