Menhir of Megalithic Era discovered in Udupi's Basrur

Udupi: A menhir of the Megalithic Era has been discovered at Basrur of Udupi district. Basrur is a small village in Kundapur Taluk of Udupi district.

"Basrur was one of the major centers of trade and commerce in the 10th century. Nothing is known about the place before that. The discovery of the menhir pushes the history of the place back to the Megalithic era. Such menhirs usually date back to 1000 BC to 800 BC. So we can conclude that the habitation existed here during the Proto Historic era," MSRS College Department of Ancient History and Archaeology Associate Professor T Murugeshi told Deccan Chronicle.

"The Menhir found at Basrur is a huge stone slab of about 7 feet in height from the ground level. It is near the famous Kote Anjaneya and Venkatramana Temple. The size and shape of the Menhir are similar to those found in other parts of Karnataka," he added.

The menhir found at Basrur is oriented to the north-west direction and slightly leaning to the east.

"Menhirs are upright standing stones of the Megalithic period. They are erected above the burial or near the burial as a memorial stone of the dead. They date between 1000 B.C. to 800 B.C," he said.

"I am thankful to Muralidhar Hegade who brought this stone to my notice," he added.