The Guntur district is home to prehistoric cultures that have interested archaeologists across the world. More than a decade after the pathbreaking discovery of megalithic menhirs with rock engravings called petroglyphs, in an open field on the left bank of Nagaleru, a tributary of the Krishna river at Karampudi, 100 km from Guntur, by freelance archaeologist Kadiyala Venkateswara Rao, a huge collection of megalithic menhirs have been discovered at Gangalakunta village in Veldurthi mandal near Macherla, about 150 km away from Guntur.
The discovery has again brought the focus on the study of prehistoric civilisations. The necropolis was first discovered during 1870-71 by J.S. Boswell, then District Collector of Krishna, who was a keen archaeologist.
The menhir with petroglyphs is one of the significant remnants of the prehistoric megalithic civilisation, when humans used signs to communicate, and dates back to 1000 B.C-300 B.C. Menhirs throw light on the socio-ritualistic and ancestral beliefs. Archaeological evidence indicates that the huge stones were erected in memory of the dead, much similar to the present burial grounds, and they were also used as places of worship.
