RAS question
Ahar civilization is also known as the 'Banas Culture'. Ahar is located in which district?
Correct answer: (C) Udaipur.
Ahar, the type-site of the Ahar-Banas Chalcolithic culture, is located in Udaipur district.
Explanation
Ahar is identified with the Ahar-Banas Chalcolithic culture, dated to 3000-1500 BCE. Ahar is on the bank of the Ahar River in Udaipur district and is also known as Tambavati and Dhulkot. The Department of Distance and Continuing Education, Campus of Open Learning, School of Open Learning, University of Delhi describes the ancient mound, locally called Dhulkot, as situated on the Ahar River about 3 km east of Udaipur, and also links the culture with Banas. That is why Udaipur is the precise district answer, while the other choices are nearby or separate Rajasthan districts and do not match the site location.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Rajsamand is a separate district, while Ahar is in Udaipur district.
- (B) Chittorgarh may be geographically nearby, but the Ahar site falls in Udaipur district.
- (D) Bhilwara is not the district of Ahar; the question's own note associates Bhilwara with Balathal, whereas Ahar is placed in Udaipur.
Concept
This tests the Rajasthan history mapping of protohistoric sites to their districts. It recurs in RAS because Ahar-Banas is a core Chalcolithic culture in Rajasthan and site-location questions are a standard prelims pattern.