Ahichatra (or
Ahi-Kshetra) was the ancient
capital of
Northern Panchala, a northern Indian kingdom mentioned in
Mahabharata. The remains of this city has been discovered near
Ramnagar town in
Nainital district in
Uttarakhand state. The excavations have brought to life a brick fortification and continuity of occupation from a period before 600 BCE to 1100 CE. During the first excavations in 1940–44, the
Painted Gray Ware pottery were found at the earliest level. Ruins of this city could be identified from the remote sensing imagery of IRS (Indian Remote Sensing) satellites. The ruins reveals that the city had a triangular shape. Recent excavations in Ahichhatra showed it was first inhabited by the middle of the second millennium BC with
Ochre Coloured Pottery culture people, followed by
Black and Red Ware culture. Around 1000 BC, it reached at least 40 hectares of area, making it one of the largest
Painted Grey Ware culture sites. The city was alive up to end of
Kurukshetra war. Near the ahichhatra 2 km west there is also a big pond at the time of mahabharta in the village of jagannathpur and today the peoples bath in that pond this pond is made by the pandavs at the time of banvas