Hyderabad: Archaeologists have begun excavations at Neremetta in Nanganur mandal near Siddipet in Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao’s native place to study megalith burials dating back from 1000 BC to 200 AD. Megaliths include menhirs, stone circles, dolmens and dolmonoid cysts which are commonly found in the state.Archaeology and museums department director N.R. Visalatchy led the excavations work after the discovery of megalith burials in the villages and surrounding places.At Pullur Banda, also near Siddipet, where the first excavations were carried out, archaeologists found 50 megalithic burials.
“Excavations are being taken up to understand the culture and traditions of megalithic communities,” said Mr P. Nagaraju, assistant director of the department. Mr Nagaraju said they had initially found a 10-foot menhir and stone circles of 10 feet x 10 feet diameter.“These sites are spread over a radius of 10 acres. We have taken up excavations initially in a 10 metre x 10 metre site. It will be extended further,” he said.Experts from the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology and Deccan College of Post Graduate and Research Institute, Pune are being roped in to study materials found at the site. The department secured permission from the Archaeological Survey of India to conduct excavations, it is learnt.
