Gurugram: A recent excavation in Mangar Bani forest in the historic Aravalli Hills of the National Capital Region has unearthed prehistoric tools, offering a glimpse into early human life during the Lower Palaeolithic age. Led by former ASI official SB Ota, the excavation uncovered tools likely used for butchering, scraping, and sharpening, showcasing the ingenuity of early Stone Age communities.
Ota, along with his colleague Niharika, studied the Stone Age culture, finding high-quality tools in the forest area. Initially, much was unexposed, but their intensive search yielded significant discoveries.
The site, which was untouched and largely unexplored, now offers a vital link to prehistoric human activity in the region. In under a week, over 200 tools were found along forest trails and exposed patches — daily finds ranged from 30 to 80 artefacts, with many more left behind due to their sheer abundance.
The discovery of tools at this site is seen as a major contribution to understanding early human settlement and tool-making in the Indian subcontinent. Joint Director General of ASI, Nandini Bhattacharya Sahu said, “Manger Bani area is a pre-historic area and after seeing the tools that have been found, it can be said that these are fresh. It means that these ancient tools were made here.
He added, "As Dr. SB Ota has said, it was a factory site – so it means that people were staying here, they were not just using these tools, because raw materials were also available here. The entire region contains sandstone that people used during ancient times to make tools. This is important as this proves that there was a human settlement in the region for many years.”
