Paleo-topographic Reconstruction of Cultural Landscapes using Remote Sensing and GIS: A case study of the ancient port of Tamralipti

Abstract

Human interaction with the landscape they inhabit leaves imprints that are largely inconspicuous on the ground. Yet, these remain the most thought provoking among the sets of clues available to us in fuelling the quest to understand our past. Spatial view provided by satellite imagery plays a pivotal part in enabling us to identify these imprints in the form of patterns. In this study, a paleo-environmental reconstruction of a particular cultural landscape using geo-spatial tools has been attempted. A range of historical documents (textual records such as traveller’s accounts dating to 5th and 7th centuries CE, maps of the Indian sub-continent published in the 18th and 19th centuries) and satellite imagery of the last 50 years (CORONA, Google Earth Digital Globe ) are used to identify and analyse the distribution of cultural sites that are hitherto unexplored to understand the impact of past changes to the landscape of these ancient sites located along one of the most dynamic regions of the Indian subcontinent: the Gangetic Delta. The identification of numerous sites of a distinct pattern and their distribution, analysed along with the morphological signature of the landscape on which they remain almost undetected has led to certain inferences on the possible location and extents of the ancient port of Tamralipti. The study also reveals the coastal and deltaic changes in the vicinity of the ancient port.