The Mysterious Pre-Historic Stone Cricles, Varlakonda

        It happened by chance that, while reading a book on Megaliths, we found the names of  familiar places viz Perisandra, Gudibande (Chikkaballapur District) and their surroundings, which interestingly were mentioned in the list of Megalithic sites. We could relate these unusual structures to the ones we found in Varlakonda as the description in the book closely matched our observations then. Varlakonda is a small village situated on the NH 7 (National Highway) and is equidistant  from both Perisandra and Gudibande (about 8 kms). We always wondered of what those unusual structures we found at the base of the fort meant. We were absolutely thrilled when we realised it could be one of the megalithic sites.
         The term Megalith is derived from two Greek words 'Mega' meaning big and 'Lithos' meaning stone. It describes a monument or structure made of large stones. 'Megalithic Culture' is an intriguing subject of study  in the Archeological field. Many Megalithic sites are found across Europe, Asia and Africa, the best known being the Stone Henge, present in Wiltshire of the United Kingdom. Though the dates of beginning of this culture is not exactly known, excavations have revealed the type of activities and purposes of this culture. Their conclusions though, are not completely sure.

Megalithic Site, Varlakonda

        As we read the book, we could instantly identify a few of the structures to be similar to Stone Circles, which are basically stones arranged in the form of a circle. Apart from these, were two cists (box-like structures), which essentially housed a covering on top in the form of a stone slab/s. They are two of the many types of megalithic structures, classified based on their appearance. We were astonished that  people actually lived here.

Stone Circle and Cist

Side View of the Cist

The Cist

Stone Circles and Cist

      Are these really stone circles is a big question. If  yes, then what could be the reason that these structures were built and why did the people who occupied the place (Varlakonda Fort) later on, not disturb or dismantle the same. Surely, a mystery lies behind these amazing structures.

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        Reference : The Megalithic Culture in South India - B K Gururaja Rao ( With due respect, we would like to mention that the Author studied the subject of Megaliths as a part of his doctoral research and  has made a commendable effort to produce the details of megalithic sites and its culture in South India.)

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