A DISCOVERY OF AN ACHEULIAN SITE AT BORI, DIST. PUNE (MAHARASHTRA) V. S. KALE, R. K. GANJOO, S. N. RAJAGURU and S. B. OTA General In Western Upland Maharashtra Lower Palaeolithic sites are concentrated in the Godavari and Pravara Valleys and there are practically no strafified Lower Palaeolithic sites so far located in the Bhima and Krishna valleys. Though a few animal fossil bones (Bos namadicus. Elephas sp. etc.) have been discovered along with Acheulian tools at Gangapur, Dist.-Nasik (Arun Kumar 1985) and at Nevasa, Dist. Ahmednagar (Sankalia 1974), the exact association of fossils with tools was not established. Corvinus (1983), however, found Acheulian tools along with animal fossils in her systematic excavation of a semi-primary early Acheulian occupational site at Chirki. about 3 km downstream of Nev.asa. Recently, during the course of geo- morphological investigations of the Krishna and Bhima valleys, the first author discovered a few Lower Palaeolithic tools in the cemented gravel bed, exposed on the left bank of river Kukadi, at Bori. In view of the rarity or such sites in this part of Western Upland Mllharashtra, the site was revisited by us and_ detailed geoarchaelogical investigation and exploration led to the-discovery of a large number of fresh Lower Palaeolithic tools along with a few animal bones and a more or less intact tusk of Elephas sp. The Geomorphic Setting and Lithostratigraphy The site Bori(J9° 6' Nand 74° 5' E)is situated on the left bank of river Kukadi. The Kukadi river is an easterly flowing tributary of Ghod, originating in the Western Ghats. The site is about 115 km north-east of Pune and approximately 14 km NE of Narayan- gaon (Fig I). The composite lithosection (Fig 2) observed at Bori reveals, reddish-brown sandy-silt (60-70 cm), rich in bedded and nod- ular kankars, at the base. This layer is confor- mably capped by sandy-pebbly gravel (Fig 2). The underlying silt continues to interlayer with the overlying gravel, thereby indicating a conformable relationship between the two litho units. The sandy-pebbly gravel is well cemented by calcium carbonate and is rich in sub-rounded litho clasts of varieties of basalt and chalcedony. The facie is characterised by well to moderate sorting. It is cross-bedded, class-supported and represents an point bar. The gravel is disconformabl1§ver........ lain/by yellow-brown silty-sand, with oedded anJnodular kankars and lenticular patches of pebbly-sandy gravel (Fig 2). The gravel is well' sorted, cross-bedded and weakly cemented. This upper litho unit contains pockets brownish fissured clays. The textural and sedimentological characteristics of this litho unit indicates that the sediments represent a low-energy overbank sedimentation, of the Terminal Pleistocene period (Rajaguru and Kale 1985). Acheulian Tools and Fossil bones The basal part of the sandy-pebbly gravel yielded a good number of fresh and unrolled Lower Palaeolithic tools (Plate I). The assemblage comprises handaxes, cleavers, pick and polyhendrons (Plate II) with a large