|
The Grand Trunk Road is one of Asia's oldest and longest major roads. For more than two millennia, it has linked the eastern and western regions of the Indian subcontinent, connecting South Asia with Central Asia. It runs from Chittagong, Bangladesh west to Howrah, West Bengal in India, running across Northern India into Lahore in Pakistan, further up to Kabul in Afghanistan. Its former names include ''UttaraPatha'' ("Road to North"), ''Shah Rah-e-Azam'' ("Great Road") or ''Sarak-e-Azam'' or ''Badshahi Sarak''. The route spanning the Grand Trunk (GT) road existed during the Maurya Empire, extending from the mouth of the Ganges to the north-western frontier of the Empire. The predecessor of the modern road was rebuilt by Sher Shah Suri, who renovated and extended the ancient Mauryan route in the 16th century.〔quote: What Chandragupta had begun, his grandson Ashoka perfected. Trees were planted, ... Serais built. p.2〕 The road was considerably upgraded in the British period between 1833 and 1860.〔David Arnold (historian); Science, technology, and medicine in colonial India (New Cambr hist India v.III.5) Cambridge University Press, 2000, 234 pages (p.106 )〕 == History == In ancient times, the term Uttarapatha (from the Sanskrit terms ''uttara'', for north, and ''patha'' for road/path) referred to the ''road to north'', the main trade route that followed along the river Ganges, crossed the Gangetic plain, ran through the Punjab to Taxila (Gandhara) and further to ''Zariaspa'' or Balkh (Bactria) in Central Asia. The eastern terminus of the Uttarapatha was Tamraliptika (possibly present-day Tamluk) located at the mouth of Ganges in west Bengal. This route became increasingly important due to increasing maritime contacts with the seaports on the eastern coast of India during the Maurya rule. Later, Uttarapatha was the name lent to the vast expanse of region which the ''northern high road'' traversed. Recent research indicates that during the time of the Maurya Empire in the 3rd century BC, overland trade between India and several parts of western Asia and the Hellenistic world went through the cities of the north-west, primarily Takshashila (Taxila in present-day Pakistan, see inset in map). Takshashila was well connected by roads with other parts of the Maurya empire. The Mauryas had built a highway from Takshashila to Pataliputra (present-day Patna in India). Chandragupta Maurya had a whole army of officials overseeing the maintenance of this road as told by the Greek diplomat Megasthenes who spent fifteen years at the Mauryan court. Constructed in eight stages, this road is said to have connected the cities of Purushapura, Takshashila, Hastinapura, Kanyakubja, Prayag, Pataliputra and Tamralipta, which had essentially been around 2600 kilometers as per current estimates.〔 In the 16th century, a major road running across the Gangetic plain was built afresh by Afghan emperor Sher Shah Suri, who then ruled much of northern India for a brief period of time. His intention was to link together the remote provinces of his vast empire for administrative and military reasons. The ''Sadak-e-Azam'' ('great road') as it was then known, is universally recognized as having been the precursor of the Grand Trunk Road. The road was initially built by Sher Shah to connect Agra, his capital, with Sasaram, his hometown. While Sher Shah died after a brief reign, and his dynasty ended soon afterwards, the road endured as his outstanding legacy. The Mughals, who succeeded the Suris, extended the road westwards to Kabul in Afghanistan, crossing the Khyber Pass and eastwards to the port city of Chittagong in southeast Bengal. This road was later improved by the British rulers of colonial India. Renamed the "Grand Trunk Road" (sometimes referred to as the "Long Walk") by the British occupiers in the 1700s, it was extended to run from Howrah to Peshawar and thus to span a major portion of India. Over the centuries, the road, which was one of the most important trade routes in the region, facilitated both travel and postal communication. Even during the era of Sher Shah Suri, the road was dotted with ''caravansarai''s (highway inns) at regular intervals, and trees were planted on both sides of the road for shade. There are some well maintained water wells along the road in Taxila which were built for travellers during this period. The road was well planned, with milestones along the whole stretch. Some of these milestones can still be seen along the present Delhi-Ambala highway. On another note, the road also facilitated the rapid movement of troops and of foreign invaders. It expedited the looting raids, into India's interior regions, of Afghan and Persian invaders and also facilitated the movement of British troops from Bengal into the north Indian plain. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Grand Trunk Road」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|