South India's Iron Age Cultures: A Comprehensive Study of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh

Megalithic monuments in Telangana are thought to have been built between 1000 BC, to 200 AD. A megalith is a large, frequently undressed stone that was used in the construction of Neolithic, Chalcolithic or Bronze Age monuments between 4500 and 1000 BCE. These monuments, also known as performs, can be as simple as one stone (Menhir), but most megalithic monuments are made up of several stones that are joined together without the use of mortar or cement. Megaliths are a unique type of monument found in the Deccan, particularly in Telangana. Hundreds of villages across Telangana have reported the presence of megalithic monuments such as Menhirs, Stone Circles, Dolmens, and Dolmonoid Cists. On the Mallugrugutta (Warangal) Galabha, Kachanapally (Khammam), cruciform monoliths in male and female forms known as Statue-Menhirs are a unique feature in the megalithic culture of the mid-Godavari valley. The megalithic monuments in Telangana are typically dated between 1000 B.C. and 200 A.D. Apart from regular exploration and identification, the government is making every effort to recover and preserve Megalithic Burials wherever they are discovered. Most megalithic burials – burials of people who lived between 1,000 BC and 2nd century AD – identified under the Ancient and Historical Monuments Archaeological Sites and Remains Act 1960 have vanished across Telangana over the years due to a lack of continuous monitoring and protection. However, there are still a few burials that aren't covered by the Act.