Telangana: Neolithic relics from 4000 BC found in Nalgonda

HYDERABAD: Neolithic grooves dating back to 4000 BC were discovered on Thursday on a quartzite hill located on the left bank of the river Krishna at Pavuralagutta in Puttamgandi panchayat in Pedda Adicharla mandal of Nalgonda district.
The grooves were located at 1,000 ft from the river bed and 150 ft from the full reservoir level of Nagarjunasagar. It was spotted by Dr E.Sivanagireddy, Buddhist expert consultant for Buddhavanam project of TSTDC, and others during explorations as part of the five-day tour guide training organised by the Buddhavanam project.
A good number of grooves were noticed on the slopes of the terraced hill down to the reservoir. “The grooves, which measure between 3cm and 5cm in diameter and 1cm in depth, were formed out of grinding granite or dolerite sling balls used to drive away birds and animals damaging crops,” said Sivanagireddy.
He also identified a few Neolithic settlements such as rock shelters and natural caves opposite the site. According to him, the Neolithic site at Pavuralagutta might have been a production centre of tools such as celts, chisels and sling balls.
“This find deserves further probing to know its potential. Pavuralagutta Neolithic site of the Nagarjunakonda valley with a chain of hills and a huge manmade lake has a lot of potential to be developed as an archaeological and ecotourism destination. It complements the Buddhavanam project already attracting a tourist influx on a regular basis,” said Sivanagireddy
Among those who participated in the exploration included Buddhavanam OSD K Sudhan Reddy, R Nageswar Rao and Gosangi Saidulu, a local from Pavuralagutta.