The Ancient Cave Settlements in Balochistan with Special Reference to the Gondrani Rock Cut Caves of Lasbela

Abstract

Lasbela district is rich in archeological remains in Balochistan, Pakistan. There are many archeological sites that have been excavated during the British period in Lasbela by British archeologists. This research is focusing on the rock cut caves of Gondrani in Lasbela. The Gondrani caves are located at a distance of 20 km from the ancient city of Bela in South western district of Lasbela in Balochistan and 218km away from the Karachi city. There are many names which are used for the Gondrani caves such as Shehre-e- Rohgan, cave city of Gondrani, House of spirits, and Mai Gondrani. This research study has discussed the commonalities and differences between Gondrani caves and other caves of Pakistan; the myths associated with the Gondrani caves; the architectural description of the Gondrani caves; and the possible steps that could be taken to preserve the archeological site of Gondrani caves. The data has been collected using systematic archeological survey of the rock cut caves of Gondrani, Lasbela. In this method first the caves site has been mapped then a site-to-site survey has been conducted about the rock cut caves of Gondrani, then the data has been collected from unexplored rock caves. The interviews of the caretaker of the shrine located in the Gondrani cave have also been conducted to understand the myth associated with the cave. During the field work no evidence has been found such as chopper, flake, blade, and hand axe which are usually found in the cave settlement of Pakistan. The Gondrani caves are different from other cave settlement of Pakistan because it is human carved cave as compared to the natural cave dwellings found in other parts of Pakistan. Many of the caves have been destroyed due to the flooding and changing climatic conditions. Key words: Gondrani caves, Paleolithic period, hearth location, Lasbela, Flake, blade, chopper