1877.] W. King — Cruciform Monolitlis near Mungapet. 189 



3. I^otes of a pre-historic Burial-place with cruciform Monolitlis near 



Mmigapet in the Nizam's Dominions. — By W. Kiira, Deputy Super- 

 intendent Geological Survey of India, 



(Abstract ) 



After details of locality, and supposition of possibly previous observa- 

 tion and description, the paper gives an account of an assemblage of about 

 150 kists encircled by stone rings, with 4 large stone monoliths in the form 

 of crosses. 



The kists and crosses are all of dress^ stone, the former being of a much 

 higher stj'le of building than is usually seen in the other ring -surrounded 

 kists of S. India which are commonly called Korumbar Rings. 



The cruciform monoliths are distinguishable from other crosses of pre- 

 Christian type, by the different size of the limbs, and by the curved junc- 

 tion between the lower limb and the arms. The largest cross is 13 feet 

 long. One of the crosses is still standing in an upright position, with the 

 lower limb buried about 6 feet in the ground. 



The tombs consist of four upright slabs, with a covering lid : the 

 entrance being at one side of the wall facing the sun. Inside, there is a 

 floor slab which is hollowed out in one or more cavities or coffin-like re- 

 ceptacles, an arrangement which is quite different to that of the so-called 

 Korumbar rings which usually contain urns either for the bodies in a 

 packed position, or ashes. 



The author supposes that in the present example, the bodies were em- 

 balmed. 



The principal tomb is 9' 6" long by 9' wide, with a covering slab, 14' 

 8" by 11' 6,* and V 4" thick at the edge ; the whole height being 5 feet. 

 It contains two coffin-like receptacles, with room for a third. The circle of 

 stones enclosing this tomb is 37 feet in diameter. 



The several parts of the tombs are eacli of one stone. 



The stone used is that of the locality, a sandstone ; and in this the 

 present tombs differ from the ruder Korumbar rings which are usually built 

 of stone fetched from a distance. 



Other, but poorer, assemblages of tombs and without crosses, occur on 

 the slopes of the low hills in the neighbouring country. 



These relics are without any inscriptions, or incised characters. 



The author supposes that this burial-place is of pre- Aryan age, or ra- 

 ther of the Hindo-Kolarian times. This is about the same age as Colonel 

 Glasfurd (who had previously written of other megalithic remains in the 

 neighbouring country) attributes to the relics observed by him, and which 

 he calls Indo-Scythic, 



This surmise as to the age rests on the fact that similar, though ruder, 

 remains of the same style (the crosses excepted) occur all over the country, 



