Ahichchhatra
Ahichchhatra or Ahikhet (Sanskrit: अहिच्छत्र, IAST: Ahicchatra) or Ahikshetra (Sanskrit: अहिक्षेत्र, IAST: Ahikṣetra), near the modern Ramnagar village in Aonla tehsil, Bareilly district in Uttar Pradesh, India, was the ancient capital of Northern Panchala, a northern Indian kingdom mentioned in the Mahabharata.
One of the Shiva temple ruins at Ahichhatra . | |
Ahichchhatra Shown within South Asia Ahichchhatra Ahichchhatra (Uttar Pradesh) | |
| Location | Uttar Pradesh, India |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 28.371°N 79.136°E |
| Type | Temples |
| History | |
| Founded | c. 1500 BCE |
| Cultures | Ochre Coloured Pottery culture, Black and red ware, Painted Grey Ware culture, Gupta Empire |
A Most of the city was half a mile north-east of the modern village, with a large mound, popularly called the fort, two miles west of this. Several significant finds of sculpture, in both stone and (especially) terracotta of the early centuries CE, have been made at the site and are now in various museums. Excavations have uncovered nine strata, the lowest from before the 3rd century BCE and the latest from the 11th century CE. Ashwatthama was the king of Ahichchhatra during Mahabharata time. The city appears to have reached its height during the period of the Gupta Empire. The region lacks sources of good stone and was a centre for making Indian pottery at various periods, and in the early CE the temples were decorated with unusually large terracotta relief panels and sculptures, many of very high quality.