India has always been a country rich in wealth as well as culture, with its cities breathing commerce and power. The subcontinent had its own traditions, bustling with ports, mighty capitals and sacred towns where trading via sea routes prevailed, ships arrived with foreign gold, poets composed epics and kings ruled their kingdoms. It had everything when the rest of the world was still evolving, long before foreign countries built modern skylines and mapped borders.
These cities slowly got lost in quietness and chaos, as some were abandoned with changing fortunes, others were swallowed by rivers and seas, while a few were erased by war. The stories of these cities survived through their roles in legends, scriptures and scattered memories. Today, these lost cities are emerging again from silence, reminding people of the country’s rich culture in ancient times through archaeological excavations, underwater explorations and historical research. These cities serve as a reminder to their people and to the world that the past was far more urban, connected and sophisticated, going beyond the modern world’s imagination.
One of the most celebrated lost cities of India, deeply woven into its history and scriptures, is the submerged city of Dwarka. The city is known as one of the “Sapta Puri” (Seven Sacred Cities), popularly recognised as the Kingdom of Lord Krishna, and holds great cultural and religious significance in the subcontinent. It has been described as a grand and well-planned coastal location that reflected prosperity, governance and urban sophistication, as mentioned in the ancient text Mahabharata. Dwarka was also economically important, as archaeologists have found stone anchors and pottery hinting at an important maritime centre connected to early sea trade routes, owing to its strategic location along the Arabian Sea.
Legend says that Dwarka got submerged by the sea after Krishna’s death, symbolising the end of the ‘Dvapara Yuga’. However, studies suggest that the submergence was caused by changes in sea level, coastal erosion and tectonic activity. Early surveys of Dwarka were led by Hiranand Shastri as archaeological interest surrounding the ancient city intensified in the 20th century. This was followed by underwater excavations headed by S. R. Rao, later joined by teams from the Archaeological Survey of India and the National Institute of Oceanography. The investigations pointed towards ancient habitation with the discovery of submerged structures, walls and artefacts. Dwarka remains a rare site that serves as an intersection of myth, geology and archaeology, telling stories of India’s maritime and cultural past.
Located on the outskirts of present-day Bhubaneswar in Odisha, Sisupalgarh is one of the finest examples of an early historic planned city in India. Sisupalgarh is believed to have been a major urban centre of ancient Kalinga, having thrived around the 7th–5th century BCE. The city symbolised advanced urban planning and political organisation, with fortified walls, well-laid streets and civic spaces. Eastern India had a complex urban life, as Sisupalgarh held both cultural and economic importance by functioning as an administrative and trade hub while supporting craft production, local commerce and regional exchange.
It has been found that Sisupalgarh gradually got abandoned over time due to shifts in political power and changes in settlement patterns, unlike other cities that were destroyed by a single catastrophic event. The city eroded from memory as layers of soil and vegetation covered its remains and was often overshadowed by Odisha’s famous Konark Sun Temple and Puri Jagannath Temple. The site was researched by Indian and international scholars in subsequent decades after archaeologist B. B. Lal of the ASI systematically excavated it in 1948. This established Sisupalgarh’s status as a thriving city and reshaped the understanding of early Indian urbanism that was lost to time.
Hastinapur is a city that occupies a powerful place in India’s cultural imagination as the legendary capital of the Kuru dynasty in the Mahabharata. It was situated on the banks of the Ganga, in what is now present-day Uttar Pradesh. The city was never just a mythic place but also a significant settlement that reflected the transition from tribal society to organised kingdoms in the Gangetic Plain. Archaeologists found evidence such as Painted Grey Ware pottery, placing the city in an important position that supported agriculture, trade and communication, along with serving as a cultural and political centre during the early Iron Age.
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The city gradually lost its glory with changing political centres and the shifting course of the Ganga, which flooded the region and altered settlement patterns. The ancient city was buried beneath silt, with its rich history fading into legend. Hastinapur received formal recognition during 19th-century surveys by Alexander Cunningham and was later excavated in the 1950s by ASI archaeologist B. B. Lal. Hastinapur presents not only an epic narrative but also material history, linking archaeological findings with textual traditions through these excavations.
Located at the mouth of the River Cauvery in present-day Tamil Nadu, Poompuhar was one of the most important port cities of ancient Tamilakam. Also referred to as Kaveripoompattinam, it is celebrated in Sangam literature as a thriving hub of trade, culture and learning. A flourishing port city during the ancient Chola period, it connected South India to maritime networks across Southeast Asia and the Mediterranean world. Its economic vibrancy was highlighted by the presence of merchants, poets and artisans.
The city has been mentioned extensively in early Tamil texts, which describe its urban life, markets and cosmopolitan character, showcasing its strong cultural presence. A large part of the settlement, however, was destroyed as the city got submerged due to changes in sea level and flooding, combined with coastal erosion. The site required both land-based and underwater excavations to retrieve submerged structural remains and artefacts along the coast, linking literary descriptions to the physical evidence of a city lost beneath layers of time.
Rabdentse was the second capital of the former Kingdom of Sikkim, making it a centre of political and cultural importance in the eastern Himalayas. Established in the 17th century, it served as the royal seat of the Chogyal (king) and is located near present-day Gyalshing in Sikkim. The city was closely associated with Buddhist religious practices, as evidenced by chortens, monasteries and ceremonial structures within the palace complex. Located atop a hill, the city offered natural military defence while maintaining control over surrounding valleys and trade routes.
The city was attacked and destroyed during the Gurkha invasions, forcing the Sikkimese rulers to abandon it and shift the capital to a safer location, ultimately meeting its decline in the 18th century. Rabdentse then fell into ruin as forests slowly reclaimed and buried the city. Today, Rabdentse is protected by heritage authorities and stands as a powerful symbol of Sikkim’s early political history and Himalayan cultural legacy, preserved through documentation and conservation.
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