HYDERABAD: In a rare find, archaeology enthusiasts have found a geoglyph dating back to 1000 BC, atop a granite hillock on the outskirts of Muduchinthalapalli mandal headquarters in Medchal-Malkajgiri district. Geoglyphs are a form of rock art, where a design or motif is etched on the ground using stones, iron or some other tools used by prehistoric humans. In this case, archaeologists believe that iron was used in making the geoglyph through a process called ‘pecking.’
Members of Kotha Telangana Charithra Brundam including A Karunakar, Anwar Pasha, Koravi Gopal and Md Naseeruddin found the geoglyph in a perfectly executed circular design measuring 7.5 m in diameter, with a 30 cm thick rim around it, and two triangles inside it.
According to E Sivanagireddy, archaeologist and CEO of Pleach India Foundation, the geoglyph has revealed the artistic skill and etching technique of the iron age people who lived and wandered in this area located just 30 to 40 km away from Hyderabad.
He told TNIE that the method which was probably used in the art form was one person holding a tool at the centre of the circle, with a rope tied to it, and another person holding another tool at the other end of the rope, drawing the circle by continuously hitting the surface with that tool by going in circles. He said that wooden rafter could also have been used to ensure precision in the design.
“Just 30 cm inside the circle, another circle was drawn, and between these two circles a thick rim was made using the process of pecking,” Sivanagireddy observed. He, however, wasn’t sure about the nature of the triangles inside the circle, and opined that they could have been used to denote some anthropomorphic figures which were found in stick and triangle designs in prehistoric art.
Professor Ravi Korisettar, noted archaeologist and expert in prehistoric rock art, dated the geoglyph to 1000 BC. He said that the circle might have served as a model for the megalithic people for constructing their burials, most of which were made in a circular plan.
According to Sanathana, a research associate of Pleach India Foundation, this particular geoglyph was on par with the Konkan Petroglyph sites of Ratnagiri zone of Maharashtra, which is a tourist destination.
The researchers also found a few neolithic grooves just 5 metres away from the geoglyph, which could have been formed in and around 4000 BC.
Earlier, archaeologists had discovered three prehistoric rock shelters located within a radius of 1 km from this site, where prehistoric rock art was found, with the images of bulls, deer, porcupine, and humans found on the rocks inside those rock shelters. The rock art was found to have been from the Mesolithic and Megalithic periods (8500 BC- 1000 BC).
In view of the Geoglyph being the first-of-its-kind to be reported from Telangana, and the various other remnants of the prehistoric era found in that area, Sivanagireddy suggests developing the site as a tourist destination, so that students and archaeology enthusiasts can gain knowledge and cherish the glory of our prehistoric past.