Recently some heritage enthusiasts were shocked to note that hundreds of megalithic graves have disappeared from Adraspalle village, Telangana and only about 50 burial sites remain.

Ten years ago a team from Kotha Telangana Charitha Brundam (KTCB) visited the village of Adraspalle in the Medchal district and discovered a large number of megalithic graves during their survey. However, a group of heritage enthusiasts recently discovered that dozens of those megalithic burial sites have vanished from a small village.

Expressing his disappointment over the disappeared graves, KTCB convenor, Sriramoju Haragopal said, “There are about 50 megalithic burials in this village now. Many more were there. There were hundreds of such burials 10 years ago. Tens of menhirs (tombstones) were there but now there are five or six only.” He cited agricultural expansion and urbanisation as major reasons for the missing burials.

During their recent visit, a research team led by Ahobilam Karunakar, Mohammad Naseeruddin, and Korivi Gopal documented several graves dating back to the megalithic period, approximately 2,000 years ago. They found burial tombs arranged in circular patterns and menhirs that stood between 12 and 14 feet tall. They also discovered 18 marble stones arranged in a circle, with slabs visible at the centre, indicating a cist burial site. The presence of menhirs nearby suggested that this might have been a mass grave site.

The group has formally requested the Department of Heritage, Telangana, to record and document these sites before they vanish completely. They stated, “This is a known site but megaliths are all disappearing. The department should conduct a survey, and explore and excavate the site. These should be researched upon and recorded in reports.” Furthermore, they reiterated that Adraspalle village is only an example of how the state’s heritage is being destroyed due to neglect.