State PCS
The Gudiyam cave, a prehistoric rock shelter with Palaeolithic tools, is situated in:
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Answer: Option A — Tamil Nadu
Detailed Solution
The Gudiyam cave is a large rock shelter in the Tiruvallur district of Tamil Nadu, about 60 km west of Chennai.
About the Gudiyam cave:
- It is a natural rock shelter formed in sandstone hills in the Allikulli hill range.
- It was explored and excavated by the Archaeological Survey of India and other archaeologists in the 1960s.
- Stone tools of the Lower and Middle Palaeolithic periods, such as handaxes, cleavers, scrapers and flakes, were found there.
- It is believed that early humans used the shelter as a living place.
- It is sometimes described as one of the largest prehistoric rock shelters in southern India.
Prehistory near Chennai:
- The area around Chennai is very rich in Palaeolithic sites, often called the "Madras handaxe industry".
- Attirampakkam, also in Tiruvallur district, is an important Acheulian site.
- In 2011, scientists dated some of the tools at Attirampakkam to about 1.5 million years ago, which suggests that early humans reached India earlier than was once thought.
- The tools are mainly made of quartzite, a hard stone found in the region.
- Pallavaram, a suburb of Chennai, is also an important place in the history of Indian prehistory.
Other prehistoric sites of Tamil Nadu:
Keeladi (Keezhadi): an urban site of the Sangam period near Madurai.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Kerala has Edakkal caves with prehistoric petroglyphs (rock engravings).
- ✗Andhra Pradesh has the Kurnool caves.
- ✗Karnataka has other Palaeolithic sites.
Quick tip
Remember: Gudiyam cave = Tamil Nadu (Tiruvallur district, near Chennai; Palaeolithic rock shelter); Attirampakkam = Acheulian site about 1.5 million years old; Edakkal caves = Kerala.
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Indus Valley Civilisation — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Indus Valley Civilisation, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
The Indus Valley (Harappan) Civilisation was one of the world's earliest urban civilisations, flourishing around 2500-1900 BCE. This topic covers its major sites, town planning, drainage, seals, script, trade, crafts, religious beliefs and the theories about its decline. Questions mostly link a site to its feature or its present-day location: the Great Bath at Mohenjo-daro, the dockyard at Lothal (Gujarat), the ploughed field at Kalibangan (Rajasthan) and the water reservoirs at Dholavira. Remember that Harappa was the first site excavated, by Daya Ram Sahni in 1921, and that the Harappan script has still not been deciphered. Practise the Indus Valley Civilisation questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.