Gufkral ('' means

cave Caves or caverns are natural voids under the Earth's Planetary surface, surface. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. Exogene caves are smaller openings that extend a relatively short distance undergrou ...

and '' means

potter A potter is someone who makes pottery. Potter may also refer to: Places United States *Potter, originally a section on the Alaska Railroad, currently a neighborhood of Anchorage, Alaska, US *Potter, Arkansas *Potter, Nebraska *Potters, New Jerse ...

) is a site inhabited by potters who utilize the caves. Caves and archeological site are located at Banmir village in the

Tral Tral is a town, sub-district, and a notified area committee in the Pulwama district of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. The town is situated at a distance of from the summer capital, Srinagar and from district headquarters, Pulwama. ...

Tehsil of the Pulwama District, in the

Kashmir Valley The Kashmir Valley, also known as the Vale of Kashmir, is an intermontane valley in northern Jammu and Kashmir, a region in Indian-administered Kashmir.(a) (subscription required) Quote: "Kashmir, region of the northwestern Indian subcont ...

of Jammu and Kashmir, India. The cave of Gufkral is one of the oldest cave in Kashmir and some estimates trace their origin 2000-3000 BCE. The excavation by an

Archaeological Survey of India The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is an Indian government agency that is responsible for archaeological research and the conservation and preservation of cultural historical monuments in the country. It was founded in 1861 by Alexander ...

team led by A K Sharma from 18 August to 20 October in 1981 revealed that the site was occupied for five periods from the Aceramic

Neolithic The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...

Megalithic A megalith is a large Rock (geology), stone that has been used to construct a prehistoric structure or monument, either alone or together with other stones. More than 35,000 megalithic structures have been identified across Europe, ranging ...

periods.

Location

Gufkral is situated southeast of

Srinagar Srinagar (; ) is a city in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region.The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute is supported by the tertiary ...

near the tehsil town of

in the Pulwama district of the

in Jammu and Kashmir, India.

References

Caves of Jammu and Kashmir Archaeological sites in Jammu and Kashmir Archaeological sites in India {{India-geo-stub