Demarcations on at Mudumal

Hyderabad: In a bid to secure a Unesco heritage tag for the Mudumal menhirs—one of the largest megalithic sites in the country, located in Narayanpet district—the heritage department has initiated the demarcation process for the stone circles at Mudumal.

Heritage department officials, along with revenue and Power Grid Corporation of India (PGCIL) representatives, inspected the site on Friday and demarcated 13.7 acres of land where stone circles linked to megalithic burials are located.

This site is the second under the ‘Ursa Major’, project and will be handed over to the heritage department. Five acres of the Mudumal menhirs site had been demarcated earlier. With the remaining area now marked, the site will be fenced to prevent further damage to the menhirs, as several stones have already fallen, a heritage department official told Deccan Chronicle.

Meanwhile, the 10 high-tension power supply lines (Veltoor 400 kV-RTPS transmission line) passing through the site have become a major concern for the department in applying for the Unesco tag. Heritage officials are set to insist that PGCIL shift the high-tension power lines away from the site, as Unesco guidelines do not allow such infrastructure amid heritage structures.

The Mudumal menhirs site has been included in Unesco’s tentative list. The heritage department has sought permission from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to carry out excavations for research and submit a report to Unesco.