Burzahom Archaeological Site
Burzahom Neolithic Settlement · Burzahama
Neolithic I Aceramic (3000–2800) → Neolithic II Ceramic (2800–2000) → Megalithic II (2000–1500) → Early Historic III·Kashmir Neolithic (Burzahom culture)·🇮🇳 Jammu and Kashmir, Srinagar District, 16 km northeast of Srinagar on Karewa terrace (Jhelum floodplain), India
About
About Burzahom Archaeological Site
Northernmost Neolithic settlement in India (c.3000–1500 BCE) on Karewa lacustrine terrace near Srinagar — aceramic to ceramic Neolithic (Period I pits) → megalithic (Period II). Famous for unique dwelling pits (bell-shaped pits 4 m deep, plastered with lime) cut into Karewa clay, human and dog burials beneath floors, and later free-standing mudbrick houses with painted grey ware. Excavated 1960–71 by T.N. Khazanchi (ASI), Burzahom yielded ground stone axes, bone harpoons, and Chinese-affiliated perforated harvesters indicating Kashmir Valley as Himalayan Neolithic isolate bridging Indus to Yangshao via Tibetan corridor; Period II megalithic menhirs and cairns overlay Neolithic.
Why it mattersOnly pit-dwelling Neolithic in South Asia; unique dog-with-master burials; proves Himalayan Neolithic separate from Gangetic and Indus, with northern Chinese tool affinities.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Why pit dwellings only in Kashmir — climate or Chinese influence?
- 02Dog burials — totemic or companion?
Theories
- 01Karewa lake adaptation; Tibeto-Burman migration via Baramulla gap
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c.3000 BCE aceramic Neolithic I; ceramic 2800–2000 BCE
- Period
- Neolithic I Aceramic (3000–2800) → Neolithic II Ceramic (2800–2000) → Megalithic II (2000–1500) → Early Historic III
- Culture
- Kashmir Neolithic (Burzahom culture)
- Builders
- Kashmir Neolithic farmers (possibly Tibeto-Burman)
- Purpose
- Pit-dwelling farming village and dog-burial ritual center
- Abandoned
- c.1500 BCE Megalithic; later Early Historic
- Rediscovered
- 1936 De Terra & Paterson; 1960–71 Khazanchi
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
c.3000–2800 BCE
Aceramic Neolithic: bell-shaped pits, ground stone, no pottery
c.2800–2000 BCE
Ceramic Neolithic: handmade grey ware, dog burials, pit → mudbrick transition
1960–71
ASI Khazanchi systematic excavation reveals four periods
On the ground
Structures & features
34.1699° N · 74.8668° E · 1730 m · 2 mapped features
Pit-dwelling cluster
pit house30 bell-shaped pits 4 m deep plastered with lime
34.1700° N · 74.8666° EMegalithic menhir field
megalithPeriod II menhirs and cairns overlying Neolithic pits
34.1695° N · 74.8670° E
Gallery