RAS question
The Rangmahal civilization in Rajasthan belongs to which period?
Correct answer: (C) Kushan-Gupta period.
The Rangmahal civilisation in Rajasthan belongs primarily to the Kushan-Gupta period.
Explanation
Rangmahal is an early historical site near the dry bed of the Ghaggar in Hanumangarh district, in the Hanumangarh-Sri Ganganagar region. The Rajasthan Foundation's Sri Ganganagar PDF states that its first settlement was established around A.D. 250 during the Kushana period and continued to flourish until the sixth or seventh century A.D. The site belongs mainly to the 1st-5th century CE Kushan-Gupta phase. It was excavated by the Swedish Archaeological Expedition in 1952-54. The finds included coins of Kanishka III, the Murundas, Kanishka I, Huvishka and Vasudeva; a seal dating to around A.D. 300; mud-brick structures; the distinctive Rang Mahal Ware ceramic culture; painted pottery; and terracotta figurines. This chronology and archaeological evidence place Rangmahal primarily in the Kushan-Gupta period.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) The Harappan period is incorrect because Rangmahal is a post-Harappan, early historical site whose first settlement dates to the Kushana period around A.D. 250.
- (B) The pre-Harappan period is incorrect because Rangmahal is a later, early historical site whose first settlement is dated to the Kushana period around A.D. 250, not to a pre-Harappan phase.
- (D) The Mauryan period is incorrect because Kushana coins, Rang Mahal Ware and the site's later continuation place it mainly in the Kushan-Gupta period rather than a predominantly Mauryan context.
Concept
This question tests understanding of Rajasthan's archaeological cultures and their chronological placement. RAS repeatedly asks such questions because sites like Rangmahal help explain how artefacts, riverine settings and the periods of different dynasties are connected in Rajasthan's history.