An Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology v1.c9.s17.79

v1.c9.s17.79

The commonest type in the s.-e. Deccan, for that matter in the whole of Deccan and the s., is the squarish dolmenoid cists, the orthostats of which often jut out on the surface. The maximum concentration of this type, according to the list of Sewell, 1882, is in Venukonda taluka of Dt Guntur. LOHAMANCHARU and VIRABOYINUKUNTA in the Yelleswaram valley reveal this type, the former site disclosing a partitioned cist with port-hole and a smaller cist within a larger one (Sarkar, 1969). Partitioned cists have been noticed in the Kurnool region: at Gajjalakonda was found the maximum number of six chambers, arranged in two tiers, besides a passage (Longhurst, 1914-5). The rectangular cist with port-hole came to light at NAGARJUNAKONDA and the temple site at YELLESWARAM (Khan, 1963). Another variant of the cist, generally found in Dt Chittoor, is the use of slabs instead of unhewn stones for making the circle (Branfill, 1880). Terracotta legged sarcophagi [12.9] lodged inside cists are confined mainly to the Chittoor and Cuddapah area, but a stone sarcophagus comes from a site near JANAMPET, Dt Warangal. The sarcophagus, sometimes in the shape of a ram, is found buried inside a cairn circle or dolmenoid cist (Raghavan, 1935).