| The Megalith
People of Ancient Hyderabad |
 |
The Megalith people of Prehistoric Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka
-- found in Hyderabad city too.
There was a large population of "megalith" building people in India before recorded history began. They were skilled in making
large stone structures, hence the name Mega-lith ( like mega-bytes. Litho means stone in
Greek). In particular they were found
in the rocky peninsular India, for instance around Hyderabad at A.S.Rao Nagar, Gunrock lake, Gachibowli (near the
Hi-Tec
area) among other places.
Hyderabad city area was thickly populated in megalithic times. All over the countryside there are huge stone tombs built in a
characteristic design. These tombs are quite common in and around Hyderabad city too, but are vanishing under the spreading
concrete .
Usually under a flat slab of granite there is a rectangular box like structure of 2
meter or more long granite slabs, where they
buried the occupant along with pottery and iron tools. Sometimes a round hole is cut into one of the upright slabs. The whole is
buried about 3 meters deep and a conical mass of earth and stones is piled up above. Very often the entire site is marked by
huge round stones in a circle. These "stone circles" are usually the first indication of megalithic culture in south India.
Near Moula-Ali, opposite A.S.Rao Nagar water tank there were hundreds of these burial structures, but are now built over by
houses. The earth-waders, a community who specialize in digging foundations were very familiar with these. " No treasures
are, only large black and red pots filled with ashes and bits of rusted iron".
An intact excavated tomb can be seen at village Hasmatpet near Gunrock lake. The
megalithic people chose barren stony soil for the tombs usually overlooking a lake. .
They were skilled in the handling of granite, and began dam building in south India. The
little lakes and 'cheruvus' of villages are due to them. It is not an exaggeration to say they
created the present countryside of Telangana. They introduced rice cultivation. Before them
this was not grown here, say archeologists.
Who could these people have been ?
Skeletal evidence shows they had unusually thick bones, a very powerful build , very thick
skulls and protruding, big teeth. Armchair antiquarians have a field day. From the large iron
tools not found in earlier levels, some infer they may be "early Aryans" --that is, immigrants
from central Asia. Some say they were the Dravidians who migrated from west Asia
and
subjugated the local tribals and destroyed their language and culture. There is some
evidence to support this view. Others point to the introduction of rice -- and say they must
have come from south east Asia. The traditional stone workers claim they are their own
ancestors. Some friends I discussed this with, proudly showed off their thick skulls and
said only their community (left unnamed) matches the bone structure and powerful build .
Some historians including R-Thapar say the megaliths could possibly be the handiwork of early immigrants from
Rajasthan - Haryana -Mathura --- early Yadavs -Ahirs. The Andhaka Vrishnis of the Yadu dynastic clan did in fact migrate to Andhra
Pradesh -- even giving the name -- so perhaps it is possible. By the way these graves are found all along the Gwadar
Baluchistan coast , Persia, Malta right up to Britain, Germany and Scandinavia.
They may be related to the wandering Celts or Scythians too or even from far off arctic shores. It is possible the megalith
people with their iron weapons and sturdy build massacred or enslaved the earlier
Neolithic population. (Incidentally Neolithic skulls are quite different from the megalithic ones.)
By the way, there is absolutely no connection observable between these megaliths and the Indus valley
civilization nor with the Baluch Neolithic.
Technically the Hyderabad megaliths belong to the iron age, for apart from finely made black and red pottery with a fine
finish, large iron implements are found. Lances, plough shares, fish hooks, swords and sickles are common. Stirrups too are
found -- they knew the use of horses. Some salivate type designs are found. Earlier, similar megaliths in MP show copper tools.
Apart from neighboring Karnataka, more south in Tirunelveli (Tamilnadu) and Kerala similar cultures are found. In the
Hyderabad area bells are often found, along with long- handled vessels. There are some communities whose rituals today
include bells and such long handled vessels.
Heavy stone slab work and iron tools, large black and red pottery, often emblems of fowls --- these are the characteristic
marks of the widespread megalithic culture. While over all the megalithic culture is considered to begin from about 900
B.C. those at Hyderabad are not so old. In fact they are even dated to the 3rd century
A.D. This is still not satisfactorily settled, and a
megalithic habitation that is, a house or dwelling -- has not been found. Perhaps they lived in wooden houses.
Some of the bits of pottery show faint incised scribbles like trademarks of potters, but they
also look like Brahmi alphabets. Other designs very common in megalithic times was the
Nandipada and endless star , very similar to the Muggu or Rangoli designs of today or the
endless looping star emblem. No real inscription has been found. However the succeeding
level in archeology shows either Northern black polished or Red Andhra pottery ware
associated with the Satavahanas. People spoke Prakrit (approximately, rough Sanskrit)
and Desi (old Telugu) in Satavahana times.
But since the distribution of megaliths approximately coincides with present day dravida
speakers, scholars feel inclined to consider the megalith people here spoke old
Dravida Bhasha, the ancestor of Tamil, Telugu etc.
To this day some central India tribes like the Gonds in MP erect funerary pillars and tombs. Possibly the language of the
megalithic folk was northern Dravidian. ( Dravidian tribal languages like Oraon are found as far north as Bihar).
What of folk memory and tradition ? In some places the tombs are ascribed to Muriahs or Mohriyas. (not to be confused with
the Muria tribe , pronounced Maddia, nor the Mauryas of Bihar) . Say ! Any link with the Maoris of New Zealand? if you
know, please email us. In some places the tradition is the builders were extremely powerful dwarfish people with red hair.
Carbon -14 dating in India is often inaccurate due to contamination by termites. Unfortunately due to the passage of centuries
the oral tradition is garbled and the written traditions lost. The only method available for definitive work is science. Better,
refined techniques would tell us more. As far as we know, Hyderabad had a large population of the megalithic peoples in
prehistory. |
