Paper I — Q1
Identify the following places marked on the map supplied to you and write a short note of about 30 words on each of them in your…
Identify the following places marked on the map supplied to you and write a short note of about 30 words on each of them in your Question-cum-Answer Booklet. Locational hints for each of the places marked on the map are given below seriatim: (i) Paleolithic site, (ii) Mesolithic site, (iii) Neolithic site, (iv) Neolithic-Chalcolithic site, (v) Harappan site, (vi) Proto-historic and historic site, (vii) Inscriptional site, (viii) Jain monastic site, (ix) Coin hoard, (x) Paleolithic site, (xi) Terracotta site, (xii) Rock-cut caves, (xiii) Ancient learning centre, (xiv) Political and cultural centre, (xv) Buddhist site, (xvi) Ancient port, (xvii) Early historic site, (xviii) Ivory hoard, (xix) Buddhist monastic centre, (xx) Temple complex. 50 marks
हिंदी में प्रश्न पढ़ें
आपको दिए गए मानचित्र पर अंकित निम्नलिखित स्थानों की पहचान कीजिए एवं अपनी प्रश्न-सह-उत्तर पुस्तिका में उनमें से प्रत्येक पर लगभग 30 शब्दों की संक्षिप्त टिप्पणी लिखिए। मानचित्र पर अंकित प्रत्येक स्थान के लिए स्थान-निर्धारण संकेत क्रमानुसार नीचे दिए गए हैं: (i) पुरापाषाणकालीन स्थल, (ii) मध्यपाषाणकालीन स्थल, (iii) नवपाषाणकालीन स्थल, (iv) नवपाषाणकालीन-ताम्रमयुगीन स्थल, (v) हड़प्पाकालीन स्थल, (vi) आधि-ऐतिहासिक एवं ऐतिहासिक स्थल, (vii) अभिलेखीय स्थल, (viii) जैन विहार स्थल, (ix) सिक्कों का ज़खीरा, (x) पुरापाषाणकालीन स्थल, (xi) मृण्मूर्तिकला स्थल, (xii) शैल्यकृत गुफाएँ, (xiii) प्राचीन विद्या केन्द्र, (xiv) राजनीतिक एवं सांस्कृतिक केन्द्र, (xv) बौद्ध स्थल, (xvi) प्राचीन बन्दरगाह, (xvii) प्रारम्भिक ऐतिहासिक स्थल, (xviii) हाथीदाँत का ज़खीरा, (xix) बौद्ध संघाराम केन्द्र, (xx) मन्दिर संकुल। (50 अंक)
The figure this question refers to, in words
The question paper is a scan and the diagram did not survive as text. This is the figure as read from the original page — every component, value and label — so the question can be worked from the text below.
A line map of the Indian subcontinent, including India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, with longitude lines marked at 60° E, 70° E, 80° E, 90° E, and 100° E, and latitude lines at 10° N, 20° N, and 30° N. The map contains twenty numbered points marked with Roman numerals (i) through (xx). Point (i) is on the southern tip of the Indian peninsula. Point (ii) is in western India, north of the Gulf of Khambhat. Point (iii) is in the northeastern region. Point (iv) is in the northwestern region. Point (v) is in the northern region near the border. Point (vi) is in the northern region. Point (vii) is in the northern region. Point (viii) is in central-eastern India. Point (ix) is in the northern region. Point (x) is in the southern peninsula. Point (xi) is in the eastern region. Point (xii) is in central India. Point (xiii) is in western India near the coast. Point (xiv) is in central India. Point (xv) is in the northern region. Point (xvi) is in western India near the coast. Point (xvii) is in the southern peninsula. Point (xviii) is in the northwestern region. Point (xix) is in the eastern region. Point (xx) is in the northern region. A scale bar at the bottom indicates distances in kilometers.
Model answer
Drafted with AI by UPSC Answer Check against this question's marking rubric, to the 30-word length. UPSC does not publish answers for Mains — this is one way to score well, not an official key. How we build rubrics and answers.
(i) Paleolithic site: Attirampakkam Attirampakkam, on the Kortallaiyar river, Tamil Nadu, is an Acheulian site. Hand axes and cleavers dated to over a million years show very early hominin presence in peninsular India.
(ii) Mesolithic site: Langhnaj Langhnaj, in Mehsana district, Gujarat, is a sand-dune site with microliths, burials and animal bones, showing hunter-gatherers with early herding in western India.
(iii) Neolithic site: Daojali Hading Daojali Hading, in Dima Hasao, Assam, is a northeastern Neolithic site known for polished shouldered celts and cord-marked pottery, showing early settled life in the eastern hills.
(iv) Neolithic-Chalcolithic site: Mehrgarh Mehrgarh, in the Kachi plain of Balochistan, shows farming of wheat and barley and herding from about 7000 BCE, with mud-brick houses; excavated by Jean-François Jarrige, it precedes the Harappan culture.
(v) Harappan site: Manda Manda, on the Chenab in Jammu, is the northernmost known Harappan site. Excavated by J. P. Joshi, it yields Harappan pottery and shows the civilisation's reach into the Himalayan foothills.
(vi) Proto-historic and historic site: Ropar Ropar (Rupnagar), on the Sutlej in Punjab, excavated by Y. D. Sharma, has a continuous sequence from Harappan through Painted Grey Ware, Mauryan, Kushana and Gupta to medieval levels.
(vii) Inscriptional site: Sohgaura Sohgaura, near Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, gave a Mauryan-period Brahmi inscription on a copper plate recording storehouses for famine relief, an early sign of state granary management.
(viii) Jain monastic site: Udayagiri-Khandagiri Udayagiri-Khandagiri, near Bhubaneswar, Odisha, has rock-cut cells for Jain monks. The Hathigumpha inscription of Kharavela records his campaigns and Jain patronage in Kalinga.
(ix) Coin hoard: Bayana Bayana, in Bharatpur district, Rajasthan, yielded a hoard of about 1,800 gold coins, mostly Gupta issues, evidence of the Gupta gold currency and the prosperity of the period.
(x) Paleolithic site: Hunsgi Hunsgi, in the Hunsgi-Baichbal valley of Yadgir district, Karnataka, is an Acheulian site studied by K. Paddayya, with workshops of hand axes and cleavers in the Deccan.
(xi) Terracotta site: Chandraketugarh Chandraketugarh, in North 24 Parganas, West Bengal, is known for terracotta plaques of the Shunga-Kushana period showing deities, women and daily life, and was an early historic urban centre.
(xii) Rock-cut caves: Udayagiri (Vidisha) Udayagiri, near Vidisha, Madhya Pradesh, has Gupta-period rock-cut caves, including the great Varaha relief and an inscription of Chandragupta II, important for early Brahmanical sculpture.
(xiii) Ancient learning centre: Vallabhi Vallabhi, in Bhavnagar district, Gujarat, was the Maitraka capital and a noted centre of learning, rivalling Nalanda, which Chinese pilgrims Xuanzang and Yijing mention; Jain councils met here.
(xiv) Political and cultural centre: Sirpur Sirpur, on the Mahanadi in Chhattisgarh, was the capital of Dakshina Kosala under the Panduvamsi rulers, with the brick Lakshmana temple and Buddhist and Jain monasteries.
(xv) Buddhist site: Sankissa Sankissa, in Farrukhabad district, Uttar Pradesh, is traditionally where the Buddha descended from Tavatimsa heaven; it has remains of an Ashokan pillar with an elephant capital.
(xvi) Ancient port: Bharuch (Bhrigukachchha) Bharuch, on the Narmada in Gujarat, is the ancient Bhrigukachchha or Barygaza, the chief west-coast port of the early centuries CE, linked by the Periplus to Indo-Roman trade.
(xvii) Early historic site: Keeladi (near Madurai) Keeladi, in Sivaganga district near Madurai, Tamil Nadu, has brick structures, Tamil-Brahmi inscribed sherds and trade goods of about the 6th century BCE to 1st century CE, showing Sangam-age urbanism.
(xviii) Ivory hoard: Begram Begram (ancient Kapisa), north of Kabul, Afghanistan, was a Kushana capital. Its hoard of Indian ivory plaques, Roman glass and Chinese lacquer shows long-distance trade on the Silk Route.
(xix) Buddhist monastic centre: Somapura (Paharpur) Somapura Mahavihara, at Paharpur in Bangladesh, was built under the Pala king Dharmapala. Its large cruciform temple and terracotta plaques make it a major monastic centre of the Pala age.
(xx) Temple complex: Kedarnath Kedarnath, in Rudraprayag district, Uttarakhand, is a Himalayan stone temple complex, one of the twelve Jyotirlingas of Shiva and part of the Char Dham pilgrimage, traditionally linked to Adi Shankara.
How this answer will be evaluated
Framework: UPSC History Paper 1 Map Identification
What earns full marks: All 20 sites correctly identified with accurate 30-word notes including specific features.
Evaluation rubric
Each sub-part is marked on its own, against the marks and word limit printed on the paper.
- (i) Identify the Paleolithic site marked on the map and write a note of about 30 words. · 30 words
write short notes— define → 3-4 key features → one example → one-line significance
Must cover
- Site correctly identified as Attirampakkam
- Location (state, river or region) stated
- One key feature or finding
Loses marks
- Bare name without a note
Earns more
- Excavator, date or cultural significance
Extra mark
- Link with a comparable site
- (ii) Identify the Mesolithic site marked on the map and write a note of about 30 words. · 30 words
write short notes— define → 3-4 key features → one example → one-line significance
Must cover
- Site correctly identified as Langhnaj
- Location (state, river or region) stated
- One key feature or finding
Loses marks
- Bare name without a note
Earns more
- Excavator, date or cultural significance
Extra mark
- Link with a comparable site
- (iii) Identify the Neolithic site marked on the map and write a note of about 30 words. · 30 words
write short notes— define → 3-4 key features → one example → one-line significance
Must cover
- Site correctly identified as Daojali Hading
- Location (state, river or region) stated
- One key feature or finding
Loses marks
- Bare name without a note
Earns more
- Excavator, date or cultural significance
Extra mark
- Link with a comparable site
- (iv) Identify the Neolithic-Chalcolithic site marked on the map and write a note of about 30 words. · 30 words
write short notes— define → 3-4 key features → one example → one-line significance
Must cover
- Site correctly identified as Mehrgarh
- Location (state, river or region) stated
- One key feature or finding
Loses marks
- Bare name without a note
Earns more
- Excavator, date or cultural significance
Extra mark
- Link with a comparable site
- (v) Identify the Harappan site marked on the map and write a note of about 30 words. · 30 words
write short notes— define → 3-4 key features → one example → one-line significance
Must cover
- Site correctly identified as Manda
- Location (state, river or region) stated
- One key feature or finding
Loses marks
- Bare name without a note
Earns more
- Excavator, date or cultural significance
Extra mark
- Link with a comparable site
- (vi) Identify the Proto-historic and historic site marked on the map and write a note of about 30 words. · 30 words
write short notes— define → 3-4 key features → one example → one-line significance
Must cover
- Site correctly identified as Ropar
- Location (state, river or region) stated
- One key feature or finding
Loses marks
- Bare name without a note
Earns more
- Excavator, date or cultural significance
Extra mark
- Link with a comparable site
- (vii) Identify the Inscriptional site marked on the map and write a note of about 30 words. · 30 words
write short notes— define → 3-4 key features → one example → one-line significance
Must cover
- Site correctly identified as Sohgaura
- Location (state, river or region) stated
- One key feature or finding
Loses marks
- Bare name without a note
Earns more
- Excavator, date or cultural significance
Extra mark
- Link with a comparable site
- (viii) Identify the Jain monastic site marked on the map and write a note of about 30 words. · 30 words
write short notes— define → 3-4 key features → one example → one-line significance
Must cover
- Site correctly identified as Udayagiri-Khandagiri
- Location (state, river or region) stated
- One key feature or finding
Loses marks
- Bare name without a note
Earns more
- Excavator, date or cultural significance
Extra mark
- Link with a comparable site
- (ix) Identify the Coin hoard marked on the map and write a note of about 30 words. · 30 words
write short notes— define → 3-4 key features → one example → one-line significance
Must cover
- Site correctly identified as Bayana
- Location (state, river or region) stated
- One key feature or finding
Loses marks
- Bare name without a note
Earns more
- Excavator, date or cultural significance
Extra mark
- Link with a comparable site
- (x) Identify the Paleolithic site marked on the map and write a note of about 30 words. · 30 words
write short notes— define → 3-4 key features → one example → one-line significance
Must cover
- Site correctly identified as Hunsgi
- Location (state, river or region) stated
- One key feature or finding
Loses marks
- Bare name without a note
Earns more
- Excavator, date or cultural significance
Extra mark
- Link with a comparable site
- (xi) Identify the Terracotta site marked on the map and write a note of about 30 words. · 30 words
write short notes— define → 3-4 key features → one example → one-line significance
Must cover
- Site correctly identified as Chandraketugarh
- Location (state, river or region) stated
- One key feature or finding
Loses marks
- Bare name without a note
Earns more
- Excavator, date or cultural significance
Extra mark
- Link with a comparable site
- (xii) Identify the Rock-cut caves marked on the map and write a note of about 30 words. · 30 words
write short notes— define → 3-4 key features → one example → one-line significance
Must cover
- Site correctly identified as Udayagiri (Vidisha)
- Location (state, river or region) stated
- One key feature or finding
Loses marks
- Bare name without a note
Earns more
- Excavator, date or cultural significance
Extra mark
- Link with a comparable site
- (xiii) Identify the Ancient learning centre marked on the map and write a note of about 30 words. · 30 words
write short notes— define → 3-4 key features → one example → one-line significance
Must cover
- Site correctly identified as Vallabhi
- Location (state, river or region) stated
- One key feature or finding
Loses marks
- Bare name without a note
Earns more
- Excavator, date or cultural significance
Extra mark
- Link with a comparable site
- (xiv) Identify the Political and cultural centre marked on the map and write a note of about 30 words. · 30 words
write short notes— define → 3-4 key features → one example → one-line significance
Must cover
- Site correctly identified as Sirpur
- Location (state, river or region) stated
- One key feature or finding
Loses marks
- Bare name without a note
Earns more
- Excavator, date or cultural significance
Extra mark
- Link with a comparable site
- (xv) Identify the Buddhist site marked on the map and write a note of about 30 words. · 30 words
write short notes— define → 3-4 key features → one example → one-line significance
Must cover
- Site correctly identified as Sankissa
- Location (state, river or region) stated
- One key feature or finding
Loses marks
- Bare name without a note
Earns more
- Excavator, date or cultural significance
Extra mark
- Link with a comparable site
- (xvi) Identify the Ancient port marked on the map and write a note of about 30 words. · 30 words
write short notes— define → 3-4 key features → one example → one-line significance
Must cover
- Site correctly identified as Bharuch (Bhrigukachchha)
- Location (state, river or region) stated
- One key feature or finding
Loses marks
- Bare name without a note
Earns more
- Excavator, date or cultural significance
Extra mark
- Link with a comparable site
- (xvii) Identify the Early historic site marked on the map and write a note of about 30 words. · 30 words
write short notes— define → 3-4 key features → one example → one-line significance
Must cover
- Site correctly identified as Keeladi (near Madurai)
- Location (state, river or region) stated
- One key feature or finding
Loses marks
- Bare name without a note
Earns more
- Excavator, date or cultural significance
Extra mark
- Link with a comparable site
- (xviii) Identify the Ivory hoard marked on the map and write a note of about 30 words. · 30 words
write short notes— define → 3-4 key features → one example → one-line significance
Must cover
- Site correctly identified as Begram
- Location (state, river or region) stated
- One key feature or finding
Loses marks
- Bare name without a note
Earns more
- Excavator, date or cultural significance
Extra mark
- Link with a comparable site
- (xix) Identify the Buddhist monastic centre marked on the map and write a note of about 30 words. · 30 words
write short notes— define → 3-4 key features → one example → one-line significance
Must cover
- Site correctly identified as Somapura (Paharpur)
- Location (state, river or region) stated
- One key feature or finding
Loses marks
- Bare name without a note
Earns more
- Excavator, date or cultural significance
Extra mark
- Link with a comparable site
- (xx) Identify the Temple complex marked on the map and write a note of about 30 words. · 30 words
write short notes— define → 3-4 key features → one example → one-line significance
Must cover
- Site correctly identified as Kedarnath
- Location (state, river or region) stated
- One key feature or finding
Loses marks
- Bare name without a note
Earns more
- Excavator, date or cultural significance
Extra mark
- Link with a comparable site
What "Write short notes" is asking you to do
Five or six self-contained answers, marked separately, typically 10 marks and about 150 words each. Each note must carry its own definition, its two or three defining features and a line on why it matters; a common introduction or conclusion across the notes earns nothing.
Structure that answers it
Per note: one-line definition or identification → two or three features, mechanisms or named examples → one line of significance or Indian application
Where marks are lost
Writing the first two notes at essay length and rationing the rest. Each note is marked on its own, so marks surrendered on a compressed or unattempted note cannot be won back by the long ones.
Practice this exact question
Write your answer and it is marked point by point against the model answer above — what you covered, what you missed, what you got wrong.
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