RAS question
Gufkral, a Neolithic site showing evidence of pit dwellings, is in:
Correct answer: (A) Kashmir.
Gufkral is a Neolithic site in Kashmir, situated in Pulwama district, where excavations revealed pit dwellings.
Explanation
Gufkral is not a generic North Indian Neolithic site; it belongs to the Kashmir Neolithic sequence. Sahapedia, "Prehistoric Archaeology of Kashmir: An Overview", places Gufkral next to Bonmir village in Tral Tehsil of Pulwama district, Kashmir, and identifies it as among the Kashmir Neolithic sites excavated systematically. Its early Neolithic settlers lived in underground pits, circular or rectangular in plan, cut into the natural loessic soil. This fits the standard comparison with Burzahom, another Kashmir site known for pit dwellings. Gufkral means "cave of the potter" and shows evidence for early agriculture in Kashmir, including wheat and barley.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) Assam is wrong because Gufkral is located in Pulwama district in the Kashmir valley, not in the north-east.
- (C) Bihar is wrong because the site described is part of the Kashmir Neolithic sequence and is specifically placed at Tral in Pulwama district.
- (D) Madhya Pradesh is wrong because Gufkral’s pit-dwelling evidence comes from Kashmir Neolithic archaeology, alongside sites such as Burzahom.
Concept
This tests the mapping of major Indian Neolithic sites with their diagnostic features, especially Kashmir’s pit-dwelling tradition. RAS repeats such site-feature-location questions because they connect archaeology with regional cultural sequences.