Gosanimari
Gosanimari is both a village and an archaeological site in Dinhata I CD block, in the Dinhata subdivision of the Cooch Behar district of West Bengal, north-eastern India. The name of this site was taken from the modern grampanchyat name of the Dinhata subdivision.
Geography
Location
Gosanimari is located at.Area overview
The map alongside shows the eastern part of the district. In Tufanganj subdivision 6.97% of the population lives in the urban areas and 93.02% lives in the rural areas. In Dinhata subdivision 5.98% of the population lives in the urban areas and 94.02% lives in the urban areas. The entire district forms the flat alluvial flood plains of mighty rivers.Note: The map alongside presents some of the notable locations in the subdivisions. All places marked in the map are linked in the larger full screen map.
Excavation
Excavation Site
The site contains ruins of Rajpat which is speculated to have served as the capital of Kamata kingdom, although carbon dating of material from the fort as well as the stylistic dating of the sculptures shows that it was originally built in the 10th century during Pala Kamrupa rule.Excavation history
in 1808 had left a vivid description along with a sketch of the mound and site which still hold good in authenticity. According to Dr. R.D. Banerjee, Kamata kingdom stood as buffer between western Kamrupa and the Bengal Sultanate in the 15th century CE. He is of the opinion that the Khens might have built Gosanimari, but it is also possible that these Mongoloid people only used the ruins of fortification which had been built several centuries earlier. After the independence Archaeological Survey of India took over the responsibility of this site.Findings
It is believed parts of the ancient kingdoms important temples and buildings are now buried under a large grass grown mound. So far two large stone wells have been excavated, along with a large stone walls and a number of idols too. Pottery work includes vases, bowls, basin, dish, beaker etc. The facial and physiognomical delineation indicate the idols are the products of c. 11th and 12th century AD and influenced by Pala-Sena school of art. Carbon dating of material from the fort shows that it was originally built in the 10th century during Pala Kamrupa ruleRulers
In 1260, it became the seat of power of Kamata ruler Sandhya, who shifted his capital from Kamarupanagara due to the frequent clashes he faced from the Kacharis from the south-east border in what is modern-day Assam. Later it was held by the Khen dynasty until 1498 AD, when Hussein Shah of Gaur unsurp power by defeating Nilambar of Kamata. From the early 16th century, it was ruled by the Koch dynasty founded by Biswa Singha.When the English came along they Anglicized the term Koch to Cooch, hence the name Cooch Behar State.