An Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology v2.c50.37

v2.c50.37

The Kistapuram group of megaliths consisted of seven stone circles, ranging in diameter from 5.49 m to 12.14 m. According to the local reports, three of these megaliths, which were opened, revealed huge urns. Lohamancharu and Viraboyinukunta each produced a cluster of dolmenoid cists, most of them without any stone circles. Of the 20 examples at Lohamancharu, five were excavated—one of them yielding a partitioned cist with port-hole. There were 23 megaliths at Viraboyinukunta, of which four were opened. In all the dolmenoid cists, with orthostats projecting on the surface, post-excarnation burial was the rule; more often than not bones and skulls had been placed in heaps along with pottery and iron objects. Examination of skeletal remains from Viraboyinukunta showed that the male population was wholly brachycranial while the females had dolichomesocranic head-forms. They were robust people and belonged to above-medium and tall groups (Gupta and Datta, 1962; Sarkar, 1972).