Megaliths are large stones used to construct structures without mortar. There are two main types of megalithic structures - polylithic and monolithic. Some common megalithic structures found in South India include rock cut caves, hood/hat stones, menhirs, dolmenoid cists, and cairn circles. Rock cut caves are burial chambers carved into soft rock. Hood stones are dome-shaped stones covering underground burial pits. Menhirs are upright standing stones marking burials. Dolmenoid cists are stone box-like graves built with several upright stones and a capstone. Cairn circles consist of a stone rubble mound enclosed by a stone circle, sometimes

1. MEGALITHS
THE HISTORY OF MEGALITHS

2. INTRODUCTIONFORMEGALITHS
A megalith is a large stone that has been used to construct a structure or monument,
either alone or together with other stones. The word "megalithic" describes structures
made of such large stones, utilizing an interlocking system without the use of mortar or
concrete, as well as representing periods of prehistory characterised by such
constructions. For later periods the term monolith, with an overlapping meaning, is more
likely to be used.
The word "megalith" comes from the Ancient Greek "μέγας"
(transl. megas meaning "great") and "λίθος" (transl. lithos meaning
"stone"). Megalith also denotes an item consisting of rock(s) hewn in
definite shapes for special purposes.[1][2][3]
It has been used to describe
buildings built by people from many parts of the world living in many
different periods. A variety of large stones are seen as megaliths, with the
most widely known megaliths not being sepulchral.[4]
The construction of
these structures took place mainly in theNeolithic (though
earlier Mesolithic examples are known) and continued into
the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age.[

3. TYPES OF MEGALITHIC
STRUCTURES
 The types of megalithic structures can be
divided into two categories, the "Polylithic type"
and the "Monolithic type."[35] Different
megalithic structures include:

4. The megalithic burials show a
variety of methods for the disposal of the
dead. Moreover, there are megaliths
which are internally different but exhibit
the same externalfeatures.The megaliths
can be classified under different
categories:
Here are some examples:
1. Rock Cut Caves,
2. Hood Stones and Hat Stones / Cap Stones
3. Menhirs, Alignments and Avenues
4. Dolmenoid Cists
5. Cairn Circles

5. RockCut Caves:
These are scooped out on soft laterite, as found in the southern part
of the West Coast. These rock cut cave tombs are peculiar to this
region and occur in the Cochin and Malabar regions of Kerala.
The laterite rocks cut caves of the burial site
constitutes three chambers. Each one with a length
of two meters and one and half meters breadth.
The chamber has ten centimeter long bench or cot
like berths.
• They also occur in other regions. On
the East Coast of South India, they are present
inMamallapuram (Mahabalipuram) near Madras.
In the Deccan and western India they are
observed at Elephanta, Ajanta, Ellora, Karle,
Bhaja etc. But these belong to a later date and
were used for entirely different purposes while
those in Kerala are purely megalithic
andfunerary ones, the others being of different
tradition.
• The Kerala funerary rock cut caves
consist of an open well, roughly rectangular or
square, cut vertically down the rock and
provided with a flight of steps for descending to
the floor. Such caves are found at many sites like
Chovvannur, Kakkad, Porkalam, etc. More
elaborate specimens of such caves occur at sites
like Eyyal,Kattakampal, etc.
• These rock cut burial caves in
Cochin region are of four types – (i) Caves with
Central pillar, (ii) Caves without central pillar,
(iii) Caves with a deep opening and (iv) Multi-
chambered caves.

6. (2) Hood Stones (Kudaikallu) and Hat Stones / Cap Stones (Toppikkals)
Shaped like a hat or a an umbrella, an Iron Age megalithic burial site at
Cherumangadu near Thrissur, Kerala
•Alliedwith the rock cut caves but of a
simpler form are the Hood stones or
Kudaikallu.Theseconsistsof a dome-shaped
dressedlateriteblock which cover the
underground circular pit cut into a natural
rock and provided with a stairway.
• In some cases the hood stone gives
place to a hat stone or toppikkal, which is a
plano-convexslab resting on three or four
quadrilateralclinostaticboulders, forming a
square base and a truncated top on which
reststhe the hat stone. This also covers
anunderground burial pit containingthe
funerary urn and other grave furnishings.
Unlike as in the rock cut caves, there is no
chamber apart from this open pit in which
itselfthe burial is made. Usually, it containsa
burial urn covered with a convex or dome-
shaped pottery lidor a stone slab and
containsskeletalremains, small pots and,
sometimesashes.

7. (3) Menhirs, Alignments and Avenues:
. They are dressed or not dressed at all. These are essentially commemorative stone pillars set up at
or near a burial spot. These menhirs are mentioned in ancient Tamil literature as nadukal and are
often called Pandukkalor Pandil. In some cases, the menhirs are not planted in ground but rest on
the original ground propped up with a mass of rubble as at Maski. These occur in a number of sites
in close vicinity of other type of megalithic burials, mostly in different regions of Kerala andBellary,
Raichur and Gulbarga Menhirs are monolithic pillars planted vertically into the ground. These may be
small or gigantic in height regions of Karnataka in large numbers, but less frequently at other
places of South India

8. Dolmenoid Cists:
 The dolmenoid cists occur at large number at Sanur near Chingleput (T.N.) and
many other sites in this region.
 The cists built of dressed slabs or the slab cists are the normal type of cists,
occurring all over South India, as also in some parts of the north.
 There are many sub-types of this in Tamilnadu – (i) Dolmenoid cist with multiple
orthostats, (ii) Dolmenoid cist with four orthostats with U-shaped port-hole in the east
or west, (iii) Dolmenoid cist with four four Dolmenoid cists consists of square or
rectangular box-like graves built of several orthostats (upright stone or slab forming
part of a structure or set in the ground) one or more for each side, supporting the
super incumbent capstone consisting of one or more stones, often with the floor also
paved with the stone slabs.
 The orthostats and the capstones might be formed either of undressed rough blocks
of stone or partly dressed flattish stones.
 orthostats with U-shaped port-hole on the top corner of the eastern orthostat, and (iv)

9. Cairn Circles:
•
• The Cairn circles are one
the most popular type of
megalithicmonuments
occurring all over south
India in associationwith
othertypes. They consist
of a heap of stone rubble
enclosed within a circle of
boulders.
• On the basis of the form of the
underground burial, they may be divided into
three sub-types – (i) Pit burials, (ii)
Sarcophagi burials, and (iii) Pyriform or other
types of urn burials.Thepit burials under the
cairn circles consistof deep pits dug into the
natural soil, roughly circular, square or oblong
on plan. The skeletalremains and the grave
furniturewere placed on the floors of these
pits.The pits were then filled up with earth,
eitherthe earth dug up in the pit or that
which was brought from elsewhere, upto the
original ground level. Above this earth filling
was placed the cairn heap which might be
just a thin layer or may rise upto 3 to 4 ft.
above the ground level and bounded by a
circle of stones.Such pit burials have been
found at many sites in the Chingleput
(Tamilnadu),Chitradurg and Gulbarga
(Karnataka)districts.