Gosanimari

Gosanimari is both a village and an archaeological site in Cooch Behar district of West Bengal, north-eastern India. The name of this site was taken from the modern grampanchyat name of the Dinhata subdivision.

Excavation

Excavation Site

The site contains ruins of ancient city of Kamtapur, capital of Kamata kingdom,[1][2] occupying a large area of ancient Kamarupa and Vanga.

Excavation history

Dr. Buchanan Hamilton in 1808 had left a vivid description along with a sketch of the mound and site which still hold good in authenticity. According to Dr. R.D. Banerjee Kamata kingdom stood as buffer between eastern Kamrupa and the Bengal Sultanate in the 15th century CE. He is of the opinion that the Khens might have built Gosanimari, but it is also possible that these Mongoloid people only used the ruins of fortification which had been built several centuries earlier. After the independence Archaeological Survey of India took over the responsibility of this site.[3]

Findings

It is believed parts of the ancient kingdoms important temples and buildings are now buried under a large grass grown mound. So far two large stone wells have been excavated, along with a large stone walls and a number of idols too. Pottery work includes vases, bowls, basin, dish, beaker etc. The facial and physiognomical delineation indicate the idols are the products of c. 11th and 12th century AD and influenced by Pala-Sena school of art.[3]

Rulers

The Kingdom of Kamata was between the 11-12th Century A.D. by the dynasties of Pala & Sena. Then after by the Khen dynasty in the 14th century AD until 1498 AD. Then the King Nilambar was defeated by the Sultan Hussein Shah of Gaud, who had it ruled by the Koch dynasty from early on in the 16th Century.[4]

When the English came along they Anglicized the term Koch to Cooch, hence the name Cooch Behar State.

References
  1. "Gosanimari". dooarstours.com. Archived from the original on 20 November 2012. Retrieved 8 November 2012.
  2. Excavation at Rajpat Mound, 1998-2000 (PDF). Archaeological Survey of India.
  3. Excavation at Rajpat mound (PDF).
  4. "Traders cry for tourism tag". The Telegraph. 25 August 2008. Retrieved 9 November 2012.

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