RAS question
Burzahom, a famous Neolithic site, is located in:
Correct answer: (B) Kashmir.
Burzahom is a Neolithic site in Kashmir, about 16 km north-east of Srinagar.
Explanation
Burzahom belongs with Kashmir, not the plains sites often confused with it. The Archaeological Survey of India report places Burzahom about 16 km north-east of Srinagar and records systematic ASI excavations there from 1960 to 1971. The same report describes its cultural sequence as beginning with the Aceramic Neolithic, represented by underground dwelling pits, with polished bone and stone artefacts found in those deposits. Burzahom is a key Kashmir Neolithic site known for pit-dwellings, bone tools, and unusual burial evidence, including a dog skull buried with a human body, perhaps the owner. Burzahom literally means the place of the birch.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Rajasthan is associated with sites such as Kalibangan and Bagor, while Burzahom is placed by the ASI report near Srinagar in Kashmir.
- (C) Bihar's Neolithic reference site is Chirand, whereas Burzahom is the Kashmir site named in the ASI excavation report.
- (D) Assam is linked to Daojali Hading, not Burzahom, which the ASI report locates about 16 km north-east of Srinagar.
Concept
Major Neolithic sites are mapped to regions in RAS Ancient India because sites such as Burzahom, Chirand, Bagor, and Daojali Hading are often asked through one-line location clues. Burzahom recurs because its Kashmir setting and pit-dwelling evidence make it distinctive.