Archaeological sites of Early Andhra Pradesh (Andhradeśa)

Andhra Pradesh constituted a significant part of the Indian subcontinent. Before the formation of Telangana as a separate state topographically the Andhra region may be broadly divided into three zones, that is, Coastal Andhra, Telangana and Rayalaseema^[1]. Coastal Andhra region comprises of the entire coastal plains and a considerable portion of the eastern hills. The districts of Śrīkākulam, Vijayanagram, Viśākhapaṭnam, East Godāvarī, West Godāvarī, Kṛshṇā, Gunṭur, Prakāsam and Nellore fall in the region of Coastal Andhra. The Telangana region located on the north-western part of the state comprises of the districts of Adilabad, Nizamabad, Karimnagar, Medak, Hyderabad, Rangareddi, Warangal, Khamman, Algona and Mahboobnagar. The Rayalaseema region is situated on the southwestern region and includes the districts of Anantapur, Kurnool, Cuḍḍapāh and Chittoor.

The three topographical sections of Andhra Pradesh have bequeathed to us a rich repository of archaeological and artistic antiquities of great historical significance. Painstaking researches by archaeologists and historians have helped us in the reconstruction of the settlement history. They have unearthed the remains of three phases of the Paleolithic period. Some of the finds include the Acheulian occupation site of Hungsgi and the Kurnool cave deposits of the upper Palaeolithic phase. Further excavations conducted by the Department of Archaeology and Museum, Government of Andhra Pradesh resulted in the discovery of several sites of the Pre-historic period. In this regard mention may be made of Naderipally, Amarabad, Yeleśvaram, Guṇḍala, Peḍḍamarur, Keṭavaram, Gollavaram, Wankhedi, Belum, Billagudem and Kudelocherdopalli. At Amarabad, lower Palaeolithic sites in Mahaboobnagar district have yielded hand axes and cleavers. Near Godāvarī Khani, lower Palaeolithic tools, lithic blades, bone tools and fossilized faunal remains are unearthed^[2]. On the basis of these finds it can be surmised that the Palaeolithic human groups occupied a variety of ecological zones in almost all the districts of Andhra Pradesh.

There is no comprehensive list of Mesolithic sites discovered in Andhra Pradesh. Mesolithic sites in Andhra Pradesh were reported by R.B Foote in Kurnool, Cuḍḍapāh, Anantapur and Kṛshṇā districts. But he never recognized their independent status and associated them with Neolithic phase^[3]. Later Cammiade (1924) in the lower reaches of Godāvarī, Burkitt (1930) in Kurnool district, Issac (1960) in Kurnool district^[4], Soundara Rajan (1952,1958) in Kurnool district, M.L.K Murty (1966) in Chittoor district, Vijaya Prakash (1981,1987) and Thimma Reddy in Viśākhapaṭnam district, V. Rami Reddy (1968) in Anantapur and Kurnool districts, T.R.R Singh (1979,1984) in Karimnagar district, Venkata Subbaiah (1988) in Cuḍḍapāh district and several other scholars through their discoveries of many Mesolithic sites have given information of Mesolithic culture in Andhra Pradesh^[5]. From these excavations it can be surmised that the density of the sites during the Mesolithic period suggests an increased population in the region.

Coming to the Neolithic phase it can be said that R.B Foote discovered the Neolithic site at Vaddamānu in Gunṭur District. After him scholars like Soundara Rajan (1952), V.R Reddy (1976) and others excavated many Neolithic sites in the districts of Viśākhapaṭnam, Kṛshṇā, Gunṭur, Nellore, Hyderabad, Karimnagar, Kurnool, Cuḍḍapāh, Anantapur etc^[6]. Among them Thogarrai, Polakoṇḍa and Budigapalli are noteworthy. Neolithic habitation sites are excavated by the Department of Archaeology and Museums, Government of Andhra Pradesh at Utnur, Chinnamarur, Polakoṇḍa and Hulikallu. The Department also excavated Neolithic-Chalcolithic sites at Guṭṭikoṇḍa (Gunṭur District), Belum (Kurnool District), Chinnamarur and Karapakala (Mahaboobnagar District). This phase is marked by an increased cultural interaction, increase in copper and bronze tools and wheel made painted pottery.

Another category of sites belong to the Megalithic tradition of Early Iron Age. Among some Megalithic sites mention may be made of Yeleśvaram, Pochampad, Kadambapur, Agiripalli, Peḍḍamarur, Chinnamarur, Tenneru, Jonnawada, Uppalapadu, Chagatur etc. At Chinnamarur a Neolithic cemetery was noticed^[7] in the Megalithic habitation while Megalithic cemetery was noticed in the Neolithic habitation which represents the transitional phase. The megalithic sites are distributed in almost all the districts of the state except Śrīkākulam, Vijayanagram and East and West Godāvarī districts.

Excavated habitation-cum burial sites in Andhra Pradesh reveal that it was an agro-pastoral economy. Black and red ware pottery, terracotta sarcophagi, iron objects, copper objects, beads of various materials and gold objects are discovered. Megalithic phase continued well into the next cultural phase, that is early Historic phase.

The subsequent cultural stage in early Andhra is the Early Historic period. Investigations under the supervision of V.V.K Sastry of the Department of Archaeology and Museums, Government of Andhra Pradesh have revealed Early historic sites like Peḍḍabankur, Dhulikaṭṭa, Chinnabankur, Vamanur, Kapparao peta, Koṭaliṅgala, Kachapur, Bodagutta, Karnamamidi, Polakoṇḍa and Bomany^[8]. Other sites are Yeleśvaram, Chandavaram, Thoṭlakoṇḍa, Bavikoṇḍa, Gopalapaṭnam, Pavurallakoṇḍa, Dantapuram, Nelakoṇḍapalle and Keesaragutta. The Birla Archaeological and Cultural Research Institute, Hyderabad undertook excavations under T.V.G Sastri. A number of Early Historic sites like Veerapuram, Vaddamānu and Hasmathpet came to light. I.K Sarma of Southern Circle of Archaeological Survey of India explored coastal Andhra. They discovered many Buddhist establishments, ports and port towns of Early Historic period. It is interesting to note that the Megalithic culture or early Iron Age preceded and overlapped into the Sātavāhana levels at almost all the early Historic sites. Some excavated Magalithic/early Historic sites are Kadambapur, Budigapalli, Polakoṇḍa Kolakoṇḍa, Peḍḍabankur, Chinnabankur, Dhulikaṭṭa, Yeleśvaram, Nāgārjunakoṇḍa, Kesarapalli, Amarāvatī, Kondapur, Koṭaliṅgala, Sālihuṇḍam, Chandavaram, Chebrolu, Vaddamānu and Veerapuram. Most of them display urban features.

Considering the dispersal patterns of the archaeological sites it may be stated that all the reported sites have been divided into three topographical regions of the state mentioned earlier.

Here we will discuss some major and minor archaeological sites of early Andhradeśa discernable in the:—

i) Lower Kṛṣṇā valley, that is Coastal Andhra, and

ii) The region beyond the coastal lines.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Dr. Pisipaty S. Rama Kṛshṇā, 2010, Andhra Culture, An Obscure Phase in the Early Historical Archaeology of Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, p 8.

[2]:

Ibid, p 22

[3]:

Foote R.B, 1887, ‘Notes on some Recent Neolithic and Palaeolithic, Antiquities in South India’, Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, LVI (56). Part 2 Calcutta, pp 259-282. Chandramouli N, 2013, Rock Art of Andhra Pradesh -A New Synthesis, Rock Art Series 7, New Delhi, P 69.

[4]:

Paddaya K 1985, 52, ‘The Blade Tool Industry of Shorapur Doab studies’ in Deo S.B and Dhavalikar M.K (ed), Indian Archaeology, Professor H.D Sankalia Felicitation volume, Bombay, p 166.

[5]:

Chandramouli N, Op.cit, p 69.

[6]:

Dr. Pisipaty S. Rama Kṛshṇā, Op.cit, pp 22-23.

[7]:

Ibid, p 23

[8]:

Ibid, p 23.