Interpretation of Burial Practices

Burial practices serve as vital archaeological evidence for understanding the social beliefs, cultural values, and spiritual perceptions of ancient communities. They reveal attitudes toward death, notions of afterlife, and social hierarchy.

• In India, burials have been found from the Mesolithic period (c. 10,000 BCE) to the Megalithic and Early Historic periods, reflecting an evolving relationship between the living and the dead. The study of these burials—from simple interments to elaborate megaliths—offers crucial insights into religion, kinship, and socio-economic organization in ancient India.

Era-Wise Development

Prehistoric Period

• Mesolithic burials (Bagor, Adamgarh) show individual graves with stone tools, implying belief in afterlife.
• Neolithic ....