Menhirs of Mudumal in Telangana’s Narayanpet on tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Menhirs of Mudumal in Telangana made it to the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

The Menhirs or the standing stones of Mudumal in Narayanpet in Telangana have made it to the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The application was forwarded by the Government of India to the world body. This is among the six sites added to the UNESCO tentative list including the Ashokan Edicts along Maurayan Routes, Kanger Valley National Park, Chausath Yogini Temples, Gupta Temples and Palaces-Fortress of Bundelas. 

Mudumal, on the banks of the river Krishna that separates the State from Karnataka, has been a well-known menhir site but the real effort to get recognition began in 2021-22 when the area was fenced and documented by the Department of Archaeology and Museums (DAM), Telangana.

“The stones numbering about 1200 large sized ones standing vertically map the skies as it existed 3000 years ago. From them, we know the date and positions of the constellations of Leo, Ursa Major, Ursa Minor, Virgo, Taurus etc.,” informs conservation architect Surya Narayan Murthy who helped prepare the application for the Mudumal site in collaboration with DAM and Deccan Heritage Academy Trust.

“The site contains about 80 large menhirs (standing stones) and several hundred smaller alignment stones organised into rows and formations. These formations align with sun during solstices suggesting their use during solar observations,” according to M. Veda Kumar of Deccan Heritage Academy Trust which carried out the research, mapping and fencing of the site. 

“The Mudumal menhirs represent one of India’s most expansive and impeccably preserved megalithic astronomical observatory sites, showcasing an intricate and precise arrangement of boulder alignments, formations, and stone circles. Within a central area, a concentration of two distinct types of menhirs further enhances the site’s uniqueness. Notably, a specific menhir, revered as Thimmappa in the northern section and locally known as Nilurallu Thimmappa, meaning ‘Thimmappa of the Standing Stones’ underscores the site’s cultural significance. The esteemed status of these menhirs has effectively protected them from anthropogenic harm,” says the application that has helped place the site in the nomination list which is a step away from inscription as a World Heritage Site. 

With the addition of these six inscriptions, India has 62 sites on the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.