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Home/Anthropology/Mains PYQ/2022/Paper II/Prehistoric Archaeology
UPSC MainsAnthropology Optional Paper II 2022 10 Marks Model Answer Available

Pit-dwellers of Kashmir — 2022 Paper II

Question · 2022 · Paper II · 10 Marks

Pit-dwellers of Kashmir

Model Answer

VAID ICS

Approach

  • Demand of Question: Explain the archaeological meaning, structural features, and significance of pit-dwellings in Kashmir (focusing on Burzahom and Gufkral), along with the material culture associated with them.
  • Structuring the Response: Begin with the context of the Kashmir Neolithic; describe the structural design of subterranean dwellings; highlight associated material culture and unique practices; interpret the ecological and evolutionary significance; conclude with their transition to surface houses.
  • Key Dimensions to Cover: Burzahom Period I & II; circular vs. rectangular pits; post-holes, steps, and hearths; bone tools and distinctive burials; cold-climate adaptation; transition to mud/stone structures; Gufkral comparison.

Model Answer

Introduction: Pit-dwellings are semi-subterranean houses excavated into the earth, where the living floor lies below ground level. In Indian prehistory, they are the defining feature of the Northern Neolithic culture (Kashmir Valley), reflecting a highly specialized adaptation to a severe, cold-climate environment.

Burzahom (The Core Site): Excavations by the ASI revealed a unique settlement pattern cut into the Karewa (glacial clay) soil.

  • Structural Features: Dwellings were primarily circular or oval (wider at the base, narrower at the top). Rectangular pits were also found, likely used for storage. Steps or footholds were carved into the walls for entry.
  • Superstructure: Post-holes around the margins indicate wooden superstructures roofed with birch, branches, or animal skins.
  • Domestic Activity: Hearths were found both inside (for winter use) and outside (for summer use) the pits. Ash and occupational debris line the floors.
  • Material Culture & Burials: The pit-dwellers used distinctive polished stone tools and a prolific amount of bone tools (needles, harpoons, awls) for leather-working and fishing. Later phases reveal unique burials within settlement areas, notably the burial of pet dogs/wolves alongside their masters.

Gufkral: Another major Neolithic site in the region that yielded similar pit-dwellings. It is significant for showing a clear transition from an aceramic (without pottery) phase to a ceramic phase, complementing the Burzahom findings.

Anthropological Significance:

  • Ecological Adaptation: The earth-insulated floors drastically reduced exposure to severe winter temperatures, showing architecture as a survival strategy.
  • Socio-Cultural Evolution: The transition from Period I (pit dwellings) to Period II (surface-level mud and timber structures) indicates increasing sedentism, a shift toward warmer climatic phases, and the evolution of household organization.

Conclusion: The Kashmir pit-dwellings are a vital archaeological archive. They demonstrate how early human societies in the Himalayan Neolithic did not merely survive their harsh geography, but innovated unique architectural and technological solutions (like bone tools and subterranean insulation) to establish enduring settled life.

2026 Discuss with examples, how general comparative analogy has been used in ethnoarchaeological studies in India. 2026 Make a critical appraisal of the mesolithic culture of Ganga basin with reference to artifacts, faunal and human skeletal remains excavated from different sites. 2026 Ethnoarchaeology and classical archaeology. 2026 Give the distribution of Palaeolithic sites around the Himalayan and Sub-Himalayan areas, highlighting the typo-technologies of the tools.

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