The Iron Age-Early Historic burials, more popularly known as megalithic burials, attracted attention of archaeologists, historian and general public alike. These burials, often identifiable by certain patterns of arrangements of usually larger stones on the surface (hence termed megalith), are found across the landscapes in the five southern states of India. They are dated, through various methods, from as early as 2000 BCE to as recent as 600CE. The practice of raising these burials was associated with the beginning of Iron Age, following the Neolithic period in peninsular India.
My research primarily focuses on understanding the material culture of people of this period thorough examining these burials. The patterns of these burials with occasional discovery of artifacts provide us with a range of understanding not only about the cultural traditions of the period, but also about the nature of variation both within a site and across sites in landscapes. Drawing examples and inferences from my field research and excavation in a site in north Tamilnadu, I would reflect upon some of these questions in the talk. These burials have fascinated archaeologists for over 200 years due to their visibility on the landscape, but the questions regarding these burials remain numerous as it was centuries ago.