Solution: Weekly Problem Practice For History Optional- 2022 [Ancient India: Week 1]

Q. Identify the following places marked on the map and write a short note of about 30 words on each of them in your Answer sheet. Locational hints for each of the places marked on the map are given below seriatim: [2.5×20= 50 Marks]

(i) Paleolithic site

Paisra

• In Munger in Bihar.
• Paleolithic and Mesolithic site.
• A stone working site containing finished and semi-finished tools found.
• The evidence for the construction of huts and temporary shelters found.
• Apart from microliths, there are traces of numerous fire places found.
• The raw material for making tools, i.e. stone, was probably heated before flaking.
• The thin layer of Mesolithic habitation suggests that people did not live at this place for a long time.
• No organic remains have been reported.

(ii) Neolithic site

Utnur/ Utnoor

• In Adilabad district, Telngana.
• Evidences of Ash-mounds, agriculture and cattle herding.
• Bone tools,
• Celts, microlithic blades, stone axes, handmade coarse pottery found.

(iii) Harappan site

Manda/ Akhnoor

• In Akhnoor district, J&K on the bank of Chenab.
• Mature and Late Harappan.
• Northern most Harappan site.
• Harappan and Late Harappan site.
• BRW, red ware and grey ware.
• Artefacts:
  • Bangles,
  • potshards with Harappan writings and
  • bone arrow heads.
• Artefacts of Kushana period:- Pottery, terracotta figurines, bone arrow heads, iron daggers and copper rods.
• Source of timber for IVC sites.
• Akhnoor fort built by Raja Alam Singh in 1802.

(iv) IVC site

Dholavira

• In Kutch district, Gujarat.
• City scape consisted ‘citadel’, a ‘middle town’ and a ‘lower town’,
• Water conservation system of channels and reservoirs built of stone.
• Seven Hemispherical constructions found.
• A coastal route existed linking Lothal and Dholavira to Sutkagan Dor on the Makran coast.
• Findings:
  • Painted BRW
  • square stamp seals,
  • seals without Indus script,
  • Dholavira signboard: containing ten letters of Indus script. The inscription is the longest in the Indus script.

(v) Megalithic site

Sittanavasal

• In Pudukkottai district, Tamilnadu.
• Meghalithic and Jain Cave site.
• Burials:
  • Stone circles,
  • Cist burials
  • urn burials,
• Pottery, glass manufacturing site, iron objects,
• Sittanavasal Cave is a Jain caves with painting and sculptures.
  • Temple-cave dated to Pallava King Mahendravarman I (580–630 AD).
  • Painting:
    • Mural painting
    • Fresco-secco technique
    • Painting depicts:
      • lotus pond with lotus flowers,
      • people collecting lotuses from the pond,
      • dancing figures,
      • fish, buffaloes, elephants etc.

(vi) PGW site

Ahichchhatra

• In Bareilly district, Uttar Pradesh.
• Capital of Northern Panchala, Mahajanapada.
• A brick fortification excavated.
• PGW was first identified at Ahichchhatra.
• PGW was followed by NBPW Period.
• Panchala and Kushana coins have been found here.

(vii) Ancient port

Arikamedu/ poduka

• Near Puducherry.
• Known as Poduka to the Romans.
• Famous port during the sangam Age under Early Chola.
• Bead making facility and trading with Roman.
• Roman artifacts:
  • Amphorae bearing the mark of Roman pottery.
  • Roman lamps, glassware and gems.
  • Roman golden coins proves that India got a lot of gold in return of her export.

(viii) Pre-historic cave painting site

Lakhudiyar

• In Kumaon hills, Uttarakhand.
• Lakhudiyar means one lakh caves.
• Prehistoric paintings.
  • human (stick-like forms), hand-linked dancing human
  • animal- fox, long-snouted animal, lizard etc.
  • geometric patterns, wavy lines, dots
  • in white, black and red ochre
  • some superimposition of paintings.

(ix) Mesolithic site

Birbhanpur

• In Burdman district, West Bengal.
• Mesolithic stone tools made of quartz, some of chert and chalcedony, were found here.
  • Birbhanpur industry dominated with big flakes and blade tools.
  • Main microlith type- Lunate type.
  • Triangle and trapezes absent.
• Both a habitation and a factory site.
• Post holes found here.
• No hearth, bone or human burials found.

(x) Neolithic site

Sarutaru 

• Near Guwahati (Assam).
• A Neolithic site.
• Excavations:
  • Stone celts, charcoal, potshards and round-butted axes.
• Pottery:
  • Handmade brown, buff, and grey wares, some with cord impressions.
• The pottery of Sarutaro agrees well with that of Daojali Hading in Assam.

(xi) Ancient education and commercial centre

Taxila

• In Rawalpindi district, Pakistan.
• Ancient political, commercial and cultural centre.
• Commercial centre:
  • At junction of 3 major trade routes: West Asia, northern India and Central Asia.
  • Centre of artisanal production.
• Centre of education:
  • Amongst the earliest universities.
  • Many do not consider it a university as:
    • teachers did not have official membership of particular colleges, and
    • there was no purpose-built lecture halls and residential quarters, like Nalanda University.
  • Charaka, Chanakya, Jivaka, Panini etc are related to Taxila University.
• Political centre:
  • Capital of Gandhara satrapy, under Achaemenian.
  • Alexander received submission of ruler of Taxila, Ambhi.
  • Taxila became a provincial capital of Mauryas.
  • Capital of Indo-Parthian Kingdom, and one of the capitals of Kushanas.
• The Chinese pilgrims Fa Hian (5^th century) and Hieun Tsang (7^th century) visited Taxila. In ruin during Huen Tsang.

(xii) Political and cultural centre

Aihole

• In Bijapur district, Karnataka.
• It is east of Pattadakal, while Badami is to the west of both.
• First capital of western Chalukyas (later moved to Badami).
• Chalukyan architecture, with many stone temples dating from 5th century CE.
  • Earliest structural temples.
  • Among the seventy temples found at Aihole, four are important.
    • Ladh Khan temple is flat-roofed structure consisting of a pillared hall.
    • Durga temple resembles a Buddha Chaitya.
    • Huchimalligudi temple.
    • The Jain temple at Meguti.
• Caves: 
  • Ravana Phadi cave- rocks cut temples.
  • Jain cave temple
  • A Buddhist Chaitya Cave- partly rockcut structure.
• Aihole inscription:
  • Aihole Prasasti in Meguti Temple
  • Composed by Ravikirti, the court poet of Pulakesin II in 634 A.D.
  • In Sanskrit language and old Karnataka script
  • Detailed account of Pulakesin II’s exploit against his neighbouring kingdoms like the Pallavas.
  • Describes the victory of Pulakesin II against Harshavardhana.

(xiii) Buddhist site

Sarnath

• Located near Varanasi, U.P.
• In deer park of Sarnath, Buddha first taught the Dharma (Dhammachakkappavattana  Sutta) after attaining enlightenment.
• One of four most important Buddhist pilgrimage sites, the other three being Kushinagar, Bodh Gaya, and Lumbini.
• Also the birthplace the eleventh Tirthankara of Jainism, and a temple dedicated to him.
• Chinese pilgrim Xuan  Zang  visited  and  found  monasteries  and monks studying the  Hinayana and mentions stupa built by Ashoka.
• Center for the arts, which reached its zenith during the Gupta period (Sarnath school).
• Rich in Buddhist antiquities.
  • Dhamek Stupa:
    • a solid cylinder of bricks and stone.
    • wall  covered  with  carved  figures  of  humans  and  birds and inscriptions in the Brahmi script.
    • An Ashoka pillar with an edict and lion capital stands near the Stupa.
• Beautiful sculptures found:
  • A colossal image of a Bodhisattava,
  • a number of images of Buddha and Buddhist deities,
  • Images of Hindu gods as Shiva and Brahma,
  • Lion capital on Ashokan pillar (official Emblem of India)
    • carved out of a single block of polished sandstone
    • mounted on an abacus with a frieze carrying sculptures in high relief of an elephant, a horse, a bull, and a lion, separated by intervening spoked chariot-wheels.
    • The wheel on the capital is the model for the one in the flag of India.
• On pillar, an inscription of one of the Edicts of Ashoka reads, “No one shall cause division in the order of monks”.

(xiv) Neolithic site

Chirand

• In Saran district of Bihar.
• Neolithic, Chalcolithic and Iron Age settlements.
• Neolithic period was earlier than 2500 B.C.
• Practiced agriculture with evidence of wheat, rice, mung, masur, peas found.
• The agricultural tools were made of stone and bone.
• Bone tools are special feature
• They practised hunting also.
• Bones of domesticated and wild animals are found.
• People lived in wattle and daub huts, circular in plan.
• Microliths are also found.
• Pottery:
  • Hand-made, ‘red ware’ and BRW.
  • Post firing painting on pottery.
• Chalcolithic culture: 1600 BCE
  • BRW pottery found.
  • Two phases:
    • The first phase is without iron.
    • Second has iron without NBPW.
• Later period shows the emergence of the N.B.P.W. culture.

(xv) Sun temple site

Konark

• Near Bhubaneshwar in Odissa.
• It is famous for the Sun Temple which was built in 9^th century ad was reconstructed by the Ganga King Narsinngh Dev in the 13^th century.
• The temple is conceived as a gigantic sun chariot with 12 pairs of exquisitely ornamented wheels.
• The colossal temple originally consisted of a sanctum with
  • a curvilinear Shikhara,
  • a Jagamohana (mandapa) and
  • a detached dancing hall built in the same axis,
• A number of subsidiary shrines and structures- all enclosed within a compound wall with 3 entrance gates.
• Many sculptures of birds and animals, deities and Apsaras and Terracotta figurines depicting sensuality are depicted in the temple. They represent Khajuraho style of sculpture.
• Konark temple was called black pagoda by Portuguese.

(xvi) Ancient capital city

Kapilvastu

• In Kapilvastu ditrict, Nepal (25 km northwest of Lumbini).
• UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• Capital of the Shakya kingdom.
• King Suddhodana and Queen Mayadevi of Shakya kingdom gave birth to Gautam Buddha.
• Chinese pilgrims Faxian and Xuanzang made pilgrimages to the site .
• Ancient trade centre.

(xvii) Site of school of art

Amaravati 

• In Guntur District, Andhra Pradesh.
• Meghalithic, BRW and NBPW site.
• Inscription in Maurya Brahmi found.
• Dhanyakataka – capital of Satavahanas.
• Buddhist stupa:
  • Buddhist Stupa and Mahachaityas with marble and limestone sculptures.
  • Its carved panels tell the story of Buddha.
• Chinese traveller Hiuen Tsang visited in 7^th century.
• Ancient School of Arts:
  • Flourished  for  nearly  six  centuries commencing  from  200-100  BC.
  • Patronized first by the Satavahanas and later by the Ikshvakus.
  • Some Buddhist sculptures with Greco-Roman influence.

(xviii) Chalcolithic site

Inamgaon

• In Pune district, Maharashtra.
• Post-Harappan Chalcolithic site.
• Multiple cultural phases:- Jorwe culture and Malwa Culture found.
• Habitation:
  • Early chalcolithic:
    • Mud and circular houses.
    • Storage pits.
    • Biggest houses with five room was of the ruling chief.
    • Granary.
  • Later Chalcolithic:
    • Fortified wall around the settled area.
• Pottery:
  • Red with black designs.
• Artefacts:
  • Stone tools for cutting plants, meat etc.
  • Few coppers tools and ornaments found.
    • Ornaments:- beads, bangles, and anklets. Later gold also.
    • Tools and weapons such as drills, fish hooks and arrowheads.
  • Beads of terracotta, semi-precious stones ivory, sea shells.
  • Terracotta figurines:-  toys, bull, female goddess etc.
• Trade with other parts of the country.
• Agriculture:
  • Wheat, barley, lentils, peas, gram and beans.
• Bones of wild and domesticates.

(xix) Pre-Harappan site

Kalibangan

• In Hanumangarh district, Rajasthan, on bank of Ghaggar.
• Pre-Harappan and Harappan.
• Pre-Harappan:
  • used copper and produced pottery,
  • no writing system,
  • lack the orderly layout,
  • used sun dried bricks.
• Harappan:
  • Cemetery and a fortified citadel.
  • lower town also fortified.
  • use of mud and burnt bricks
  • grid-pattern of town planning,
  • Burnt bricks were used in drains, wells, bathing platforms, fire-altar.
• Other feature and findings:
  • Pottery:
    • for household, religious and burial purposes,
    • wheel made red pottery.
  • Unique fire altars:- suggest fire worship
  • Ploughed field
  • Rectangular as well as cylindrical seals found.
  • Terracotta bangles, bull etc. are found.
  • Pit burial and urn burial has been found.

(xx) Mesolithic site

Tilwara

• In Barmer district, Rajasthan.
• It has two phases.
  • First phase is Mesolithic and characterized by the presence of microliths.
  • The second phase has yielded wheel-made pottery, some pecies of iron, glass bead along with microliths.
• Westernmost mesolithic site in India.
• Circular arrangement of stones on the ground indicate habitation structure.
• Fire hearts, charred bones indicate settlement of mesolithic culture.
• Stone working site found.