Sisupalgarh

Sisupalgarh, on the edge of Bhubaneswar in Khordha district, holds the remains of a fortified city first settled around the 7th or 6th century BCE, before the Mauryan empire. Few early historic fortifications in India match it for size or preservation. It was once a capital of Kalinga, identified with Ashoka's Tosali and Kharavela's Kalinganagara. Some estimates put its population at 20,000 to 25,000, larger than classical Athens.

The city forms a near square about 1,125 by 1,115 metres, its plan turned 10 degrees from north, with a perimeter of 4.8 km. Its earthen ramparts are the highest known from this period in India, and two gates pierce each side. B. B. Lal first excavated here in 1948, and later work using radar and laser scanning has mapped a moat and a 19-column structure near the centre. Much of the interior has since passed into private hands.