The Aravalli mountain range, which is considered important for environmental balance and biodiversity, is now also revealing a new chapter of human history.
The Aravalli mountain range, which is considered important for environmental balance and biodiversity, is now revealing a new chapter of human history. Rare artifacts of the Palaeolithic era have been found in the Damdama area, just a few kilometers away from Delhi. A detailed survey conducted under the Greenwall Project released in June has found archaeological evidence that suggests that humans inhabited the NCR millions of years ago.
Before implementing the Greenwall Project by the Haryana Forest Department and Gurujal Foundation, a survey was conducted by the Archaeological Heritage Research and Training Academy in 420 acres of Aravalli. During the survey, experts found evidence of continuous human activities in this area from prehistoric to historical times. These findings not only increase the importance of Aravalli but also open new avenues for understanding the human history of India.
Artworks made on sandstone
According to the survey report, important archaeological discoveries have been made during the study conducted on 420 acres of Aravalli land in Damdama-Khedla area under the Greenwall Project. The most prominent among these are the Paleolithic artifacts found from the Damdama area. These artifacts include hand axes, cleavers and scraping tools. Experts claim that these tools may be about six to eight lakh years old, which indicates that human civilization was developing in this region long ago.
These artifacts are mostly carved on quartzitic sandstone, which reflects the stone tool making techniques and skills of the humans of that time. The discovery of these tools makes it clear that in that distant past, this part of Aravalli must have been an important habitat for primitive humans, where they used these tools for hunting, food collection and other daily activities.
Suggestion to protect
Experts said that it can be concluded from the survey that the Aravalli range around the Damdama area has undoubtedly been an area of ​​human activity from prehistoric times to historical times. This area is very important for understanding human cultural change from the earliest cultural remains to the present day. Therefore, conservation of these rare archaeological remains is necessary.
Aravalli has an ancient history
The Aravalli range is one of the oldest folded mountain ranges in the world, with a geological history of about two to three billion years. It was formed due to the collision of the subcontinental plate with the Eurasian plate. This was at a time when the Himalayas did not exist. At the time of its formation, the height of the Aravalli was even higher than the Himalayas.
This mountain range extends for 692 kilometers.
The Aravalli mountain range stretches from Delhi to Gujarat for a length of about 692 km. It divides Rajasthan into two parts from north to south. The highest peak of Aravalli is Guru Shikhar (1722 m) located in Mount Abu. Geologically, it is mainly composed of metamorphic rocks such as granite, gneiss and schist, which also contain minerals like copper.
Unique evidence of rock art
Apart from Palaeolithic tools, the survey has also found important evidence of rock art. These include cupules, cup marks and other engravings. According to experts, the meaning of these cupules has not been understood till date. However, the presence of these cupules is a special feature of the Aravalli mountain range. Detailed systematic investigation in this area may help in understanding the meaning of some of these symbols in the future. Let us tell you that rock art is an important aspect of human creativity and its cultural development.
