RANGIYA, March 31 - At a time when government initiative is on to preserve and promote places of historic significance in the State, the historic Arimatta rampart, built by king Arimatta in 1365 BC located near Tarani of Rangiya, is on the brink of extinction following massive encroachment and other illegal human activities on it since the last couple of years.
A large number of valuable trees from the area have already been cut and many others been uprooted posing a threat to overall charm of the rampart. Many concerned leading citizens of the locality including Rangiya Alochani Sabha president Pabitra Kalita and secretary Pramod Kalita have expressed their serious concern over these affairs on the rampart. They have questioned as to how a menace of such nature can take place under the very nose of the civil and district administration and also by the government when schemes to preserve and protect such sites are there.
On the other hand, many other leading citizens have flayed the local policy makers for not taking any measure to protect and preserve the rampart. Valuable trees are being cut year after year, while the Forest Department, seems to be wasting public funds in the name of planting trees on the rampart land allegedly only for name sake.
The Arimatta rampart (also known as Baidyagarh), was rebuilt by popular and courageous king Arimatta in 1365 BC, after the same was earlier built by another ruler Baidyadev in 1138 BC. King Arimatta began ruling from there as his kingdom�s Capital. His kingdom covered 12 different revenue villages like Tarani, Bissenella, Balagon, Borghuli, Kaurbaha, Bihapara, Chenimara, Karara, Chiknibari etc. The historic rampart, was a cradle for economic and social changes of Rangiya. But the threat of massive encroachment on the rampart has degraded its identity.
It needs mention here, that a nearly 100-metre area of the rampart land was completely cut away, just walking distance away behind the house of former MLA and Rajya Sabha MP Bhubaneswar Kalita of Rangiya located at Sitara village. More interestingly, illegal inhabitants have built up a temple and a mosque separately on the rampart land. The situation turns worse when bodies of cattle and other livestocks are also damped on it. At times, bodies are also cremated on its land.
Due to the rampart�s age-old significance and its history, emotional attachment of the people of Rangiya with it has given birth to the names of many local organisations and educational institutions of Rangiya like Arimatta Bidyapeeth, Arimatta Mini Stadium, Arimatta GP, Baidyagarh Girls� High School, Arimatta Bhavan, Baidyagarh AASU unit etc. The Rangiya Alochani Sabha (a unit of the Asam Sahitya Sabha), students and staff of Arimatta Bidyapeeth HSS and Baidyagarh HSS, secretary of Asam Science Society of Rangiya Diganta Deka, besides a number of senior citizens, freedom fighters and other local people of Rangiya have urged the administration, the state government, the Archaeological department for doing the needful at the earliest to preserve the historic Arimatta rampart and protect it from getting extinct.
