Prehistory and Protohistory in India and Pakistan c6.s10: Mysore

Prehistory and Protohistory in India and Pakistan c6.s10

Language: English

c6.s10.t1 Kibbanahalli Tools — 22 parts

Mysore

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Further up we come to Mysore. This is a plateau of great environmental contrasts.⁸³ The western parts get more rain, because they are elevated or lie within the direct monsoon belt, whereas the eastern like Chitaldurg are semi-arid. Three major rivers, all flowing from west to east, the Kaveri in the south, the Tungabhadra in the north and the two Pennars and the Palar in the east drain Mysore. Geologically too, almost all the important formations, save sandstone and trap, are met with in the region.

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⁸³ For a little more information, See SHESHADRI, M., *The Stone-Using Cultures of Prehistoric and Proto-Historic Mysore* (London 1956), pp. 1-7.

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FOOTE had discovered palaeoliths at some sites in the Shimoga District, viz. Kadur, Nyamti, Nidaghatta and Lingadahalli.⁸⁴ Since then a few more have been reported, but none in stratified context. So a fuller idea of the palaeolithic times cannot be had.

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⁸⁴ See SANKALIA, *Investigations*, p. 108.

Kibbanahalli Tools

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Recently SHESHADRI has described a palaeolithic industry from Kibbanahalli, District Tumkar, Mysore State.⁸⁵ It is supposed to be a palaeolithic settlement, but no river or stream in the vicinity has been mentioned, though water is said to be available in the adjoining valley. However, raw material was available in plenty and consists primarily of varieties of quartzite. Unfortunately all the tools seem to be from the surface or from an earth deposit, two to eight feet thick. From the mixed nature of the collection comprising early Abbevillian and late Acheulian hand-axes, cleavers of all types, scrapers, choppers and chopping tools, "beaked tools" on Clactonian technique and regarded as a special feature of this industry, and small tools, recalling Series II, it seems to be a re-deposit. Typical Levallois flakes seem to be absent.

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⁸⁵ SHESHADRI, M., "The Palaeolithic Industry of Kibbanahalli, Mysore State," *Artibus Asiae*, Vol. XVIII, (1955), pp. 271-87.

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Fig. 18 Early and Middle Palaeolithic Sites in Maharashtra (Add sites in Chanda District) and Karnatak.

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North Karnatak forms now a part of Mysore, from which it is not different linguistically and culturally and not much different either geographically. More or less the same division of wet and semi-arid zones obtain here, whereas the ancient rock formations in Dharwar, Belgaum and particularly in Bijapur offer excellent raw material in the shape of quartzite and sandstone with varied hues. In rare cases, even the intractable gneiss has been utilized by Early Man.

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*Malaprabha and Ghataprabha Basins (See Fig. 18)*

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The Krishna is the most important river, with its tributaries, the Malaprabha and Ghataprabha. FOOTE had mentioned two very rich sites, Khyad on the Malaprabha and Menasgi or Megur-Asoti on the Bennihalla, an affluent of this river. Since then JOSHI has surveyed the entire 200 miles of the river and noted some 21 sites.⁸⁸

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⁸⁸ The site of Vanavasi which is situated on the Varada, was examined by the writer in 1956, but no tools could be found there.

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Later Angavadi and Bagalkot on the Ghataprabha have turned out to be rich sites, whereas stray finds have been reported from Herkal, Kolhar, Almatti on the Krishna, and Sivanandi, Nandikeshavara, Pattadkal, Shivayogamandir, near Badami. So far no discoveries have been made from the more wooded western districts,88a including Dharwar proper. Presumably, these were avoided by Early Man, whereas the most favourite and "densely populated" areas seem to be the comparatively open valleys in the Bijapur District.88b

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88a Further finds are reported in *I.A.R.*, 1960-61, p. 28.

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*Stratigraphy*

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Stratigraphically, the most important sites are Hire Mulangi, Alur (Talakvad) and Taminhal in a nala on the left bank, two miles from Alur. The total height of the sections is nowhere more than 18 ft., the average being still less. A complete section at Taminhal for instance, consists of: Black Soil, Fine Gravel, Fine sand and Gravel, Buff or brown sand, Gravel conglomerate, Mottled Clay and Rock. (See Fig. 19)

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*Tool types*

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The mottled clay has not yielded any tools so far. It might be weathered rock, as it appears at Khyad or a deposit in shallow stagnant water. In the latter alternative it might indicate a drier climate. The gravel definitely stands for a wet phase and it was then that the Early Man lived on the banks of these rivers. All his tools are so far found in the gravel bed. Though these comprise Abbevillian and Acheulian types of hand-axes-pear shaped, ovate and cordate etc.—

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⁸⁶ JOSHI, R. V., *Pleistocene Studies in the Malaprabha Basin*, (Poona and Dharwar) 1955.

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⁸⁷ *I.A.R.*, 1955, 56, p. 5.

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[Figure: CLIFF SECTIONS KATARKI 5 TAMINHAL 6 S.W. OF MANERI 7 IN SECTIONS 1, 2, 7, 9, GRAVELS CONTAIN PALAEOLITHIC- TOOLS (FOUND IN SITU)]

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Fig. 19 Sections on the Malaprabha at Katarki, Taminhal and South-West of Maneri the latter are in a majority.⁸⁹ Again hand-axes on cores or pebbles are comparatively very few. Two special types must be here mentioned. These are (i) chisel-edged and (ii) burin-type hand-axes.⁹⁰

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⁸⁹ JOSHI, op. cit., pp. 58-60.

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⁹⁰ Ibid., p. 59.

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The cleavers are all made on flakes, and comprise some five types.⁹¹ Both the hand-axes and cleavers have generally a biconvex section, and are marked by fine shallow surface trimming. And thus the Malaprabha Industry, though it contains a few other elements such as huge cores, choppers, core-scrapers, discoids, is on the whole more advanced Acheulian than either that of the Sabarmati or Mayurbhanj, for instance. The absence of a large number of pebble tools or pebble-butted hand-axes is indeed puzzling. This might be due to the absence of small-sized pebbles and the presence of huge boulders, which as JOSHI suggests,⁹² were broken on block-on-block method on the spot, and later the flakes were further trimmed on the river bank. Hence the actual cores are seen among the gravel spread.