Study cites remote sensing data to 'locate' ancient Valabhi town in Gujarat

Ahmedabad: Vallabhipur, located near Bhavnagar in Gujarat, might be the ancient administrative capital of the Maitraka dynasty and occupied a significant spot in Saurashtra's cultural geography as Valabhi between 5th and 8th centuries CE, as per research.

The study, authored by Arya S Pradeep and MB Rajani of the Bengaluru-based National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), was carried out with remote sensing data and geospatial analyses.

It is published in the Journal of the Indian Society of Remote Sensing.

The study claims to have uncovered the locations of the seat of power of the ancient Valabhi city, which served as the administrative capital of the Maitraka dynasty, and its Buddhist monastic cluster using remote sensing and geospatial analysis.

These findings are co-related with the information from literary evidence and observations from a preliminary field visit.

The application of remote sensing and other non-invasive technologies to uncover the illustrious past of Valabhi could pave the way for such integrated efforts in the future for other sites in the country, the authors said, underlining the challenges in traditional excavation due to the dense nature of the present settlement.

"Between the 5th and 8th centuries CE, the ancient city of Valabhi occupied a very significant spot in the cultural geography of the Saurashtra region (the landmass between the Gulfs of Kutch and Khambhat) of Gujarat, India," the authors stated.

The study used spatial analysis through satellite data and information from historical literature to yield certain inferences. A field visit of experts was also organised in January 2023 to validate the findings and gather more data, it said.

Copper Plate Grants (CPG) -- documents issued by kings and individuals in India to record land grants or royal lineages -- issued by the Maitraka sovereigns, have established Valabhi as a major centre for trade and Buddhism.

The study suggests that Valabhi was a fortified capital housing numerous Buddhist establishments including monasteries within and in close proximity to the capital, it said.

Referring to the 7th Century CE records of Chinese visitors such as Xuanzang and Yijing, the study stated that Nalanda and Valabhi were premier institutions comparable to contemporary Chinese establishments famed for their academic merit.

"By then, Dudda-vihara, under the royal patronage of the Maitraka dynasty, had already attained the status of a vihara mandala, as evidenced by the CPG of 605 CE. Therefore, it is highly likely that the monastic institution Yijing referred to in Valabhi was Dudda-vihara itself," it said.

The authors stated that the configurations of the mounds of Valabhi share resemblances with the Buddhist monastic complexes of Nalanda, Vikramsila (both in Bihar, India), and Somapura (Bangladesh).

Further, the geo-morphological character of the area suggests that ancient Valabhi was in close proximity to the coastal limits. Whether the ancient settlement was the port or close to the port will require detailed archaeological investigations, it added.

The site of the location of Darbargadh, a palatial complex within the city belonging to the 18th and 19th century, might have been the centre of power in Valabhi and retained this character till recent times, it said.

"Further remarks on the complex will require thorough investigations of its structural fabric. Thus, it is presented as a possibility that the innermost core comprising mound M originally included the seat of power of the Maitrakas and the outer enclosure defined the territorial boundary under the immediate vicinity of the capital," it said.

The presence of the two branches of the river Ghelo to the north and south must have bolstered security by supplying water to the moat apart from assisting in inland navigation, it added.

As per the paper, Yijing, the Chinese monk who visited India in the seventh century CE, remarked that Nalanda and Valabhi were two premier monastic institutions during the time of his visit.

Unlike most other monastic establishments in India that were located outside the settlement, such as Jatavana, Sarnath and Nalanda, the cluster of monasteries at Valabhi were located within the capital, it said.