58 A. Rea— Pre-historic Burial-places in Southern India. [No. 2, 
smaller stones, gradually rising towards the centre in a sort of cairn 
or mound. At a distance of a few feet from this first or inner circle is 
an outer concentric one, formed of blocks of stone, each stone about two 
or three feet in diameter ; this outer ring encloses the tomb. Some of 
these stone-circles are quite complete, others have only a few of the 
central stones and outer circle remaining. A few stones from some of 
the circles had evidently been quite recently removed. 
The majority of the remains consists of those noted under class 2. 
Some of these circles are quite complete, without a stone out of place, and 
they have no trace of anything remaining or having been in the centre. 
If there had been dolmens in the centre, their removal would have dis¬ 
turbed some of the stones in the outer circle : but in numbers of cases I 
observed no displacement. The earth level inside the circle is some¬ 
times about two feet above the surrounding soil, forming a raised circu¬ 
lar platform of earth ; this may be due to a mound having been inside 
the circle and gradually washed down. One of these had a circle of 27 
feet in diameter with 27 stones laid closely together *. the inside level 
was 2 feet above the surrounding ground. 
Of class 3, there are a number of examples. For classification, 
they might be included under those of the first, for they are simply the 
kistvaens or dolmens with their surrounding circles either wholly or 
partially removed. One had nine large stones laid together, with a fiat 
slab, 6 feet by £ feet and a foot thick, laid on the top. 
Of class 4, only one partially complete example was seen projecting 
above the ground surface, but broken pieces of thick pottery at different 
places shewed that others did or still do exist there. The one referred 
to, was almost identical with the pyriform tombs at Pallavaram, and 
measured 1 foot 6 inches in diameter and 2 feet in depth. It was badly 
cracked, and had only some broken pieces of earthenware and large 
stones in the earth inside. This tomb, and the megaliths occupy the 
same relative positions on the hill as do the same classes of remains at 
Pallavaram. The stone circles are on the knolls and higher slopes, and 
the earthen urns lower down at the very base of the hill. No indica¬ 
tions of the long earthenware coffins were observed, but it is quite pro¬ 
bable they may also exist here. 
An excavation was made in the centre of one of the simple stone 
circles, to ascertain what class of tomb it enclosed. The circle was in¬ 
complete, and without central dolmens. I only found two bones, and 
several broken pieces of small chatties. The shaft was carried down 
to a depth of 4 feet, but nothing else was found ; these relics were 2 
feet from the surface. Other remains there may once have been, but 
possibly they have been intentionally removed at one time or other; 
