In News:

The Mudumal Megalithic Menhirs of Narayanpet district, Telangana have been included in India’s UNESCO Tentative World Heritage Sites list in 2025, highlighting their archaeological, cultural, and astronomical significance. Telangana now has two tentative UNESCO heritage sites, the first being the Ramappa Temple (inscribed in 2021).

What are Menhirs and Megaliths?

• Menhirs are large, upright standing stones, often tapered at the top, used by prehistoric communities.
• They served ritual, memorial, or astronomical purposes and are found globally, with prominent examples in Europe such as Stonehenge (UK) and Carnac (France).
• Megaliths refer broadly to prehistoric stone structures, used for burials (like dolmens, cairns, cists) or as commemorative monuments (like menhirs).
• In India, megalithic culture thrived during the Iron Age (c. 1500 BCE–500 BCE), especially in the Deccan Plateau (Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana).

Significance of the MudumalMenhirs

• Age: Estimated to date back 3,500–4,000 years (1000 BCE–300 BCE).
• Site extent: Spread across 80 acres near the Krishna River, the site comprises:
  • Around 80 large menhirs (10–14 feet tall).
  • Nearly 3,000 alignment stones set in rows, believed to represent funerary rites and astronomical alignments.
• Astronomical importance: The alignments correspond with solar events such as solstices and equinoxes.
  • A unique cup-marked stone represents the Ursa Major (Saptarshi) constellation—South Asia’s earliest known star depiction.
  • Suggests advanced prehistoric knowledge of celestial navigation and calendar calculation.

Cultural and Living Traditions

• The site continues to hold spiritual value among locals.
  • Menhirs are revered as "NilurallaThimmappa" (Thimmappa of the Standing Stones).
  • One stone is worshipped as Goddess Yellamma, blending ancient heritage with living cultural practices.

Path Toward UNESCO World Heritage Status

• The MudumalMenhirs are among six sites added to India’s Tentative List in 2025, alongside:
  • Kanger Valley National Park (Chhattisgarh)
  • Ashokan Edict Sites (Multiple States)
  • Chausath Yogini Temples (MP & Odisha)
  • Gupta Temples (Multiple States)
  • Palace-Fortresses of the Bundelas (MP & UP)
• India now has 62 sites on the Tentative List, a prerequisite for UNESCO nomination.