Prehistory and Protohistory in India and Pakistan c6.4

c6.4

WITH this introduction, a geographical survey, first of the Early or Lower Palaeolithic Cultures in India, is given. Beginning with the Panjab, we move on to the U.P., Bihar, West Bengal, Orissa, Andhra and Madras, the States in the East and South-East India. Proceeding up along the west coast, we have Kerala, Mysore, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajputana and Madhya Pradesh, terminating after reaching the heart of India which abuts on the Gangetic plains. Thus we cover the Indo-Gangetic Plains and the uplands and the Peninsular India proper. Now it may not be a pure accident that the two main Early Palaeolithic Cultures of India fall into two groups with distinct geographical features. Thus the Sohanian or the Chopper-Chopping Culture seems to have originated in and confined primarily to the Panjab, whereas the Hand-axe Culture, though of equal antiquity and also found in the Panjab, has its real focus, wide and prolific distribution, in the Peninsular India.