Dolmens, Cairn Circles and Rock Arts at Mallachandram / Mallasandiram, Krishnagiri District, Tamil Nadu.

A continuation Post to krishnagiri Heritage Visit Pallipadai temple and Sati stone  

11^th March, 2018.

It was a great day, 11^th March 2018. We, Mrs Sakthi Prakash, Mr Srinivasan, Mr Sadanandam Krishnakumar and Mr Saravanan traveled to past, to visit the Dolmens erected  for the ancestors at Mallachandram. These dolmens are erected during stone age may be 5000 years before. There are many such prehistoric megalithic sites in Tamil Nadu, especially in Krishnagiri district.  Mallachandram is one such hill were we could see some prehistoric, natural caves, caves with rock arts and Dolmens of different types.

These different types of dolmens are the evident that  Mallachandram was once a  prehistoric settlement used continuously for several thousand years. The prehistoric  megalithic dolmens are used for burials to the dead. The basic dolmen structures usually comprises of  four vertically standing flat stones about 5 to 6 feet high, floor stone to cover the cist and a cap stone to form a room area of about 6 to 7 feet square. These structures will be added with cairn circles, double walled vertical flat stones depends on the social status of the deceased like group leader / King, queen, important persons, general citizen, etc,. Some of the dolmens has the menhirs  of flat stone slabs top finished with semi circular shape. The four  flat vertical stone slabs which holds the cover stone erected in such a way that they extends on the side either to form right side swasthik or left side swasthik. The east side vertical stone slab has the round holes. It was believed that, the spirit of the  deceased buried  used come out  through this hole. It was told that the position of these hole opening depends on the period/ time when the person died.  It is interesting to note that dolmens with holes available are facing only the east direction. It was also told that the special shaped Dolmens with menhirs  with two or three passages  are the example for the construction of temples with prakaras of the historic period.

There are more than 200 Dolmens  on the two hills of Mallachandram. 90% of the dolmens are disturbed during the recent years by the miscreants in search of gold or silvers buried along with the deceased. It was requested by the public that this megalithic site should be preserved  to show the culture of our ancestors to our younger generations.

HOW TO REACH:

Beerahalli Village is about 25 KM from Hosur  towards Krishnagiri and  33.7 KM from Krishnagiri about 3.5 KM off National High way.

From the Beerahalli main road, we have to walk through a rain water paths with thorny bushes on both sides, up to base of the hill.

LOCATION:CLICK HERE

 Dolmen for a group leader

 This dolmens may be  for general citizens 

 Trekking on the path

ROCK ARTS:

Some of the Dolmen side walls has the white ochre paintings done during prehistoric periods. Some paintings had done with fingers and some are with brush, since the lines drawn are thin. The paintings depicts the scene of fighting between men, houses, Pandil lamps, rituals,  fields with crops etc,.

 A man riding on a tiger 

 Do not know the animal may be like yazhi of dinosaur  

 It is observed that this paintings are done in two different periods with hands and brush ( on the right top Pandil lamp )

---OM SHIVAYA NAMA---

... to be Continued Kundani The ruined capital City of Hoysala Dynasty.