Ancient Telangana communities had advanced astronomical knowledge: Prof Rao
HYDERABAD: Ancient communities that lived in Telangana and neighbouring regions nearly 3,000 years ago possessed advanced knowledge of astronomy and navigation, said Prof K.P. Rao, honorary professor of history at Hyderabad Central University.
Citing recent studies, Prof Rao said this knowledge dated back to around 1,000 BCE. He referred to research at the Mudumal menhirs in Narayanpet district, where stone alignments point to an understanding of directions and celestial movements.
Researchers have also begun studies near the Saraswati temple at Wargal. They have identified a depiction that scholars believe represents a constellation.
Sculptural traditions older than believed
Prof Rao said sculptures discovered in Telangana belonged to some of the earliest sculptural traditions in India. These findings challenge the long-held view that sculptural activity ended after the Indus Valley Civilisation and resumed only during the Mauryan period.
An anthropomorphic stone statue found at Padugonivudem among Megalithic burials dates to around 1,000 BCE, he said. Archaeologists have uncovered similar statues in the Khammam and Warangal regions.
“These discoveries show that sculpting continued much earlier in the Telangana region,” Prof Rao said.
Rock art and early metallurgy
Referring to fieldwork by Dr Ch. Praveen Raju, Prof Rao said researchers documented Mesolithic rock art at Aksharaladoddi in Mulugu district. The paintings, known as X-ray art, depict human figures with visible skeletal structures.
Historian Dr Dyavanapalli Satyanarayana first identified the site, he added.
Prof Rao said archaeologists had discovered several rock painting sites in recent years. Excavations in Jangaon district yielded key evidence of Megalithic botanical history, including coffee beans dated to about 2,800 years ago.
At Gachibowli, researchers found an iron tool dated to around 4,500 years ago. The tool’s tip showed signs of carburisation, indicating early knowledge of steel-grade carbon iron.
Call for more research
Freelance paleo-archaeologist Samudrala Sunil said most such sites lay along riverbeds and canals. He said many people in Telangana believed evidence of human evolution was limited to the Upper Palaeolithic period.
“Our findings show human activity from the Lower and Middle Palaeolithic periods,” Sunil said. “These periods existed alongside the Indus Valley Civilisation.”
He added that researchers had completed only about 10 per cent of the potential archaeological work in the region.
Dr Satyanarayana said the heritage department had excavated a Megalithic site at Pulurubanda in Medak district. The site offered insights into cairn and dolmen cultures, he said.
He added that many rock art sites still awaited approval for detailed study.
Meanwhile, the Archaeological Survey of India has begun excavations at a protected Megalithic site at Janampeta in Khammam district. Nikhil Das, superintending archaeologist of the ASI Hyderabad Circle, said the excavation aimed to establish the site’s cultural sequence, burial practices and precise age.
So far, the team has found stone coffins, bone fragments and terracotta beads. Experts are still discussing the site’s exact dating, he said.
