Chudanga Gada

Chudanga Gada, also known as Sarangagarh, is a historic fort located near Bhubaneswar in the Cuttack district of Odisha. Built in the 9th to 12th century AD by the Kesari dynasty, the fort served as a military cantonment and royal residential complex.

It has a rectangular layout measuring approximately 1700 by 1500 meters and is constructed using large dressed laterite and sandstone blocks with dry masonry techniques. The fort includes ruins of a palace called Solapuri Uasa (Palace of Sixteen Rooms), granaries, numerous water bodies, religious shrines, and other ancient architectural remnants.

According to legends, it was originally built by Lalatendu Kesari and later renovated by Baraha Kesari; it came under the control of the Ganga dynasty after their king Chodaganga Deva defeated the last Somavamsi ruler. A notable feature of the fort is its sophisticated water management system with multiple tanks and reservoirs to store rainwater.

Today, the fort stands as a protected archaeological site whose remains reflect a blend of historical, cultural, and architectural significance from Odisha’s medieval period.