Which archaeological site, noted for thermoluminescence finds, is also considered the birthplace of Varahamihira?

Question

UnlockIAS · Accepted Answer

Correct — B, Kayatha (also spelt Kaytha). Kayatha, on the Choti Kali Sindh river in Ujjain district, is the type-site of the Chalcolithic 'Kayatha Culture' — excavated by V. S. Wakankar in 1965–67; thermoluminescence dating has been used on its finds to fix the site's chronology. Kayatha is also traditionally identified with 'Kapitthaka', the place where the 6th-century CE astronomer-mathematician Varahamihira says, in his own writings, that he was educated, close to his home city of Ujjain. This identification is the one MPPSC's question (and local tradition) relies on, though scholars note the exact location of Kapitthaka isn't settled beyond doubt.

Why the other options are wrong — (a) A real Malwa-region place name in Madhya Pradesh, but not the site carrying the traditional Varahamihira identification.  (c) A genuine and important Chalcolithic site (on the Narmada, near Maheshwar), but it carries no traditional link to Varahamihira's birthplace/education — that identification specifically attaches to Kayatha.  (d) A real archaeological site in Mandsaur district, Madhya Pradesh, but its excavated remains belong mainly to the medieval Rajput period (10th–12th century) — not the Chalcolithic-era site linked to Varahamihira.

Concept: Kayatha is one of the key Chalcolithic (copper-stone age) sites of the Malwa region of Madhya Pradesh, alongside Navdatoli, Nagda, and Eran. Excavated by V. S. Wakankar in the mid-1960s, it gave its name to the 'Kayatha Culture' (roughly 2100–1300 BCE). Independently of its prehistoric layers, local and scholarly tradition also identifies the site with 'Kapitthaka', the place of Varahamihira's education, linking it to the 6th-century CE astronomer's life.

State PCS 2024 Q93 — Madhya Pradesh GK PYQ with Answer

State PCS 2024 Q93 — Madhya Pradesh GK PYQ with Answer