Megalithic culture is a worldwide phenomenon and megaliths have long been the subject of interest to archaeologists and others. Chittoor district is one of the regions in south India, that has shown prolific presence of megalithic monuments.

The present book describes the details of nearly 200 megalithic sites, out of which 10 have habitational evidence, 10 sites have paintings, 6 sites are having anthropomorphic statues and 2 sites have both habitational and burial evidence. These explorations have resulted in the discovery of one of the densest concentration of megalithic sites from south India. Systematic collection of data about the location, terrain, resource base, typology, the myths and traditions about these monuments and the present demographic composition has resulted in a comprehensive data base for understanding this culture to a great extent. The distributional aspects of the typology is well illustrated by the quality maps. The study region has unique types of monuments, which are well illustrated by good number of photographs.

The present book is certainly very useful to the students and scholars working on the protohistoric cultures, as it contains primary field data which is not published elsewhere. At the same time, it would be an interesting source for the general public, who want to know about these impressive monuments constructed by our ancestors.

About the Author

Dr V. Ramabrahmam (b. 1968) hails from Tirupati town in Andhra Pradesh. He completed his M.A., Ph.D. from Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati. His basic research interest was Megalithic Culture in South India, Rock Art, Oral History, etc.

He attended number of seminars in India and abroad and has many research articles in national and international journals on his credit. Presently, he is working as an Assistant Professor in the Department of History and Archaeology, Yogi Vemana University, Kadapa.