Jangaon: Revealing a few archaeological discoveries he made over the years, Jangaon-based archaeology and history enthusiast Reddy Ratnakar Reddy has once again urged authorities to set up an archaeology museum in Jangaon.
In a press note released on the occasion of International Museum Day on May 18, Reddy has revealed that he discovered floating bricks from Potti Gutta, nestled between Vadlakonda and Chitakoduru villages near here and said the discovery challenges the belief that floating bricks were exclusive to the Kakatiya period. Reddy asserts that evidence of floating bricks predates this era, shedding new light on the architectural practices of ancient civilizations in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh States.
As part of his archaeological research a few years ago, Reddy had stumbled upon the floating bricks at Potti Gutta, he said. Emphasising the significance of his discovery, Reddy urged the government to establish a museum in Jangaon district centre, and said Potti Gutta holds remnants spanning the Paleolithic age to the Satavahana period. His excavations have unveiled multiple megalithic burial sites, grooves dating back to the Stone Age, and brick structures from the Satavahana era, dating back one or two centuries BC.
As for the floating brick, he said the the peculiar water-floating brick suggested that the Kakatiyas were not the originators of the ingenious construction technique.
“Instead, its existence indicates that the practice may have been employed much earlier,” Reddy claimed, adding that a thorough radiocarbon dating test must be done on the brick to determine the brick’s precise age. So far, archaeologists and engineers have noted that the Kakatiyas used remarkably lightweight bricks, capable of floating on water.
Reddy’s find challenges the established understanding of floating bricks, unearthing a fascinating aspect of ancient architectural practices. As further investigations unfold, the mysteries surrounding these enigmatic bricks may gradually unravel, reshaping our understanding of the region’s rich history, he adds.