An Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology v2.c37.98

v2.c37.98

*Megaliths*. Out of the 12 megaliths that have been opened eight belong to the category of cairn circle (Megs I, II, III, IV, VIII, IX, XI and XII), three (Megs V, VI and VII) to the category of cist and the remaining one (Meg X) to the category of cist within cairn. Ten monuments are located at the foot of the Hathinia and the remaining two at that of Bhadahawan-pahar. Although each excavated cairn circle has been found to vary in its individual details a common feature is a more or less rectangular pit oriented e.-w. and dug down into the natural soil to an average depth of 1·37 m; thereafter the bulk of the grave goods in the form of pottery, microliths, skeletal remains, etc., were placed on the floor level with a cushion of red sand or of ash. There is no uniformity in placing of the grave goods inside the graves. Sometimes they were placed either near the corner (Megs IV and VIII) or in the centre along the s. edge of the grave (Meg IX) or in the centre, or was uniformly distributed throughout the whole grave pit from the bottom to the level of the lip of the pit. After the placing of the grave furniture the pit was generally filled up with the same dug-out earth and finally the ritualistic procedure was concluded by the erection of a hemispherical cairn of stone boulders bounded by a stone circle of varying diameters.