Pit-houses dug into the ground, with steps leading into them, have been found at which Neolithic site in Kashmir?

At Burzahom, a Neolithic site in Kashmir, people lived in pit-houses dug into the ground, with steps leading down into them.

About Burzahom:

• It is located about 16 km north-east of Srinagar, on a terrace overlooking the Dal lake area, in Jammu and Kashmir.
• "Burzahom" means "place of birch" in Kashmiri.

It was discovered in 1935 by the explorers Helmut de Terra and T. T. Paterson.

It was excavated by the Archaeological Survey of India in 1960-1971, under T. N. Khazanchi.

The Neolithic phase is dated to about 3000-2000 BCE (some estimates are earlier).

About the pit-houses:

• They were circular or oval pits, some deeper than 3 metres, with steps leading into them.
• Fireplaces (hearths) were found both inside and outside the pits.
• NCERT suggests that people may have lived in these pits in the cold winter, as they gave shelter from the harsh weather.
• Post-holes around the pits suggest that they had roofs made of birch or other materials.
• Later, people built houses on the ground with mud and mud-bricks.

Other finds at Burzahom:

• Polished stone axes, and many tools made of bone, such as awls, needles and harpoons.
• Coarse grey pottery.
• Burials in which domestic dogs were buried along with their masters, which suggests a close bond between humans and dogs.
• Burials of wild animals.
• A stone slab with an engraved hunting scene, one of the earliest such scenes in India.
• Evidence of contact with Central Asia and China, such as harvesters with holes, which were also found in China.

Gufkral:

Another Neolithic site in Kashmir; "Gufkral" means "potter's cave".

Why not the other options?

• ✗Gufkral is another Neolithic site in Kashmir, but the pit-houses are best known from Burzahom.
• ✗Mehrgarh is in Balochistan, Pakistan.
• ✗Chirand is in Bihar.