A site that reminds Kashmir of its glorious past

Burzahom, a prehistoric archeological site on the outskirts of Srinagar city, reminds Kashmir of its glorious past.

The neolithic (or New Stone Age) period site, located on a “karewa” between the banks of the Dal Lake and the Zabarvan Hills, showcases different stages of evolution of people from food gatherers to food producers, between 3000 BC and 1000 BC.

During the excavations, the archaeologists unearthed a large number of artefacts, many in good condition, and they have provided an insight into the ancient era. The Burzahom site was discovered by H De Terra and TT Peterson of a Yale-Cambridge expedition in 1935. At that time they were actively pursuing their expedition to find traces of early man and associated human culture in Kashmir. Burzahom in Kashmiri means home of birch, a tree species, and it seems that there were a lot of birch trees in the area during that period.

The discovery of tools made out of animal bones and antlers, and animal burials are unique features of the neolithic culture of Burzahom and are not found at such sites in other parts of the country. The discovery of bone needles, cotton, wool and other fabric has added a new chapter to the ancient Kashmir economy by proving that the Valley had a dominant textile industry thousands of years ago.

Pottery made in Burzahom showed close affinity to those found in the Swat valley in Pakistan, particularly in respect of its shapes and decorations of the blackware pottery. The burial practices and type of tools recovered from the site were inferred as having close resemblance to those found in the North Chinese neolithic culture.

Being the only surviving evidence of human settlements, the place has been declared a World Heritage site by Unesco. The Burzahom ruins reveal the unique cultural and traditional settlements of a bygone era. A recent Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) report on Burzahom suggests that Kashmir had a fledgling international trade with neighbours as early as 5,000 years ago.

The report compiled on the basis of unpublished findings of excavations at the Burzahom site, has brought to the fore many new facets of the Valley.

According to the report, Kashmiris in olden times were traditionally artisans, adept at weaving and intricate craftsmanship. The findings clearly indicate that the inhabitants of Burzahom were far advanced than the general image of pit dwellers made out of them.

The report links the neolithic site to its contemporary Indus Valley civilisation and establishes the inhabitants’ regular trade with the Harappans. Skeletal remains of neolithic people found at Burzahom are similar to those found in Harappa of the Indus Valley Civilisation. Some historians had stated that the Vedic Aryan culture extended into Kashmir, but archaeological investigation at Burzahom does not support the “Aryans in Kashmir” theory.

The report also details how the community adapted to the adverse climatic conditions with innovations such as underground dwelling pits and use of wool. The findings also confirmed the previous notions that people of that era gave a special position to dogs and goats and some of them were buried alongside people.  The management and protection of the Burzahom site, including the buffer zones, are under the jurisdiction of the ASI and the State Department of Archaeology conforming to the Ancient Monuments and Sites Remains Act 1958 (Amended in 2010).

Mohammad Ashraf, a retired IAS officer and a former Director of Mountain Tourism in Kashmir, said there are many theories about the origin of Kashmiris. “It is one of the most mysterious and exciting topics. Some say we are descendants of Aryans who came from Central Asia. There is a fantastic theory which says that we may be part of the lost tribes of Israelites who came here through Iran and Afghanistan,” he said. However, Ashraf said there is only one definite and irrefutable scientific evidence about the beginning of human civilisation in Kashmir and that is the neolithic dwelling sites in many parts of the Valley out of which Burzahom is the most studied and well-known in the scientific community.

He said Burzahom site has also yielded 10 human skeletons. “Out of these five are of adult males, three of adult females, one juvenile and a child. These skeletons were examined in detail by anthropologists. One of the skeletons is of a female of 26 to 30 years which has a trepanated or trephined skull,” Ashraf said.

Trepanation is an ancient surgical practice of drilling or cutting holes through the skull vault of a living or recently deceased person for medical purposes or otherwise. This practice was widely prevalent in many ancient societies of Americas, Europe, Africa, and Asia.

“This clearly establishes that even this ancient Stone Age community of Kashmiris were quite advanced in scientific knowledge of those days and its practice. They probably used surgical instruments made of bronze and the procedure may have been undertaken by a surgeon from Indus Valley where it was more prevalent,” Ashraf said.

The former bureaucrat said in many other places in the world where different cultures have come together one finds specific localities or areas belonging to these varied ethnic groups such as China Town, Greek or Latin quarter. “However, in Kashmir we do not have any such isolated quarter but we have assimilated all cultures and ethnic groups which came here and have maintained our age old traditions and customs,” he added.