HYDERABAD: The archaeological importance of Mahbubnagar district is well-known due to the continuation of history which has been documented by archaeologists in the past, right from the Mesolithic to the Megalithic and the Neolithic periods. Especially in Devarkadra, Moosapet and Addakal mandals, there have been many explorations carried out which have unravelled the secrets of how the prehistoric human habitations flourished on the hillocks in these areas.
The latest discovery by archaeologist Dr E Sivanagireddy at Basvaipally village in Devarkadra mandal, where he has found Neolithic grooves add to the existing knowledge. Sivanagireddy, during his explorations on Sunday, stumbled upon four Neolithic grooves atop a hillock, where an 18th Century AD temple of Lord Venugopala is located. He told The New Indian Express that the grooves were formed by sharpening the edges of stone axes made of Basalt stone by humans.
The grooves measured four to eight inches in length, three to four inches in width and two inches in depth. They were found close to the temple’s mandapa. He claims that the areas around Basvaipally could have served as a habitation for Neolithic humans, as the area was congenial to hunting and farming, where humans used to shift their habitations quite often due to their nomadic lifestyle.
“The snake-hood-shaped rocks and natural caverns in the hills at Manyamkonda, Choudaripally, Thatikonda, Rachala, Asnapur and Moosapet have yielded Neolithic evidence. Neolithic rock art was discovered by ASI’s archaeologist Ismail in 1986. There were Mesolithic tools discovered in Moosapet and Choudaripally. Prehistoric rock paintings were also found in Asnapur. Most recently,
we have discovered Megalithic burials in Kandur,” he pointed out.
Sivanagireddy observes that the Neolithic grooves between 2,000 BC and 4,000 BC found at Basvaipally certainly add to the archaeological importance of the sites around Devarkadra, Moosapet and Addakal mandals.
Grooves formed out of sharpening stone axes
Archaeologist Dr E Sivanagireddy, during his explorations at Basvaipally village in Devarkadra mandal, stumbled upon four Neolithic grooves atop a hillock, where an 18th Century AD temple of Lord Venugopala is located. He says that the grooves were formed by sharpening the edges of stone axes made of Basalt stone by humans. The grooves measured four to eight inches in length, three to four inches in width and two inches in depth. They were found close to the temple’s mandapam