RAS question
Balathal was excavated by which institution?
Correct answer: (B) Deccan College, Pune.
Balathal in Udaipur district was excavated by the Department of Archaeology of Deccan College Post-graduate and Research Institute, Pune, jointly with the Institute of Rajasthan Studies, Rajasthan Vidyapeeth, Udaipur.
Explanation
Balathal is tied in RAS history to the Ahar-Chalcolithic archaeology of Mewar, so the institution behind the excavation matters. The Archaeological Survey of India review for 1993-94 records that excavation at Balathal was undertaken jointly by the Department of Archaeology of Deccan College Post-graduate and Research Institute, Pune, and the Institute of Rajasthan Studies, Rajasthan Vidyapeeth, Udaipur, under V.N. Misra of Deccan College. Deccan College was the named lead academic institution for the Balathal excavation. Balathal lies in Vallabhnagar tehsil of Udaipur district and is a Chalcolithic Ahar-culture site in Mewar, with evidence relevant to early farming and animal husbandry.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Banaras Hindu University did not conduct the Balathal excavation; Deccan College and Rajasthan Vidyapeeth conducted it.
- (C) Rajasthan University was not the Rajasthan collaborator at Balathal; the Rajasthan collaborator was the Institute of Rajasthan Studies, Rajasthan Vidyapeeth, Udaipur.
- (D) The Archaeological Survey of India published Indian Archaeology 1993-94: A Review, while Deccan College and Rajasthan Vidyapeeth conducted the Balathal excavation.
Concept
RAS often covers Rajasthan's Chalcolithic archaeology, especially the Ahar culture sites of Mewar. Site-institution links help distinguish Balathal from other prehistoric and protohistoric excavations in Rajasthan.