Palaeolithic Sites in India

Palaeolithic Sites in India

Palaeolithic sites in India are primarily found near rivers and include locations like Bhimbetka, Attirampakkam, Hunsgi, and Kurnool Caves, among others.

Riwat, Potwar Plateau:

• Riwat (Potwar Plateau, Pakistan)
• One of the oldest dated Palaeolithic sites in South Asia (~2 million years ago).
• Core tools of Pre-Acheulian/Mode I variety found.
• Associated with Homo erectus.
• Indicates early human dispersal out of Africa through the Indian subcontinent.

Didwana

• Situated in Nagaur district of western Rajasthan.
• At a 50 km stretch from Didwana to Javal, several Acheulian sites have been found.
• City is famous for its Hindu traditional culture and philosophy and the Mathas, and the Mathura das Ji ka Jaav—a well built in 12th century.
• It yielded Lower and Middle Paleolithic stone tools.
• Lower Palaeolithic:
  • Large tools made of quartzite or other hard rocks.
  • Include chopping tools, handaxes, and cleavers.
• Middle Paleolithic:
  • Smaller, lighter flake tools.

Mogara Hills

• It is located near Jodhpur in the state of Rajasthan.
• A factory site where lower, middle, upper as well as mesolithic tools were made.
• Large number of palaeolithic tools like flakes, handaxe etc. have been excavated.

Sabarmati Valley

• It is situated in the state of Rajasthan.
• Lower Palaeolithic tools have been found.
• Palaeolithic tools like flakes, handaxe etc. have been excavated.

Luni Valley/Budha Pushkar Lake

• Ajmer, Rajasthan
• Lower and Middle Palaeolithic age
• Large collection of animal and human bones have been found.
• Fossils remains including pollen remains indicate that the prevailing climate used to be warm and humid.

Rojdi

• In Rajkot district, Gujarat.
• Also Indus valley civilization.
• Houses:
  • Built on stone foundations.
  • No bricks were found.
• Pottery:
  • Hard, red-ware.
• Graffiti and Script:
  • Graffiti with signs from the Indus script, such as jar sign.
  • A short Harappan inscription on pots.
• Copper or bronze flat axes were found.

Kalpi

• Located at the banks of river Yamuna in Jalaun district of U.P.
• One of the oldest one having remains of human settlement found in the Gangetic plains.
• Bone artefacts:
  • Large number of Bone artefacts have been found. E.g. Arrowhead and knife.
• Painted Grey Ware(PGW) also found.
• Later period:
  • This had been a centre of Buddhism and Saivism.
  • Decorated terracotta figurines of this period recovered.

Bhimbetka

• Rock shelters in the Raisen District in Madhya Pradesh and is part of the Ratapani Wildlife Sanctuary.
• It is known for extensive prehistoric cave paintings and evidence of early human activity.
• Mainly Paleolithic and Mesolithic period.
• A UNESCO World Heritage site.
• Tools:
  • Earlier (Palaeolithic) tools were largely made of quartzite and sandstone and were of large size.
  • Mesolithic tools were most often of chalcedony and of smaller size.
• Floors paved with flat stone slabs found.
• No bones have been found so far.
• Rock cave paintings:
  • A natural art gallery with rock cave paintings.
  • Numerous layers (Paleolithic-Mesolithic) of paintings with themes like hunting by men, dancing, children paying, women working, sign of proto-family set up etc.
• Ostrich egg shell beads have been found that dates back to upper Palaeolithic.

Adamgarh

• Situated at south of Narmada river in Hoshangabad district Madhya Pradesh.
• Famous for the pre-historic natural caves and rock shelters and paintings done in red and white colours.
• Palaeolithic and Mesolithic tools found.
  • Microliths found here. Geometric microliths (triangles and trapezes) were very common.
• One of the earliest evidence for the domestication of animals( Domestic and Wild) comes from this site.
• Pottery at microlithic level found.
• Cultural Context: The combination of rock art and stone tools suggests a society engaged in both artistic expression and subsistence activities. There is evidence of domestication of animals and usage of fire

Hathnora

• Located in Sehore district, nearly 35 kilometres east of Hoshangabad in Madhya Pradesh.
• discovered the only known fossil of a human ancestor from South Asia on the banks of the Narmada.
  • indicating the early evolution of human life in the sub-continent.

Baghor

• Located in Son valley in Sidhi district of Madhya Pradesh.
• Palaeolithic and mesolithic tools found.
  • Used for food processing, hunting, craft work etc.
• Mother goddess worship:
  • A rock with concentric triangle found in the middle of a circular platform.
  • Tribal communities still follows as a symbol of mother goddesses.
• Mesolithic phase:
  • The tools are of chert and chalcedony, and geometric microliths occur.
• The location of many large shelters can be identified by a series of post-holes.

Bagor (Bhilwara district, Rajasthan)

• Located on the Kothari River.
• One of the largest Mesolithic sites in India.
• Cultural sequence: Late Palaeolithic → Mesolithic → Early Chalcolithic.
• Bagor was first explored by Dr. L.S. Leshnik in 1967 and later excavated by V.N. Mishra between 1973–1977, uncovering a cultural sequence spanning 5,000 years.

Chopani Mando

• Situated in Belan Valley in Prayagraj district of U.P.
• It is located on the left bank of the Belan River, a tributary of the Ganga River.
• A habitation site with cultural sequence from the upper Palaeolithic to Neolithic age.
• All the three stages of the Paleolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic stage found.
• Paleolithic period:
  • Stone tools made from chert.
  • Bones discovered included those of wild cattle, sheep, and goats.
  • Represents early stage of animal domestication.
• Mesolithic period:
  • Geometric and non-geometric microliths such as blades, points, scrapers mostly made of chert.
  • Handmade pottery, hammer stones and ring stones found.
  • Bones of wild cattle and sheep/goats.
  • Pieces of burnt clay with reed impressions showed that people lived in wattle-and-daub huts.
  • Wild rice is reported.
• One of the earliest sites of Neolithic agriculture in India.

Lekhahia

• Location: Belan Valley, Prayagraj district (U.P).
• Cultural Phase: Primarily Upper Palaeolithic and Mesolithic.
• Key Features:
  • Evidence of seasonal habitation.
  • Tools: Microliths made of chert and chalcedony.
  • Burial site discovered—one of the earliest human burials in India.
  • Grave goods included microlithic tools, showing belief in afterlife.
  • No ceramics, indicating pre-Neolithic stage.
• Importance:
  • Confirms ritualistic burial practices in Upper Paleolithic India.
  • Adds to the understanding of funerary customs and symbolic behaviour.

Bori

• Location: Near Pune, on the banks of the Kukadi river (Western Maharashtra).
• Cultural Phase: Earliest Lower Palaeolithic site in Maharashtra; dates to around 1.38 million years ago (according to recent dating).
• Tools:
  • Quartzite tools: handaxes, cleavers, scrapers.
  • Presence of Acheulian tools (Mode II technology).
• Geo-stratigraphy:
  • Found in basaltic terrain, tools occurred in secondary deposits.
• Importance:
  • One of the earliest securely dated Lower Paleolithic sites in South Asia.
  • Indicates early hominin presence in Deccan Plateau.
  • Helps correlate tool culture with early climatic and volcanic events.

Paisra

• Situated in Munger district, 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.
• Eight post holes (to support thatched huts) have been found.
• Importance:
  • Indicates seasonal migration or short-term occupation.
  • Reflects technological transition from Upper Palaeolithic to Mesolithic.
  • Emphasizes adaptability of early humans to hill-forest environments.

Dari Dungri

• In Sambalpur district, Odisha, Mahanadi basin.
• A large number of Lower and Middle Palaeolithic tools have been excavated from this site.
• It was a large habitation cum working site.
• Flake assemblage-handaxe, cleavers, blades.
• Levallois technique used in tool making.

Hunsgi

• Situated in Gulbarga district of Karnataka, on the banks of river Hungsi, a tributary of Krishna river.
• Lower Palaeolithic tools found.
• It contained stone tools and weapons made from chelimestone, sandstone, quartzite, dolerite, and chert.
• Tools found included blades with sharp edges and many multipurpose instruments.
• Habitation-cum factory sites:
  • Stone working site where tools of local raw material were made and sent to other places.
  • Few traces of habitation structures of early hominids.
  • Evidence of thatched roof-like structures.
  • Palaeolithic hunter-gatherers lived in a ‘band society’.
• Technological Evolution:
  • The tools reflect an advanced understanding of lithic technology, contributing to broader studies on early hominin adaptability in varied environments.
• Environmental Adaptation:
  • Its location in the Shorapur Doab, near water resources, emphasizes the role of geography in shaping early human settlement patterns in South India.

Nevasa

• Situated in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra, in Pravara river basin, a tributary of the Godavari River.
• Excavated by H.D. Sankalia in 1950.
• A paleolithic and chalcolithic site.
• The remains of multilevel settlements from middle Palaeolithic to Middle Ages have been excavated.
• There is evidence of factory site
  • The middle palaeolithic industry of central and peninsular India is sometimes referred as the Nevasan industry after the site of Nevasa.
  • Chirki near Nevas was a living and factory site during Middle Palaeolithic age.
• The tools include a wide variety of scrapers such as agate, jasper, and chalcedony.
• Chalcolithic phase:
  • Painted black and red pottery
  • Copper tools
  • Houses:
    • walls of bamboo and mud, rammed floor, thatched roof, post holes
    • Semi nomadic life style.
• Stone Tools: Large quantities of Acheulian hand axes and other stone tools were discovered, showcasing advanced lithic technology and tool-making skills.
• Chalcolithic Artifacts: Pottery and agricultural tools from the Chalcolithic period highlight a transition to settled agricultural practices, similar to the Harappan civilization during the second millennium B.C.
• Burial Practices: Graves with grave goods, such as pottery and tools, suggest the presence of complex social structures and beliefs about the afterlife.
• Cultural Significance: The Chalcolithic artifacts show parallels with Harappan agricultural and pottery techniques, reflecting regional variations in settled lifestyles.

Chalisgaon/Patne

• In Tapi valley ,in Jalgaon district of Maharashtra.
• It revealed a stratigraphic sequence of middle and upper Palaeolithic- flake tools, burins, blades and Mesolithic tools- geometric microliths .
• Piece of beads made of ostrich egg shells was also found showing the ornamental style of palaeolithic people.

Palghat

• Location: Palakkad district, Kerala; near Palghat Gap—a natural pass in the Western Ghats connecting Kerala to Tamil Nadu.
• Cultural Phase: Lower and Middle Palaeolithic (although less extensively excavated than other South Indian sites).
• Tool Findings:
  • Discovery of quartzite tools including choppers, flakes, and scrapers.
  • Indications of both core and flake tool industries.
• Geographical Significance:
  • Palghat Gap acted as an important prehistoric migration corridor.
  • Facilitated the movement of early humans and later cultural exchanges between east and west coasts.

Attirampakkam

• Situated in Kortallayar river basin, Tamil Nadu, north-west of Chennai.
• Site was discovered in 1863 by British geologist Robert Bruce.
• It reveals a sequence of lower, middle, and upper Paleolithic cultures.
• India’s oldest stone age tools of around 1.5 million years old have been discovered at this site.
• One of the oldest prehistoric site in South Asia.
• It is an open-air paleolithic site.
• Artefacts:
  • Mostly handaxes, made of quartzite stones that were not available locally brought from outside. These tools were also used for butchery and chopping wood.
  • The uniformity in the shape and symmetry of these tools showed capacity for organised and collective working.
• Other discoveries:
  • A set of animal foot-prints found.
  • Three animal fossil teeth of horse, water buffalo, and nilgai, suggesting an open and wet landscape in early Paleolithic times.

Pallavaram

• Location: Suburb of Chennai (formerly Madras), Tamil Nadu.
• Discovered by: Robert Bruce Foote in 1863 – known as the “Father of Indian Prehistory”.
• Cultural Phase: Lower Palaeolithic.
• Significance:
  • First prehistoric site discovered in India, marking the beginning of scientific prehistoric archaeology in South Asia.
  • Led to the identification of the Madrasian Culture, a local variant of the Acheulian tool tradition.
• Tool Characteristics:
  • Tools mostly made of quartzite.
  • Included handaxes, cleavers, and choppers.
  • Belongs to Acheulian tradition (Mode II).
  • Shows bifacial flaking, symmetry, and standardisation.
• Geo-context:
  • Found in lateritic gravels and red soil terraces.
  • Located on the cusp of the Eastern Ghats and the coastal plain, offering raw material and water sources.

Sanghao Caves

• In Peshawar district, on the Pothohar Plateau of Pakistan.
• Middle and Upper palaeolithic occupation.
• Stone tools along with bones and hearths.
• All the tools are made of quartz.
• Many of tools were made from flakes stuck from prepared cores.
• There were lots of burins.

Lingsugur

• In Raichur district, Karnataka.
• Polished stone axe ere found.
• It was the first site to be discovered from India.

Gudiyam Cave

• In Tiruvallur district of Tamil Nadu, 60 km from Chennai.
• Yielded a sequence of Lower, Middle and Upper Palaeolithic tools.
• A few tools and absence of other remains shows the site was occupied for short periods of time.

Chittoor (Andhra Pradesh)

• Upper Palaeolithic site in southern Andhra Pradesh.
• Tools: Blade tools, burins, flakes.
• Tools made of quartzite and chert.
• Associated with Eastern Ghats zone.

Betamcharla (Andhra Pradesh)

• Located in Kurnool district.
• Lower to Middle Palaeolithic site.
• Tools: Handaxes, cleavers, large flakes.
• Raw material: Quartzite.
• Identified as a flake-tool industry zone and possible factory site.

Teri Sites (Tamil Nadu)

• Located in Thoothukudi and Tirunelveli districts.
• Aeolian red sand dune formations.
• Cultural Phase: Middle to Upper Palaeolithic.
• Tools: Microliths, scrapers, flakes.
• Raw material: Quartz, quartzite.
• First reported by Robert Bruce Foote.

Odai (Tamil Nadu)

• Located in Cuddalore district.
• Cultural Phase: Late Palaeolithic to Mesolithic.
• Tools: Microliths, flakes, core tools.
• Raw materials: Quartzite, chalcedony, chert.
• Artefacts found along with marine shells and fossilized wood.

Kurnool

• On the banks of Tungabhadra river, Andhra Pradesh.
• A collection of caves which acted as Rock shelter Upper Palaeolithic Site.
• Prominent caves include Billa Surgam caves , Muchchatla Gavi .
• Bone tools have been found in upper Palaeolithic context .
• Large faunal remains have been excavated including that of Rhinoceros, horse, tiger, leopard etc. This shows that the climate in the upper palaeolithic was moist and the region was thickly forested.

Renigunta

• Renigunta is in the Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh, near the Ralla Kallava River, a tributary of the Palar River.
• Key Findings:
  • Tool Assemblages: Over 5,973 artifacts, including blades and burins, were found across localities like Timmayyagunta, Vedullacheruva, and Nallagundlu, indicating advanced blade technology.
  • Material Composition: Tools made from olive green quartzite and milky quartz include blades up to 10 cm, reflecting refined techniques.
  • Faunal Remains: Evidence of hunted species like deer and wild boar sheds light on prehistoric subsistence strategies.
  • Cultural Context: Findings confirm a well-developed Upper Paleolithic culture, clarifying timelines and cultural complexity in the region.
• Cultural Evolution: Its findings enrich understanding of Upper Paleolithic life and early hunter gatherer practices in South India.

Malprabha- Ghatprabha Valley

• The Kaladgi Basin shows artefacts from all the three periods of Palaeolithic age.
• Important sites are Anagwadi, Kavalli, Lakhmapur.
• Tools made up of stone like quartzite, chert etc have been excavated.

Hiren Valley

• In Saurashtra region of Gujarat.
• Various stone tools have been found.
• The Lower Palaeolithic context is dated 190,GOO- 69,000 BC.

Pahalgam

• In Anatnag district, J&K.
• A hand-axe and flakes was discovered.
• Kashmir lacks Palaeolithic tools in abundance because it was intensely cold during the glacial times.
• Important tourist destination.

Luni valley

• A river of western Rajasthan state.
• Excavation revealed Lower and Middle Palaeolithic sites.
• Lower palaeolithic tools are found.

Baridih (Jharkhand)

• Located near Jamshedpur, in Singhbhum district, Jharkhand.
• Cultural Phase: Lower and Middle Palaeolithic.
• Tools: Handaxes, cleavers, scrapers, flakes.
• Raw material: Quartzite.
• Identified as a factory-cum-habitation site.
• Part of the Chotanagpur Plateau archaeological region.

Anangpur

• Situated in Badarpur Hills, south of Delhi.
• Thousands of early and late Acheulean tools like handaxes, cleavers were found.
• Tool material: Tools were made of quartzite or granite.
• Traces of palaeo-channels of the Yamuna river have been found.
• The evidence indicates that this was a large palaeolithic habitation & factory site .

Buddha Pushkar, Ajmer (Hakra Basin):

• In the old Buddha Pushkar lake region.
• Lower, Middle and Upper Palaeolithic material has been excavated.
• Tools: Flake tools like Points and scrappers.
• Buddha Pushkar lake is a very famous Middle Palaeolithic site due to presence of water and stone nearby.
• Pilgrimage centre for the shrine of Sufi saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti.
• Capital of Chauhans in medieval period.

Sandhav (Kachchh): (excavated in 2019)

• Near coast site in the Naira Valley , Kachchh region of Gujarat.
• Recently archaeologists have found one of India’s oldest stone-age sites, ageing 1,14,000 years. .
• This new finding gives a new dimension to the complex story of human migration out of Africa . It indicates that human migration started around 1,20,000 and reached India around 1,14,000 through sea route.
• An earliest sign of “hafting practices” – a way of making a tool with multiple components was found at Sandhav.
• The scholars have argued that during the Palaeolithic age the climate of Kachchh was more moist and habitable which attracted the larger population.

Haora and Khowai river valley:

• Tripura.
• A number of upper paleolithic tools – burins, blades etc made up of fossil wood excavated.

Koloshi Cave, Sindhudurg: (Excavation in 2020)

• Situated on Konkan coast in Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra.
• Recently in excavation 1,500 Stone Age tools belonging to the Upper Paleolithic period have been found.
• Tools includes ring stones, spades, blades, core and hammer stones,
• The tool types indicate that people consumed wild grains along with hunted animals.

Pinjore (Haryana)

• Lower Palaeolithic site.
• Acheulian tools like handaxes and cleavers made of quartzite.
• Located near the ancient palaeochannel of the Sarasvati River.
• Indicates early hominin presence in northwestern India.

Mandovi Valley (Goa/Karnataka)

• Palaeolithic to Mesolithic artefacts found along Mandovi (Mahadayi) River.
• Tools include blades, flakes, and scrapers.
• Evidence of prehistoric settlement in the Western Ghats riverine region.

Palakkad (Kerala)

• Lower and Middle Palaeolithic tools found near Palghat Gap.
• Tools include choppers, scrapers, and flakes made of quartzite.
• The Palghat Gap acted as a prehistoric migration route between Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

Sundergarh (Odisha)

• Middle Palaeolithic site in the Brahmani and Mahanadi river valleys.
• Tools include scrapers, denticulates, and notches.
• Found in hill slope and fluvial contexts.

Sambalpur (Odisha)

• Lower and Middle Palaeolithic site in the Mahanadi basin.
• Tools include handaxes, cleavers, and flakes.
• Important for mapping early human activity in eastern-central India.

Bankura (West Bengal)

• Stone tools discovered in Susunia Hill region.
• Tools include handaxes, choppers, and flakes.
• Indicates Acheulian presence in the eastern plateau region.

Sohan Valley

• Belongs to Lower Palaeolithic Age
• The Soan River also referred to as the Swan, Sawan, or Sohan, is a river in the Pothohar or North Punjab region of Pakistan.
• It was the Type site of the Sohan Culture. Soanian culture is a prehistoric technological culture from the Siwalik Hills in the Indian subcontinent.
• Soanian artifacts were manufactured on quartzite pebbles, cobbles, and occasionally on boulders, all derived from various fluvial sources on the Siwalik landscape.
• Soanian assemblages generally comprise varieties of choppers, discoids, scrapers, cores, and numerous flake type tools.
• Recent researches have been focusing on the technological culture’s connection with the Harappan culture.

Las Bela (Balochistan, Pakistan)