RAS question
Ahar, an ancient site near Udaipur, is also known as 'Tambavati'. This name refers to:
Correct answer: (B) Place of copper.
Ahar near Udaipur is called Tambavati because the name refers to copper, especially the copper artefacts and copper-working association of the Ahar-Banas culture.
Explanation
Tambavati points to copper, not to pottery, gold, or iron. The name is linked to evidence of copper smelting at Ahar, one of the early copper-using centres of the Ahar-Banas culture. University of Calicut School of Distance Education material describes the Banas culture in south-east Rajasthan, identifies Ahar on the outskirts of Udaipur as its key site, and states that Ahar was known in ancient times as Tambavati, the city of copper. It also notes that Ahar lay close to the Khetri copper mines and yielded many copper artefacts, including axes, bangles, and rings. That is why the name is best understood as a reference to copper.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Pottery is part of many Chalcolithic cultures, but Tambavati is a copper-related name, not a reference to earthenware.
- (C) The name Tambavati is tied to copper and copper artefacts at Ahar; it is not connected with gold.
- (D) Iron is not the reference here, because the Ahar-Banas context is Chalcolithic and copper-centred.
Concept
This tests Rajasthan's Chalcolithic archaeology, especially the Ahar-Banas culture and the link between site names, resource zones, and material remains. It recurs in RAS because Ahar is a standard Rajasthan culture site where copper use, location near Udaipur, and the Tambavati name are often asked together.