Heritage Dept Invites Tenders To Excavate 3,500-Yr-Old Mudumal Megalithic Menhirs
Some menhirs and boulders are arranged in precise rows aligned with the rising and setting sun during solstices and equinoxes: Reports
HYDERABAD: Excavations are set to commence at Mudumal Megalithic Menhirs in Mudumal village in Narayanpet district with the heritage department inviting tenders. The menhirs have already been featured in the UNESCO world heritage site’s tentative list.
Mudumal Megalithic Menhirs, locally known as Niluralla Thimappa, is a site that reflects the culture, traditions and astronomical knowledge of communities that lived around 3,000 to 3,500 years ago. It contains about 80 Menhirs, each 3-5 metres tall, alongside thousands of alignment stones measuring 1-1.5 metres. Originally spread across 80 acres, the site also features megalithic stone circles.
Some menhirs and boulders are arranged in precise rows aligned with the rising and setting sun during solstices and equinoxes. Cup marks on stones depict constellations such as Ursa Major (Saptarshi Mandala) and Leo, considered among the earliest representation of the night sky in South Asia. The site may be one of the region’s oldest astronomical observatories, officials said.
The excavation works, at an estimated cost of ₹39.97 lakh have to be completed in four months and the contractor participating in the bid must have previous archaeological excavation experience.
The excavation, which is expected to begin in the second week of November, will provide crucial scientific evidence to establish its outstanding universal value, a requirement for final UNESCO recognition.
Heritage department experts, along with scientists from the national geophysical research institute will be taking up the works. Following the excavation, DNA samples from the site will be sent to CSIR-CCMB to ascertain who the people were and their ancestry. The samples will also be sent to Beta Labs, US for Carbon-14 testing that estimates the age of burial.