Guwahati, August 02 2009: Guwahati, known as Pragjyotishpura earlier, was a very prosperous city during the 7 th to 8 th Century AD.

Historical evidences of the city's link with the Gangetic valley and South East Asia through trade routes, known as silk routes, are also there to prove the prosperity of the city during the period.

This is the observation of the outgoing Superintending Archaeologist of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) Guwahati Circle Dr Sanjay Kumar Manjul, made before this correspondent on Thursday.

He also asserted that the habitations of the Pragjyotishpura city were located within a radius of 3 km, centering round Ambari and Uzanbazar.

The artifacts like the gold treated potteries, semi-precious beads, sculptures and other potteries of various shapes, found at the Ambari archaeological site, confirmed the affluence of the residents of the area.

It needs mention here that under the joint leadership of Dr Manjul and State Archaeology Director Dr H N Dutta, excavators could dig out the remnants of a brick-built tank dated back to 2 nd Century BC to 3 rd Century AD at the Ambari site recently.

A sizeable quantity of potteries etc was also found at the site.

Excavation at the site is however, going on since the late 1960s.Dr Dutta is of the view that the Ambari site is extended up to the Brahmaputra bank to the north and this, he maintains, has been confirmed with the finding of an inscription and several art objects, including pottery pieces, at the Gauhati High Court annex building site.

The State Archaeology Directorate also found remnants of terracotta rings used in ring wells, and pottery pieces having similar evidences at the Kharghuli Malibagan area some time back, said Dr Manjul.

A few days back, Dr Manjul said, pottery pieces with fine art works were recovered from the heaps of earth excavated for construction of two buildings in Uzanbazar area of the city, around 1 km north of the Ambari site.

The art works on the pottery pieces found at Uzanbazar are similar to those of the Ambari site.

This re-confirmed the belief that the Ambari site was extended up to Uzanbazar to the north.

There are strong indications also to suggest that the Ambari site was extended to the Guwahati Railway Station to the south, to Panbazar to the west and to AGP headquarters to the east, he said.

But, he said, "Until systematic excavation, we can't confirm the chronology of the particular site.

But the finding of the huge brick-built tank dated back to 2 nd Century BC to 3 rd Century AD at Ambari indicates that large habitational areas of contemporary period was buried near the site".

Dr Arvin Manjul, Deputy Superintending Archaeologist of the ASI Guwahati Circle said that stone relics were also noticed near the Uzanbazar Municipal Market.

Many such relics were also noticed along the Sati Radhika Shanti Road and the roads parallel to it.

Most of these relics can be dated back to 9 th to 10 th Century AD, she said.

Dr HN Dutta said that such relics were abundantly noticed beside the Mahatma Gandhi Road leading to the Raj Bhawan by the bank of the Brahmaputra, between the Swahid Nyas and the MC Road juncture.

Dr Sanjay Manjul said that a lot of black stone sculptures of various Hindu deities were placed in the sanctum sanctorum of the Navagraha temple, along with the shiva linga.

These stone sculptures carved in the Pala school style, are dated back to 9 th to 12 th Century AD.

The temple was later renovated by the Ahom kings.

Similar types of sculptures of seated Vishnu are also found installed in the sanctum sanctorum of Panbazar Janardan temple near Sukreswar on the bank of the Brahmaputra, where the ASI is protecting the rock cut sculptures on the ghat stairs.

There is an inscription too inside the Janardan temple awaiting preservation measures.

The Ugratara temple inscription is also lying in a deplorable state, he said.

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