Smart city 2,500 years ago

Debraj MItra Jan 13, 2018 00:00 IST

Park Street: Intelligent traffic management, pedestrian-friendly pathways, grand gateways with security, wide roads and a vast open space much like the Maidan made a small town in Kalinga kingdom (Odisha) the country's first "smart city" some 2,500 years ago.

The Narendra Modi government launched the Smart Cities mission in 2015 but Sisupalgarh, on the south-eastern edge of present-day Bhubaneswar was one of the most organised urban centres of ancient India, said Monica L. Smith, an archaeologist and professor in the department of anthropology, University of California, Los Angeles.

In a presentation titled The Antiquity of the Smart City Concept at the Indian Museum, Smith said Sisupalgarh was inhabited between 5th Century BC and 5th Century AD.

The city was first discovered and excavated by archaeologist B.B. Lal in 1948. Nearly 50 years later, researchers R.K. Mohanty of the Pune-based Deccan College and Smith also undertook extensive excavations at the site.

More:
https://www.telegraphindia.com/calcutta/smart-city-2-500-years-ago-200823