Saving Megalithic sites

Recently, a new protected area was declared in the Jordan Valley to protect megalithic structures dating back to 3000 BCE. Similar megalithic structures exist near Thrissur in Kerala, but their situation is not as good.

No one has so far protected and preserved any of the ‘kodakkal’ or umbrella stone of megalithic culture found in different places of Malappuram district. Many of them found in Kilikkallingal in Kavanur panchayat near Areekode have already been destroyed either by treasure hunters or by callous quarrying of the laterite.
“When I started my study, I found over two dozen ‘kodakkals’ at Kilikkallingal alone. But unfortunately, now we can find remains of hardly half-a-dozen megaliths there,” said V.P. Devadas, associate professor of history at NSS College, Manjeri, who heads a UGC-aided study on ‘Megaliths of Kerala.
‘Kodakkal’ is a unique mushroom-shaped megalithic burial monument of Kerala. “Nowhere else in the world is this kind of megalithic burial site found,” he said.[No care for Megalithic burial sites]

3 thoughts on “Saving Megalithic sites

  1. Prof Devdas. Good to see your interest in megaliths and your initiation in their protection. They do require to be protected . Megaliths are the most unfortunate yet the most significant of all the relics of our country’ prehistory.They are most neglected perhaps for their aboriginal origin. If by chance these monuments do get accepted as source of our country’s ancient and prehistory, they would be required to be re-written.
    Our tribe of megalith lovers are in minuscule, may our tribe swell.
    Regards
    Subhashis Das

    1. I would like to be in touch with people down here interested in megaliths. I have been working in Nilgiris in S.India for 18 years.. I have got very involved with the relationship between the old stories of local people and landscape.
      I have photos of 12 ft high great stones which no local tribal people know anything about. One has a face with another face carved in the right eye. Another seems to be a node for energy paths which are so strong that a very prosaic friend felt it was pushing him away. Another is better known as a stone that rolls down to the nearbye spring each year. some of the stones seem to have a brahmin knob on top. Other stone circles are again oriented to equinox sunrises/sunsets. I would love to explore all this more with other people. Thank you for your photos. Vanya

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