2,000-year-old burial site with 300 stone circles found near Vandavasi

A four-member team led by the centre’s secretary S Balamurugan, learnt about the site from M Palani, a Tangedco official posted in the locality. The team found that the area was dotted with nearly 300 stone burial circles, each with diameters ranging from 3 to 5 metres, Balamurugan said. Besides bodies, the burial sites also contain items the deceased used in life including weapons, he said. The area also revealed many cub mark stones, which referred to the ancient’s interest in astronomy, he said. Though such stones are found in Dharmapuri and Pudukkottai districts in Tamil Nadu and also in Karnataka, it is the first time they are found in this area, he said. The team also found two-metre high menhirs with sharp and pointed edges, and collected red and black stone pottery from the site.