TIRUVANNAMALAI: The Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology has begun the excavation of 'stone circles' at Kilnamandi village near Vandavasi in Tiruvannamalai.
"The stone circles are indications of a burial ground that dates back to the Megalithic period (about 3000 years old). The diameter of stone circles ranges from 3-5 metres. There are hundreds of them in this site, which is spread over approximately 55 acres," Victor Gnanaraj, excavation director, told TNIE. Inside some of these stone circles, pieces of Sarcophagus (terracotta coffin) were also found.
The excavation will help us analyse the site formation like signs of habitations in this region, understand the burial practice of the inhabitants, and situate other Megalithic sites in this region, he said.
The department conducted a field visit based on a proposal submitted by the Tiruvannamalai Centre for Historical Research (TCHR), a district-level society that conducts research and documents archaeological findings.
"This site needs to be preserved as it has the ancient remains including menhirs (a tall upright stone erected in memory of the dead), cup marks on stones, polishing grooves on rocks," said TCHR Secretary S Balamurugan.
After a field study, the state department of Archaeology submitted a proposal to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and a meeting was held in November 2022 to discuss the site's potential for excavation.
"After the approval from the ASI in February 2023, the excavation has begun now," said Victor.
Other discoveries in this site include Iron Age pottery such as black and red wares and red slipped wares with graffiti marks which were found in the potsherds.