An Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology v1.c9.s5.3

v1.c9.s5.3

Mesolithic sites have a wide distribution in India and cover almost the entire country, except a few areas like most of the Indo-Ganga plains, Assam and most of the w. coast. In the Indo-Ganga plains their absence is easily explained by the lack and remoteness of the primary raw material—stone—for making tools. Assam and the w. coast were probably not much inhabited because of the very high rainfall and dense vegetation. Some regions like the Gujarat plains, Marwar and Mewar have a denser concentration of sites than others. But this uneven distribution of sites would appear largely due to differential pace of research in different parts of the country. For example, the vast tract of country between the Godavari and the Mahanadi was for long a blank on the map, but recent explorations in the hilly tract along the Indravati valley in Dt Koraput, Orissa, have led to the discovery of over 100 sites in a small part of the Dt. There can be little doubt that as exploration proceeds many areas that have at present no or only sparse sites will be filled in.