Hyderabad: A limestone memorial — known as a menhir — from the Iron Age is lying in a state of neglect in the fields of Karempudi in Guntur. The menhir dates back to the Megalithic period — also known as the Iron Age, from 1100 BC to 300 BC —and has not been given any protection by the state archeology department, though it was discovered in 2010. Unaware of the historical importance, farmers have ploughed the land around it. Archaeologists fear that the monument might be vandalised further and want the government to step in.
AP archaeology department director, Dr G.V. Ramakrishna Rao, said, “After I came to know about the menhir, I visited the spot. No protective measures have been taken up so far due to land issues. The land on which the Iron Age monument is lying is owned by a farmer. When we negotiated with the farmer, he refused to give it up. So we are working on it. We have asked for records from the tahsildar of the mandal.” The menhir was discovered in an open field on the left bank of Nagaleuru, a tributary of the river Krishna, near Karempudi, 90 km from Guntur. An amateur archaeologist Venkateswara Rao Kadiyala of Tenali has been working on it for the past five years.
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