RAICHUR: Not many know about Piklihal village, which experts believe, was home to human beings from stone age to the early historic age. This village has a significant history but needs more efforts to put it on global pre-history map.
At Piklihal village, pieces of handmade vessels, earthen dolls, broken pieces of terracotta bangles and stone grinding equipment can be found. Surrounded by nine rocky hills, the place was first chosen for stay by the hunters and gatherers as early as 2700 BC (lower neolithic age), according to historians. The village is situated 5 km away from Mudgal in Lingasugur taluk.
According to Gurubasappa Sajjan, a trader and who has knowledge of history: “Raymond Allchin’s excavation at Piklihal was a significant work. He was a British scholar who was specialised in South Asian archaeology. He was the first person to discover the presence of human beings in the neolithic age in 1952 and his work was published in 1960”.
“Allchin found vessels, bangles, tools and axes made of black stones, flint stone equipment and others. He also found evidence of the same village moving up with civilisation - from stone age to copper age and iron age to early historic age. There is evidence of domestication of cattle, sheep, goats, turtles and shellfish”, he said. He added that the site needs more exploration to document it comprehensively.
Sharanappa Anehosur, who has scripted a book on history of Mudgal, said recently bones of early human beings were also found. Some of the materials excavated from here are kept at an archeology museum inside the Bidar fort. Sharanappa himself has visited the place several times and found Rekhachitra (drawings) arguably drawn by early human beings. There are drawings of weapons, human beings, animals. “We are proud that this village has a significant history,” he said. Even today, one can find pieces of vessels, bangles and evidence of houses built on the ground. The scattered stones arranged on the ground marking boundaries in several places of the site stand testimony to early houses, the experts said. This is the only place where evidence of early human beings can be traced in Karnataka, they said.
Ashok Gowda Patil, former president of Mudgal Municipal Council said some unscrupulous people dig up the ground for treasure. “There is a belief that old hidden treasures is still available there and this can be found on new moon days. You can find dug up grounds at the site,” he said.