Odi: ଜଉଗଡ଼ jaugaṛa
‘Lac Fort’ Fort/Archaeological Site, Odisha
From Odi: jau, ‘shell lac’; Hin: gaṛh, ‘fort’.
Shell lac/shellac is the resin secreted by the female lac bug [Kerria lacca]. It is dried into flakes and used as a gloss, glaze, primer, varnish or sealant .
This is not the sort of stuff you build forts out of, as the Kauravas knew when they built a flammable lac palace in the hope of ridding themselves of their cousins, the Pandavas, through ‘accidental’ arson [in the Mahabharata].
Jaugarh has a 3rdC Ashoka rock edict which declares “All men are my children”. These edicts were moral and social precepts written following Ashoka’s conversion to Buddhism and inscribed on pillars throughout his Empire. The fort probably dates back to this period, the 3rdC BC, and lasted through to the 7thC.
Article: Jaugada – Ashokan Major Rock Edict In Odisha
For related place names see Indian Place names and Odisha place names.
