Cyclopean wall of Rajgir
Topic: Janapadas, Mahajanapadas and the Second Urbanisation · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The Cyclopean wall is a huge stone wall that once surrounded Rajagaha (Rajagriha, modern Rajgir in Bihar), the first capital of Magadha. It runs for about 40 km across the hills around the city. It is built of large rough stones fitted together without mortar (no cement or lime). It is among the oldest stone structures of historical India. It shows how heavily the new mahajanapada capitals were fortified.
Example
The remains of the wall can still be seen on the hills around Rajgir in Bihar. It is generally dated to c. 6th century BCE or a little later, when Magadhan kings such as Bimbisara and Ajatashatru ruled from Rajagaha.
Don't confuse with
- Harappan city walls: those belong to the First Urbanisation, more than a thousand years earlier, and were mostly of brick. The Rajgir wall belongs to the Second Urbanisation and is built of stone.
Related concepts
- Rise of Magadha
- Magadha
- Haryanka dynasty
- Bimbisara
- Ajatashatru
- Udayin
- Rajagaha
- Pataliputra
- Shishunaga dynasty
- Mahapadma Nanda