遗产数据库
Sites along the Uttarapath, Badshahi Sadak, Sadak-e-Azam, Grand Trunk Road
Description
S. No.
State, Province or Region:
Names of the component parts:
Latitude and Longitude, or UTM coordinates:
1.
Punjab
Ancient Site and Buddhist Stupa (Sanghol) Fatehgarh Sahib
30° 47' 4'' N 76° 23' 18'' E
2.
Punjab
Ancient site in (Ropar) Rupnagar
30° 57' 57'' N 76° 31' 23'' E
3.
Punjab
Ancient site at Firozpur
30° 54' 59'' N 74° 35' 60'' E
4.
Punjab
Ancient site at Bathinda
30° 12' 39'' N 74° 56' 43'' E
5.
Punjab
Ancient site, Rambagh Gate and Road, Summer Palace of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, Pul Kanjri, Sarai Khwaspur, Old Tehsil (Ajnala) at Amritsar
31° 38' 2'' N 74° 52' 20'' E
6.
Punjab
Ancient site, Commissioner's Residence at Jalandhar
31° 19' 34'' N 75° 34' 34'' E
7.
Punjab
Ancient site, Kos Minar (Khanna), Kos Minar (Sunnahwal/ Sanehwal), Mughal Sarai (Doraha), Sarai Lakshari Khan at Ludhiana
30° 54' 3'' N 75° 51' 26'' E
8.
Punjab
Attari
31° 35’26”N 74° 26’08”E
9.
Punjab
Site and Kos Minar at Rajgarh
30° 24’21”N 76° 43’57”E
10.
Punjab
Gateway of the Old Sarai – Akbar or Jahangir on the Old Delhi Lahore Road (Amanat Khan), 3 nos. Kos Minars (Bharowal, Norangabad) Tarn Taran
31° 26' 57'' N 74° 55' 14'' E
11.
Punjab
Ancient site, Gateway of the Old Sarai – Akbar or Jahangir on the Old Delhi Lahore Road and Mosque at Fatehabad
31° 22' 44'' N 75° 05' 57'' E
12.
Punjab
Kos Minars on Old Badshahi Highway from Delhi to Lahore (Bir Pind), Mughal Bridge and Sarai including Gateway (Dakhni), Tomb of Muhammad Momin and Haji Jamal, Nakodar
31° 06' 34'' N 75° 31' 11'' E
13.
Punjab
Sarai including Gateway, Kos Minars on Old Badshahi Highway from Delhi to Lahore , (Chima Kalan) Nurmahal
31° 14' 16'' N 74° 48' 25'' E
14.
Punjab
Theh Gatti Mound (Nagar) and Ancient Mound (Katpalon), Phillaur Fort at Phillaur
31° 00' 47'' N 75° 47' 22'' E
15.
Punjab
Hadira – Sultanpur Lodhi, Moorish Mosque and Gol Kothi at Kapurthala
31° 22' 48'' N 75° 22' 48'' E
16.
Punjab
Aam Khas Bagh, Mosque Bhagat Sadna Kasai, Jahaji Haveli (Todar Mal) at Sirhind
30° 36' 58'' N 76° 22' 52'' E
17.
Punjab
Tomb of Ustad, Talania, Tomb of Shagird (Talani), Tomb of Amir Ali, (Dera Meer Mian), Fatehgarh Sahib
30° 38' 53'' N 76° 23' 23'' E
18.
Punjab
Kos Minar, Naushera, Gurdaspur
32° 02' 00'' N 75° 24' 00'' E
19.
Punjab
Mughal Sarai, Sambhu, Patiala
30° 20' 24'' N 76° 22' 48'' E
20.
Haryana
Buddhist Stupa at Chaneti, Yamunanagar
30° 10' 04'' N 77° 20' 21'' E
21.
Haryana
Ancient site at Sirsa
29° 32' 01'' N 75° 01' 04'' E
22.
Haryana
Ancient site at Agroha
29° 19' 50'' N 75° 37' 59'' E
23.
Haryana
Ancient site at Hansi
29° 06' 00'' N 75° 58' 12'' E
24.
Haryana
Ancient site at Rohtak
28° 53' 27'' N 76° 34' 47'' E
25.
Haryana
Ancient site at Pehowa
29° 58' 48'' N 76° 34' 48'' E
26.
Haryana
Ancient site, Kos Minar and Cantonment at Ambala
30° 22' 41'' N 76° 46' 36'' E
27.
Haryana
Ancient site at Topra
30° 07' 31'' N 77° 09' 45'' E
28.
Haryana
Ancient site at Sugh
30° 08' 32'' N 77° 21' 18'' E
29.
Haryana
Kosminar, Faridabad- 16 nos.
28° 24' 32'' N 77° 19' 04'' E
31.
Haryana
Gateway of Old Mughal Sarai (Gharaunda), Mughal bridge, 9 nos. Kos Minars, Cantonment Church Tower and European Soldier’s Grave at Karnal
29° 41' 09'' N 76° 59' 26'' E
32.
Haryana
Thanesar Sarai
28° 58’36” N 76°49'41"E
33.
Haryana
Kosminar, Kurukshetra- 9 nos.
29° 58' 10'' N 76° 52' 42'' E
34.
Haryana
Kosminar, Panipat- 6 nos.
29° 23' 27'' N 76° 57' 49'' E
35.
Uttarakhand
Ancient site at Kalsi
30° 31' 04'' N 77° 50' 38'' E
36.
Uttarakhand
Ancient site at Rishikesh
30° 5' 13'' N 78° 16' 03'' E
37.
Uttarakhand
Ancient site at Haridwar
29° 56' 45'' N 78° 09' 51'' E
38.
Uttarakhand
Ancient site at Kashipur
29° 12' 38'' N 78° 57' 43'' E
39.
Delhi
Ashokan Pillars (Ferozabad, Ridge near Hindu Rao Hospital) and Rock edicts (Delhi-Topra, East of Kailash) in Delhi
28° 38' 17'' N 77° 14' 34'' E
40.
Delhi
Red Fort
28° 39' 22'' N 77° 14' 28'' E
41.
Delhi
Purana Quila, Humayun’s Tomb, Sher shah's gate with the adjoinining curon walls and Bastions and the remains of the double line of structure to its front, opposite Puran Qila
28° 36' 35'' N 77° 14' 38'' E
42.
Delhi
The Moti Gate of Sher Shah Suri and Kos Minar (Babarpur Bazipur/Kakanagar)
28° 41' 16'' N 77° 16' 50'' E
43.
Delhi
Gateways and enclosure of Badarpur Sarai, 2 nos. Kos Minars at Badarpur
28° 30' 14'' N 77° 18' 07'' E
44.
Delhi
Kosminar at Village Kotla Mahigiran
28° 32' 15'' N 77° 15' 35'' E
45.
Rajasthan
Ancient site at (Bairat) Viratnagar
27° 26' 60'' N 76° 10' 48'' E
46.
Uttar Pradesh
Ancient site at Moradhwaj (Bijnaur)
26° 44' 34'' N 80° 54' 05'' E
47.
Uttar Pradesh
Ashokan Pillar at Kosambi and Allahabad
25° 26' 09'' N 81° 50' 47'' E
48.
Uttar Pradesh
Ancient site at Mathura
27° 29' 33'' N 77° 40' 25'' E
49.
Uttar Pradesh
Ancient site at Agra
27° 10' 36'' N 78° 0' 29'' E
50.
Uttar Pradesh
Ancient site at Bateshwar
26° 56' 06'' N 78° 32' 31'' E
51.
Uttar Pradesh
Ancient site at Chakranagar
28° 5' 28'' N 77° 59' 31'' E
52.
Uttar Pradesh
Ancient site at Kalpi
26° 7' 12'' N 79° 43' 48'' E
53.
Uttar Pradesh
Ancient site at Musanagar
26° 10' 02'' N 79° 58' 6'' E
54.
Uttar Pradesh
Ancient site at Jajmau
27° 7' 15'' N 80° 30' 43'' E
55.
Uttar Pradesh
Ancient site at Kaushambi
25° 21' 40'' N 81° 24' 11'' E
56.
Uttar Pradesh
Ancient site at Jhusi
25° 25' 48'' N 81° 55' 48'' E
57.
Uttar Pradesh
Ancient site at Lakshagriha
29° 06′ 54”N 77° 25′ 43”E
58.
Uttar Pradesh
Pillar Inscription at Sarnath, near Varanasi
25° 22' 34'' N 83° 1' 22'' E
59.
Uttar Pradesh
Ancient site at Ahraura
25° 01' 12'' N 83° 01' 12'' E
60.
Uttar Pradesh
Ancient site at Latif Shah
25° 01' 16'' N 83° 14' 29'' E
61.
Uttar Pradesh
Ancient site at Ratan Pura, Mau
25° 56' 20'' N 83° 44' 19'' E
62.
Uttar Pradesh
Ancient site at Hastinapur
29° 10' 12'' N 78° 01' 12'' E
63.
Uttar Pradesh
Ancient site at Meerut
28° 59' 04'' N 77° 42' 23'' E
64.
Uttar Pradesh
Ancient site at Lakhimpur/Lakhmapur
27° 56' 60'' N 80° 46' 12'' E
65.
Uttar Pradesh
Ancient site at Ahichchatra
28°22'18"N 79°08'15"E
66.
Uttar Pradesh
Ancient site at Sravasti
27° 30' 13'' N 82° 02' 11'' E
67.
Uttar Pradesh
Ancient site at Ayodhya
26° 48' 00'' N 82° 12' 00'' E
68.
Uttar Pradesh
Ancient site at Lucknow
26° 48' 00” N 80° 54' 00'' E
69.
Uttar Pradesh
Ancient site at Kushinagar
26° 44' 24'' N 83° 53' 13'' E
70.
Uttar Pradesh
Buddhist Stupa at Pawa,
26°41'01"N 84°03'18"E
71.
Uttar Pradesh
Firozabad
27° 09' 33'' N 78° 23' 45'' E
72.
Uttar Pradesh
Agra Fort, 8 nos. Kos Minars on Agra - Fatehpur Sikri Road, Tomb of Salabat Khan, Itibari Khan's Mosque, Chauburji of the temporary Burial place of the emperor Babur, together with the Chabutra on which
it stands, Statute of Akbar's Horse on the Agra-Sikandara Road
27° 10' 36'' N 78° 00' 29'' E
73.
Uttar Pradesh
Akbar's Tomb, Sikandara
26° 22' 04'' N 79° 37' 45'' E
74.
Bihar
Ancient Buddhist sites at Bodh Gaya
24° 41' 46'' N 84° 59' 13'' E
75.
Bihar
Ashokan edicts at Lauriya- Nandangarh and Lauriya- Araraj
26°59′00″N 84°24′00″E
76.
Bihar
Minor Rock Edicts at Mahasthan
25° 05' 46'' N 85° 18' 47'' E
77.
Bihar
Minor Rock Edicts, Tomb of Sher Shah Suri, Shergarh Fort , Tomb of Alabal Khan at Sasaram
24° 56' 57'' N 84° 01' 53'' E
78.
Bihar
Ashokan Pillar edicts at Vaishali, Bihar
26° 00' 16'' N 85° 04' 50'' E
79.
Bihar
Ancient site at Champa/Bhagalpur
25° 15' 00'' N 87° 00' 00'' E
80.
Bihar
Ancient site at Rampurwa
26° 50' 41'' N 84° 41' 42'' E
81.
Bihar
Ancient site at Areraj
26° 33' 10'' N 84° 39' 58'' E
82.
Bihar
Ancient site at Rajgir
25° 01' 02'' N 85° 24' 58'' E
83.
Bihar
Ancient site at (Patliputra) Patna
25° 36' 40'' N 85° 08' 38'' E
84.
Bihar
Ancient site at Nalanda
25° 07' 27'' N 85° 27' 34'' E
85.
Bihar
Caves at Barabar
25° 00' 18'' N 85° 03' 47'' E
86.
Bihar
Tomb of Shamsher Khan and Fort of Daud Khan (Daudnagar), Aurangabad
24° 45' 00'' N 84° 22' 12'' E
87.
Bihar
Tomb of Hasan Shah Suri and Rohtasgarh fort, Rohtas
24° 37' 44'' N 83° 55' 13'' E
88.
Jharkhand
Topchanchi Town
23° 53' 60'' N 86° 12' 00'' E
89.
West Bengal
Ancient site at Chandraketugarh
22° 41' 05'' N 88° 41' 13'' E
90.
West Bengal
Tamralipti or Tamluk
22° 18' 00'' N 87° 55' 12'' E
91.
West Bengal
Tomb of Baharam Sakka, Sher Afghan and Nawab Qutabuddin, Burdwan
23° 13' 57'' N 87° 51' 41'' E
92.
West Bengal
Badsahi or Hussain Shai mosque at Nutanhat
23° 32' 22'' N 87° 54' 10'' E
93.
West Bengal
Hussain Shah mosque at Kulutia
23° 46' 20'' N 87° 57' 51'' E
The Imperial Highway of the Indian Sub-continent, popularly known as the Grand Trunk[1] Road (or the GT Road) today, the name a legacy of the 19th – 20th Century CE British rule in the sub-continent, is one of Asia’s oldest and longest roads that connects the major countries of the Indian subcontinent, namely Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and Bangladesh, and to the regions beyond the North West Frontier. The connection has been known to exist since pre-historic ages. However, its construction, maintenance and use as one composite Highway is known to exist only during four political pre-independence Imperial rulerships in the sub-continent. The present road runs from Chittagong (Bangladesh) west of Howrah, West Bengal (India), running across the Gangetic plains of Northern India into Lahore (Pakistan), across the Hindu Kush range upto Kabul (Afghanistan).
The highway, with its array of connecting roads, has been important not just as a trade route but also as the path of military exploits of Central Asian invaders to the Indian sub-continent. The presence of such a connecting network enabled pedestrian and military movements on a large scale, allowed for significant exchange of trade and material, and had a profound effect on the cultural and political developments in the sub-continent.
The four names of the Highway and the political eras that mark periods when large parts of the sub-continent were united under a single dynastic rule and which is when it was possible to construct/reconstruct the road in its entirety, are as follows:
- As ‘Uttarapath’ during the Mauryan period (4th – 2nd Century BCE), from Balkh in Afghanistan to Tamraliptika or Tamluk in West Bengal, India
- As ‘Sadak-e-Azam’ or ‘Shah Rah-e-Azam’ (the Great Road) during the Sur dynasty (1540-1556 CE) from Kabul, Afghanistan to Sonargaon, Bangladesh
- As ‘Badshahi Sadak’ during the Mughal period (16th – 19th Century CE) from Kabul, Afghanistan to Sonargaon, Bangladesh
- As the ‘Long Walk’ or the ‘Grand Trunk Road’ during the British colonial rule (19th and 20th Century CE) from Kabul, Afghanistan to Chittagong, Bangladesh
However, it must be noted that individual segregated actions of the road were maintained during ancient and medieval times by the smaller kingdoms that emerged in northern India whenever a national imperial rule collapsed.
The road that existed for millennia before the British period was maintained as a non-metallic track with trees planted on either sides and dotted with structures associated with travel and rest. The highway was used both as a land route, especially from Afghanistan upto Delhi-Agra, and thence as a combination of land and water way since the route went along River Yamuna upto Allahabad and along River Ganga until it merged with the Bay of Bengal in Bangladesh. Today, its Indian section is divided into two Highways, National Highway 1 (link to the west to Delhi upto Attari, Punjab) and National Highway 2 (link to the east of Delhi upto Kolkata) and are maintained so by the National Highways Authority of India. Detailed description of the highway components is as follows:
1. As ‘Uttarapath’ during the Mauryan period (4th – 2nd Century BCE), from Balkh in Afghanistan to Tamraliptika or Tamluk in West Bengal, IndiaThe remains of the Uttarapath (Uttara- meaning north and –path meaning route) are available in the form of Ashokan pillars, rock edicts and Buddhist archaeological remains (such as stupas) found in various locations along the highway right from Afghanistan upto Bangladesh. The Imperial Highway finds mention in many ancient texts and scriptures with the first known mention of Uttarapath made by Panini in his Asthadhyayi (around 500 BCE). The seventh Ashokan pillar refers to the royal road furnished with a chain of rest houses and wells at regular intervals connecting the Mauryan capital city of Patliputra (present day Patna) with Taxila. Presence of pre-historic earthenware and material culture also indicates the evolution of the northern grand route.
2. As ‘Sadak-e-Azam’ or ‘Shah Rah-e-Azam’ (the Great Road) during the Sur dynasty (1540-1556 CE) from Kabul, Afghanistan to Sonargaon, BangladeshThe first tangible remains available of an integrated sub-continental highway belong to the Sur period. Its first ruler, Sher Shah Suri is popularly credited with the reconstruction of the highway. He laid out the track once again, plated trees along it and undertook construction of various structures associated with travel and intermediate rest – sarais, temples, mosques, gurudwaras, associated water bodies, kos minars et al.
The route crystallised as an important symbol for expressing the imperial sovereignty that was exhibited to a large extent by the monumental structures that were patronized along this route. The road was initially built by Sher Shah Sur to connect Agra, his capital, with Sasaram, his hometown. It was soon extended westward to Multan (now in Pakistan) and eastward to Sonargaon in Bengal (now in Bangladesh). Special importance was given to safety and well being of travellers which certainly had a positive influence on trade and trading activities on the route. Sarais that were built as architectural complexes were managed by state establishments and used both as dak-posts and resting places for travellers. The list of structures for this period is integrated with the remains from the Badshahi Sadak layer.
3. As ‘Badshahi Sadak’ during the Mughal period (16th – 19th Century CE) from Kabul, Afghanistan to Sonargaon, Bangladesh
Between 1555 A.D. and 1707 A.D., the Mughal dynasty is known to have achieved a remarkable level of political and administrative unity. The Mughals built upon and enhanced what was introduced in India by Sher Shah and further refined the use of the road as an ‘instrument of government.’ The physical characteristics of the road and its surroundings attest the conscious and ambitious road policy of the Mughals, most notably during the reigns of Akbar (A.D. 1556-1605) and Jahangir (A.D. 1605-1627). Jahangir ordered landlords in far off areas to construct sarais so that it could be a way of encouragement for people to come and settle close to the sarais. The Mughal rule saw a lot of development work along the royal highway carried out by the nobles of the period as well.
- Kos minars (milestones constructed along the route at intervals of kos[2] that either represented 1.8 kms or 3.2 kms) at regular distance, are of significance as indicators of the route through the entire stretch of the Grand Trunk road. A total of 44 Kos minars proposed as part of this serial.
- Forts were centres of political control in the region. They were of great significance as the place of decision making.
- Sarai and Water Structures catered to the basic needs of the travelers along the route. They also served as place of informal exchange between travelers.
- Gardens served for rejuvenation both for the travelers and local residents.
- Mosques and Stupas were important religious centres. They helped the travelers maintain their religious association away from homeland.
Several factors determined the delineation of clusters in the proposal of this series:
- Cohesive historic narratives in the past and current inter relationships;
- Nature of cultural heritage, inter relationships between the various heritage structures of architectural and historical value and of intangible heritage due to past events, historic persons, current uses and associations etc;
- Proximity to each other, scale, location and connectivity with large cities (as point to access by cultural tourists) and the Grand Trunk Road itself.
The Imperial Gazetteer of India compiled in the early nineteenth century stated that before the advent of the British rule, roadways in the modern sense did not exist in India. The stretch of Grand Trunk road between Ambala and Karnal was opened in 1856 and has been as a reason for the success of the British against the mutineers in Delhi. The experience convinced the British administrators that the improvement of the means of communications was a matter of “paramount necessity”. Today the road has been divided as National Highway 1 and 2 in India and continues to be an important route.
[1] The term ‘Trunk Road’ refers to a major road, usually connecting two or more cities, ports, airports and other places, which is the recommended route for long-distance and freight traffic. Thus, the meaning of Grand Trunk Road is evident as a majestic cross country road of India.
[2] A kos is approximately equal to 2.25 miles or 3.62 kms.