Neolithic Settlements – Baluchistan, Kashmir, Chirand and South India
Ancient History › Prehistoric and Chalcolithic Cultures · Topic 2.6
Neolithic settlements fall into regional groups: Mehrgarh and Kashmir (Burzahom, Gufkral) in the north-west; Koldihwa, Mahagara, Senuwar and Chirand in the Vindhyas and Ganga plain; Assam and Meghalaya in the north-east; and over 850 south Indian sites such as Maski, Brahmagiri, Piklihal, Utnur and Paiyampalli, with ash mounds. Mehrgarh had wheat, barley and mud-brick granaries; Burzahom had pit dwellings and dog burials; Chirand used antler tools.
5 min read · UPSC Prelims · History · Prehistoric and Chalcolithic Cultures
At a Glance
- North-west Mehrgarh, Burzahom, Gufkral
- Ganga and Vindhya Chirand, Koldihwa, Mahagara, Senuwar
- North-east Daojali Hading, Sarutaru
- South Maski, Brahmagiri, Piklihal, Utnur
- Special Dog burials at Burzahom
- Exam link UPSC Prelims, Ancient History: Prehistoric and Chalcolithic Cultures
Where Does It Fit?
This is the sixth topic of the category on prehistoric and chalcolithic cultures. The previous topic described the Neolithic age in general, and this one describes its regional settlements. The next topic covers Chalcolithic cultures. Previous topic: The Neolithic Age – First Food Producers.
What Was Mehrgarh?
In short: Mehrgarh in Baluchistan is the oldest known farming settlement in the subcontinent and a forerunner of the Indus civilisation.
Mehrgarh lies on the Bolan river in the Kachhi plain, the bread basket of Baluchistan, on the edge of the Indus plains. It is one of the largest Neolithic settlements between the Indus and the Mediterranean, attributed to about 7000 BC. The first settlers raised domestic animals and cereals and were disturbed by floods about 5500 BC, then resumed activity about 5000 BC with stone and bone tools. They grew wheat and barley and domesticated cattle, sheep and goats, with goats first and cattle later. Cereals were stored in compartmented mud-brick granaries. The potter’s wheel was known after 4500 BC, and pots multiplied and were painted. From 4500 to 3500 BC farming expanded into the Indus plain, and forty-seven later Neolithic settlements in the dried Hakra basin paved the way for the Harappan culture.
| Period | Date and features |
|---|---|
| I | About 7000 to 5500 BCE; aceramic; six-row barley, emmer and einkorn wheat, jujube and dates; sheep, goat and cattle; semi-nomadic; mud houses; burials; ornaments of shell, limestone, turquoise, lapis lazuli and sandstone |
| II | About 5500 to 4800 BCE; pottery; terracotta figurines; glazed faience beads |
| III | About 4800 to 3500 BCE; long-distance trade shown by lapis lazuli from Badakhshan; the town was abandoned after the mature Indus phase arose |
The earliest evidence of drilling a living person’s tooth, a prelude to dentistry, comes from Mehrgarh.
What Were the Kashmir and Ganga Sites?
| Site | Features |
|---|---|
| Burzahom | Means place of birch; 16 km north-west of Srinagar; lakeside pit dwellings about four metres deep; hunting and fishing and some agriculture; coarse grey pottery; polished stone and many bone tools; no microliths; domestic dogs buried with their masters; earliest date about 2700 BC; trade with Harappans and use of lentil suggest contact with Central Asia |
| Gufkral | Cave of the potter, 41 km south-west of Srinagar; both agriculture and animal husbandry |
| Chirand | 40 km west of Patna at the junction of the Ganges, Son, Gandak and Ghaghra; antler tools, few stone tools; about 100 cm rainfall; not earlier than 2000 BC |
| Vindhya and Kaimur sites | Koldihwa and Mahagara in Allahabad district known for rice in the fifth millennium BC; Senuwar in Rohtas district is the most important; Taradih near Bodh Gaya; Lahuradewa has rice dated about 6500 BCE; cord-marked pottery |
| North-east | Assam hills, Garo hills, Daojali Hading and Sarutaru; shouldered axes and splayed celts; shifting cultivation, yam and taro, stone memorials for the dead and Austro-Asiatic languages; dated from 2500 to 1500 BCE or later |
What Were the South Indian Neolithic Sites?
Neolithic people lived south of the Godavari on granite hilltops or plateaus near rivers, using stone axes and blades. Fire-baked clay figurines show they kept many cattle, sheep and goats, and stone querns show cereal production. South India has the largest number of Neolithic settlements, over 850 across Andhra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, because stone was easy to find. Important sites include Maski, Brahmagiri, Hallur, Kodekal, Sanganakallu, Piklihal and Takkalakota in Karnataka, Utnur in Andhra Pradesh and Paiyampalli in Tamil Nadu. The south Indian Neolithic runs from about 2400 to 1000 BC. At Piklihal the settlers were cattle-herders who set up seasonal camps with cowpens made of posts and stakes, collected dung, and when it was time to move, set the whole camping ground afire to clear it. Ash mounds, such as Utnur, Palvoy, Kodekal, Kupgal and Budihal, show soft ash and decomposed cow dung with houses and burials around them. As an analytical point, regions entered the Neolithic at very different times, which is why India’s prehistory cannot be told as a single sequence. The following stage is in Chalcolithic Cultures of India.
Why Is This Topic Important?
- Site questions Mehrgarh, Burzahom and Chirand are asked often
- Regional variety Different dates and tools
- Link Mehrgarh leads to the Indus culture
What Came Next?
The next topic describes Chalcolithic cultures of India. Next topic: Chalcolithic Cultures of India.
Key People and Terms
- Mehrgarh Baluchistan Neolithic site
- Burzahom Kashmir Neolithic site
- Gufkral Cave of the potter
- Chirand Bihar site with antler tools
- Ash mound Mound of burnt cattle dung
- Aceramic Without pottery
Exam Corner
Points to Remember
- Mehrgarh: about 7000 BC, on the Bolan river.
- Burzahom: pit dwellings and dog burials.
- Chirand: antler tools.
- Koldihwa and Mahagara: rice.
- South India: ash mounds, about 2400 to 1000 BC.
Do Not Confuse With
- Burzahom and Gufkral Pit dwellings and dog burials versus cave of the potter with farming
- Chirand and Koldihwa Antler tools versus early rice
- Aceramic and ceramic Neolithic Without pottery versus with pottery
Memory Hook
Mehrgarh grains, Burzahom pits and dogs, Chirand antlers, Koldihwa rice, southern ash mounds.
Mains Angle
Questions on Neolithic sites ask for regional features. These points add depth.
- North-west Earliest farming
- Ganga and north-east Rice and antler tools
- South Cattle herders and ash mounds
A Question You May Face
An original practice question, not a past paper question.
“Describe the regional variations in the Neolithic cultures of India.”
How to Answer
- North-west Mehrgarh and Kashmir.
- East Chirand and Vindhya.
- North-east Shifting cultivation.
- South Ash mounds, cattle.
GS Relevance
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Mehrgarh important?
Mehrgarh, on the Bolan river in Baluchistan, is the earliest known Neolithic settlement of the subcontinent, attributed to about 7000 BC. It grew wheat and barley, kept cattle, sheep and goats, built mud-brick granaries and paved the way for the Harappan culture.
What is special about Burzahom?
Burzahom in Kashmir had pit dwellings about four metres deep, coarse grey pottery, many bone tools, no microliths, and domestic dogs buried with their masters, a practice not seen in other Neolithic cultures in India.
What is special about Chirand?
Chirand, west of Patna at the junction of four rivers, has considerable bone implements made of deer antlers and few stone tools. The site dates from about 2000 BC and belongs to the late Neolithic phase.
What are ash mounds?
Ash mounds are accumulations of soft ash and decomposed cow dung found at south Indian Neolithic sites such as Utnur, Kodekal and Piklihal. They resulted from cattle-herders burning the dung-filled camping ground, with houses and burials around them.
How did south Indian Neolithic sites differ from the north?
South Indian sites are later, about 2400 to 1000 BC, and lie on granite hilltops near rivers. They have ash mounds, cattle-herding, ragi and horse gram, and over 850 settlements across Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
PYQ Practice — Statement Analysis
1 Domestic dogs were buried with their masters at Burzahom.
It is unique in the Indian Neolithic.
2 Koldihwa is known for rice cultivation in the fifth millennium BC.
It lies in Allahabad district.
3 Chirand yielded considerable stone tools but few bone tools.
It yielded antler tools and few stone tools.
4 South Indian Neolithic settlements are generally older than those of Baluchistan.
They date from about 2400 BC.
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