An Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology v1.c20.s1.t2.2

v1.c20.s1.t2.2

Most of the above genera do exist down the present day. *Bubalus palaeindicus* and *Cervus duvauceli* seem to be related to the modern Indian buffalo and the *barasinga* (the swamp deer) respectively. Reptiles like *Pangsura tectum* are also identical with the reptiles living in the Indian rivers today. *Stegodon insignis*, *Stegodonganesa*, *Equus namadicus* and possibly *Hippopotamus namadicus* are survivals from the Siwaliks of n. India. *Elephas namadicus* is identical with *Elephas antiquus* of Europe. *Bos namadicus* is profusely represented in the Pleistocene deposits of peninsular India. In fact *Bos namadicus* survives well into the Holocene, its bones having been found in excavations at Mohenjo-daro (Sewell and Guha, 1931) and Langhnaj (Clutton-Brock, 1965). Pilgrim, 1939, considers *Bos acutifrons* of the Siwaliks as a possible ancestor of *Bos namadicus* which in turn is supposed to have given rise to the present-day Indian cattle *Bos indicus* (Badam, 1978).