Mesolithic Age in India

Mesolithic Age in India

The Pleistocene ended sometimes around 9000-8000 years ago and the climate changed. The climate became warmer and humid and there was expansion of flora and fauna contributed by increased rainfall. This led to availability of new resources to humans and thus the human beings moved to new areas. This period is marked with increased population. The first human colonization of the Ganga plains took place during Mesolithic period and this has been proved by presence of more than two hundred archaeological sites in Allahabad, Pratapgarh, Jaunpur, Mirzapur and Varanasi districts of Uttar PradeshThe other regions where effective human colonization occurred are deltaic region of West Bengal, West Coast near Mumbai, Coastal area of Kerala. The term Mesolithic was introduced by John Lubbock in 1865. The early period of Mesolithic age marks the hunting, fishing and food gathering which turn to hunting, fishing, food gathering as well as domesticating the animals. The tools are microliths which are smaller in size
and better in finishing (more geometric) than the Paleolithic age. Agriculture had not developed.

• The earliest evidence of domestication of animals has been provided by Adamagarh in Madhya Pradesh and Bagor in Rajasthan. A study has also suggested cultivation of plants around 7 000-6000 years back near Sambhar lake in Ajmer Rajasthan.

• The Pachpadra basin and Sojat Area of Rajasthan is a rich Mesolithic sites and lot of microliths have been discovered.

• Bagor in Rajasthan is the almost largest Mesolithic site in India.

• Another major Mesolithic site in Rajasthan is Tilwara.

• In Guajarat some places on the banks of river Sabarmati are Mesolithic sites which include the Akhaj, Valsana, Hirpur, Langhanj etc.

• Sarai Nahar Rai in Allahabad-Pratapgarh of Uttar Pradesh is a Mesolithic site. Other sites in Uttar Pradesh are Morhana Pahar and lekkahia.

• In Madhya Pradesh Bhimbetka along with Adamgarh are major Mesolithic sites.

• In Jharkhand Chhota nagpur plateau is a major Mesolithic site in India.

• In Orissa Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Sundergarh is a major Mesolithic site in India.

• In south India Godavari basin is rich in microliths.

The rock painting of Mesolithic period is found in Adamgarh, Bhimbetka of Madhya Pradesh and Pratapgarh, Mirzapur of Rajasthan. Apart from the animals, hunting scenes, the Mesolithic sites have also painting of social life, sexual activity, child birth, rearing of children and burial ceremony.

Microliths : These are tiny tools made from micro blades of one to five cm length, by blunting one or more sides with steep retouch. The main tool types are backed blades, obliquely truncated blades, points, crescents, triangles and trapezes. These microliths were used as components of spearheads, arrowheads, knives, sickles, harpoons and daggers. They were fitted into grooves in bone, wood and reed shafts and joined together by natural adhesives like gum and resin. (VN Misra) Hunting-gathering way of life was slowly replaced by food production from about 6000 B.C