Anthromorphic menhir found in Mulugu district
MULUGU: A rare human-shaped menhir (standing stone) dating back to the Megalithic era was discovered in the Suddhagutta area of Motlagudem village, located in Mangapet Mandal, on Sunday. Upon receiving information from Bangari Mohan, a resident of Motlagudem village, members of the Torch organisation led by secretary Aravind Arya Pakide, as well as local heritage enthusiasts, B Karthik and K Srikanth, visited the site.
The stones found at the site are known as menhirs or vertical stones, and they were discovered in the graves of individuals who were considered important within the local community during the Megalithic era. While menhirs can still be found in many places throughout Telangana, those with anthropomorphic figures are exceptionally rare and found only in a limited number of countries around the world.
The rare monument stone discovered in this area has a height and width of four and a half feet, and it depicts a human figure with curly hair, an oblong chest, shoulders and a lower waist. Similar male and female forms have also been discovered engraved on stones in the Kachanpalli, Galaba and Gundala areas of the Khammam district, the experts said.
The discovery of these ancient menhirs in the Godavari river basin provides valuable insights into the existence and evolution of early humans in the region. However, the destruction of hundreds of primitive graves near Koththuru village for the construction of village houses is a significant loss. To make matters worse, visitors to the site have already broken the rare memorial stone into two pieces. Aravind Arya Pakide urged officials of the Archaeology Department and villagers to protect the heritage site.