SSC
The Neolithic archaeological site of Chirand is located in which district of Bihar?
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Answer: Option A — Saran
Detailed Solution
Chirand is an important archaeological site in the Saran district of Bihar, on the northern bank of the Ganga, near its confluence with the Ghaghara (Saryu) river.
About Chirand:
- It is a large mound with a long sequence of human occupation, from the Neolithic period to the early historic period.
- It was excavated by the Bihar State Department of Archaeology from the 1960s onwards.
The Neolithic phase:
- It is one of the earliest Neolithic sites of the middle Ganga valley, dated to around 2500-2000 BCE (some estimates go earlier).
- A large number of tools made of bone and antler have been found, including points, needles, scrapers and arrowheads.
- The people used polished stone tools (celts), and microliths.
- They lived in circular huts with floors of beaten earth, and walls of reed and mud plaster.
- They cultivated rice, wheat, barley and lentils, and kept domestic animals.
- They made handmade pottery, some of which is red, grey or black, and also terracotta figurines of birds and animals.
Later phases:
The site also has Chalcolithic layers, and remains of the Iron Age, the Mauryan, Shunga, Kushana and Gupta periods.
About Neolithic culture:
- The Neolithic (New Stone Age) is marked by polished stone tools, agriculture, the domestication of animals, pottery, and settled village life.
- Neolithic sites in India are found in Kashmir, the Vindhyas, the middle Ganga valley, eastern India and the Deccan.
Other important prehistoric sites of Bihar:
- Senuwar (Rohtas district): Neolithic-Chalcolithic site.
- Chechar-Kutubpur (Vaishali district).
Why not the other options?
- ✗Gaya, Nalanda and Vaishali are districts with important Buddhist and historical sites, but Chirand is in Saran district.
Quick tip
Remember: Chirand = Saran district, Bihar (Neolithic site near the Ganga-Ghaghara confluence; famous for bone and antler tools; rice cultivation).
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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.