{"id":72299,"date":"2026-04-27T18:35:39","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T13:05:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=72299"},"modified":"2026-04-27T18:35:55","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T13:05:55","slug":"india-brics-presidency-priorities-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/27-04-2026\/india-brics-presidency-priorities-2","title":{"rendered":"Virli Khandar Excavation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS1\/Art &amp; Culture<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Archaeologists believe the findings at <strong>Virli Khandar<\/strong> could significantly contribute to understanding <strong>megalithic cultures in the region<\/strong> and their broader cultural practices.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>key findings from the site<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The site has a unique burial pattern like it has stone circles and within them menhirs, making it a<strong> composite megalithic structure (a combination of two burial types).<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In contrast, nearby sites such as <strong>Pimpalgaon Nipani and Tirota Kheri <\/strong>feature primarily<strong> dolmen burials<\/strong>, making Virli Khandar distinct.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-dominant-color=\"998774\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #998774;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-155-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-72300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-155-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-155-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-155-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-155.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Significant artifacts have been recovered from one of the burials, including <strong>copper objects such as a necklace<\/strong>, iron implements like axes, chisels, ladles and arrowheads, semi-precious stone beads, notably etched carnelian beads, and a gold earring.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>One of the most striking discoveries is a unique cluster of pottery, not previously reported in the Vidarbha region. In one burial, <strong>nearly 50 pots were found arranged systematically<\/strong>, with larger bowls covered by inverted bowls.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-dominant-color=\"b98a66\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #b98a66;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-156-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-72301\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-156-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-156-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-156-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-156.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The pots were carefully placed over a <strong>layer of black cotton soil laid above the natural lateritic (murum) base.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The<strong> largest surviving menhir,<\/strong> the Grand Menhir Bris\u00e9 or the Great Broken Menhir in Brittany, France, once stood at 20.6 m tall.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What are Menhirs?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A menhir is a <strong>standing or an upright stone<\/strong>, which is usually tapered at the top. It is man-made, in that it is sculpted and placed by humans, and usually quite large.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Menhirs can <strong>either be found alone, or as a part of a larger complex of prehistoric megaliths<\/strong>, simply, large stone structures. While the exact purpose of many megalithic sites is debated, they likely served ceremonial functions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Mudumal Megalithic Menhirs in T<strong>elangana\u2019s Narayanpet district, dating back approximately 3,500 to 4,000 years<\/strong>, have been added to a tentative list of <strong>UNESCO World Heritage Sites from India.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-background\" style=\"background-color:#fff2cc\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p><strong>Iron Age Megalithic Culture in India (c. 1200 BCE \u2013 300 CE)&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It represents a significant archaeological phase in India marked by the <strong>use of iron technology<\/strong> and <strong>distinctive burial practices<\/strong> involving<strong> large stones (megaliths)<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It is found across <strong>Peninsular India<\/strong>, especially Deccan Plateau, South India (Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh), Vidarbha (Maharashtra); and Eastern India (Odisha).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Types of Megalithic Burials<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Sepulchral (Burial) Monuments<\/strong>: Stone circles; Dolmens (table-like structures); Cists (stone-lined graves); Menhirs (upright stones); and Cairn circles (heap of stones)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Non-Sepulchral \/ Memorial: <\/strong>Cenotaphs (symbolic burials without bodies).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Key Features of Megalithic Culture<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Iron Technology: <\/strong>Extensive use of <strong>iron tools and weapons<\/strong> like axes, spearheads, arrowheads.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It marks the transition from <strong>Bronze Age to Iron Age.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Pottery: Black-and-red ware (BRW)<\/strong> is characteristic, often found in burials with grave goods.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Grave Goods: <\/strong>Objects buried with dead are iron tools, copper ornaments, beads, reflecting <strong>status differentiation, and belief in afterlife.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Skeletal Remains: <\/strong>Extended or secondary burials; sometimes absent due to preservation issues.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/cities\/mumbai\/vidarbha-megalithic-excavation-virli-khandar-maharashtra-10654151\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Source: IE<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong><br \/>\nContext<\/p>\n<p><\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">\nArchaeologists believe the findings at Virli Khandar could significantly contribute to understanding megalithic cultures in the region and their broader cultural practices.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong><\/p>\n<p>key findings from the site<\/p>\n<p><\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"\t>\nThe site has a unique burial pattern like it has stone circles and within them menhirs, making it a composite megalithic structure (a combination of two burial types).<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">\nIn contrast, nearby sites such as Pimpalgaon Nipani and Tirota Kheri feature primarily dolmen burials, making Virli Khandar distinct.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<p><a href=\" https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/27-04-2026\/india-brics-presidency-priorities-2 \" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-72299","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72299","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=72299"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72299\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":72303,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72299\/revisions\/72303"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=72299"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=72299"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=72299"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}