RAS question
The Ahar site is locally known by which names?
Correct answer: (B) Tambavati and Dhulkot.
The Ahar site is locally known as Tambavati, or the copper town, and as Dhulkot, the ancient mound near Udaipur.
Explanation
Ahar is identified by its local names because the names point to the site's archaeology. The Department of Distance and Continuing Education, Campus of Open Learning, School of Open Learning, University of Delhi material says the ancient mound of Ahar, about 3 km from Udaipur, is locally known as Dhulkot. It also records the regional tradition that Ahar was called Tambavati Nagari, a copper town, and notes copper artefacts from Period I. Tambavati reflects the abundance of copper artefacts, while Dhulkot refers to the archaeological mound. This is why the paired names Tambavati and Dhulkot, not names of other Rajasthan sites, identify Ahar in Chalcolithic-period questions.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Sonar Kot and Rajkot are not the local names given for Ahar; the supported names are Tambavati and Dhulkot.
- (C) Viratnagar and Bairat refer to different sites, so they do not identify the Ahar archaeological mound.
- (D) Ganeshwar and Jodhpura are different archaeological sites and are not the local names of Ahar.
Concept
This tests Rajasthan's Chalcolithic archaeology, especially the identification of major sites through local names and material culture. It recurs in RAS because Ahar is a key Rajasthan site linked with copper artefacts and archaeological mound evidence.