Hyderabad: Neolithic remains found near Lanco Hills at Khajaguda

Archaeologist E Sivanagireddy along with his team members have claimed to have found remains of a seasonal habitation of prehistoric man on a huge hillock.

Hyderabad: Archaeologist E Sivanagireddy along with his team members have claimed to have found remains of a seasonal habitation of prehistoric man on a huge hillock locally known as Peddagutta near Lanco Hills located between Khajaguda and Puppalaguda in the city on Thursday.

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The archaeologist conducted a survey at Peddagutta located on the left side of the Anantha Padmanabha Swamy temple, which is under construction, around the unique rock formations. During the survey, the team spotted four places having grooves formed out of grinding and polishing of stone axes during the Neolithic period dating back to 2000 BCE.

The grooves located within a radius of 10 metres and close to natural rock shelters were used by the Neolithic folk as seasonal camp sites, Sivanagireddy said.

The grooves, which measure between 30 to 25 cm in length, 6 to 4 cm in width and 2 to 3 cm who in depth, might have been used by a small group to sharpen the stone tools at that time. There are more than 15 rock shelters and caverns seen in an extent of 10 acres area, some in the shape of serpent hood and some in ridge shape facilitated the Neolithic people during the hot sun and rain, he said.

Based on the occurrence of evidences noticed earlier at rock art site, Kokapet and Neolithic site, BNR Hills, Sivanagireddy said that the current findings assume greater significance archaeologically leading to a conclusion that the location on other side of the Gachibowli-Narsingi ORR was a habitation during Neolithic and Megalithic (Iron age) period that pushes the history of Hyderabad city to a prehistoric time.