The megalithic culture emerged in South India around 1000 BC. This culture existed in South India for many centuries.
Megaliths have been found from various places in southern India. The people of this culture used to bury their dead in the tombs and used big stones for their protection. For this reason they are called megalithic or megalithic. Iron tools, weapons and tools are found in abundance in the excavations of these burials.
Determination of Megalithic Culture
The megalithic culture emerged in South India around 1000 BC. This culture existed in South India for many centuries. It is believed that the tradition of making megalithic burials started with the beginning of the Iron Age in South India. The dating of the megalithic burials from Brahmagiri dates back to BC. From the third century BC between the first century. Thus the chronology of this culture still remains a matter of dispute.
Major Areas of Megalithic Culture
South India:Such burials have been found near Nagpur in Maharashtra, Maski in Karnataka, Nagarjuna Konda in Andhra Pradesh and Adichalallur in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Methods of construction of megalithic burials also influenced the planning of settlements, but farming and pastoral activities continued traditionally. Some characters have been found from a place called Adichallur in Tinneveli district of Madras.
Weapons, tools, ornaments and other materials were kept in these vessels. Mention of such characters is also found in Tamil literature. Megalithic burials have also been found from Brahmagiri, Sular in Coimbatore district, Arikamedu in Pondicherry.
North India:This type of burial is also seen in Banda and Mirzapur districts of Uttar Pradesh. A megalithic composition has been found at Daraput in northern Gujarat, which may also be an ancient chaitya. In the mid-nineteenth century, the Collector of Karachi District, Captain Predy, said that there were a large number of stone tombs throughout the mountainous district, which extended to our western border. These tombs lack gates, otherwise they are similar to the tombs of South India in other respects.
In the period from 1871 to 1873, Carlyle visited eastern Rajasthan twice. He mentioned the presence of several Sangora burials near Fatahpur Sikri but they are not megalithic burials. They are rectangular piles of stones in which small burial chambers of stones are made. The roofs of these burials are also of stone. Most of these sangors are filled with ash and calcified bones.
Carlyle had also observed megalithic groups at Devasa. Five megalithic megalithic stones have also been found at a place called Burjhama in Kashmir. They must have been placed between 400 BC to 300 BC.
Construction of megalithic burials
There are several methods of building megalithic burials. Sometimes the bones of the dead were deposited in large urns and carried in the pit. This pit was covered from above with stones or only stone. Sometimes both methods were adopted. Some things were kept in urns and pits. Some dead bodies were also kept in baked clay carcasses. In some cases the cremations of the deceased have been made with stones. The bodies are also buried in coffin-like crematoriums made of granite stone slabs. Remains of four types of megalithic burials have been found in India-
(1.) Sangaura Circle: These types of burials have been made by incorporating many circular stones. Looking at these Sangaura circles, it seems that at that time the dead body was buried with iron tools, pottery or urn and the ashes of domestic animals. After that round stones were embedded around the tomb. This type of Sangaura circle is found in Nayakund Borgaon (Maharashtra) and Chingalpet (Tamil Nadu).
(2.) Coffin: It is also a method of funeral. In this, the body was first buried and surrounded by small stone pillars from all sides. Then a large stone slab was placed on top of these pillars and a shadow-chhatra-like shape was made on the tomb. Such burials are found in Banda and Mirzapur districts of Uttar Pradesh.
(3.) Manhari: In such burials, a large columnar memorial stone was placed on top of the dead body, indicating the place where the tomb was located. The length of these columnar stones is found from 1.5 meters to 5.5 meters. Such tombs have been found from the Maski and Gulbarga regions of Karnataka.
(4.) Megalithic Tumb: In the construction of such burials, the body was first placed on a stone slab in a place like a platform surrounded by stone slabs. Then another stone strip was placed on the pillars located at the four corners of the dead body. The above texture gives the impression of a table. That is why these types of tombs are called tumb which means- stone table. These types of tombs are often seen at places called Brahmagiri in Karnataka and Chinglepet in Tamil Nadu.
(5.) Other tombs: Apart from the above four types of tombs, some other types of burials have been found in different regions of India. Dr. Vimalchandra Pandey has described eight types of megalithic burials - (1) Cyst Samadhi, (2) Pit Circle, (3) Cairn Circle, (4) Dolpen, (5) Umbrella Stone, (6) Hood Stone, (7) Kandarayan and (8) Mohir.
Material obtained from crematoriums
The material found from these burials was used in the then North-West India and South India. Some special types of utensils have also been found. The 'cups with legs' obtained from these burials are exactly the same as those found in the tombs of the north-west region of India and Iran of those days and even older. The finding of horse bones and material related to horses indicates that equestrians had reached this area. Examples of horse burials are found from Junapani near Nagpur. These megalithic examples specifically represent a mixture of indigenous and foreign traditions and customs of cremation of the dead.
Iron Content of Megalithic Civilization
Similar iron objects have been found in megalithic age sites, from Junapani near Nagpur in Vidarbha to Adichanallur in the south, about 1500 km. Various types of iron objects, such as flat iron axes, with iron handles for gripping, shovels, shovels, shovels, spades, shovels, axes, pliers, sables, spears, knives, chisels, tripods, stands, saucers , lamps, skewers, swords, arrow fruits and spear fruit, trident etc. have been found.
Apart from these tools, some special types of objects have been found. For example, horse goods in which the iron part of the bridle which is in the horse's mouth, the nose shaped nose and sticks on the mouth etc. Among other metal objects, the largest number of copper and bronze bells tied around the necks of animals have been found. The people of this culture used black and red colored utensils.
Looking at the iron tools found with the Gray Bhand tradition painted from the megalithic civilization of South India, it can be said that the use of iron tools by humans of this civilization was only for limited work.